A Banking Institution Selling Insurance Policies via a Chatbot
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FACTS
- The Portuguese institution Banco Best teams up the insurance group Simplesurance (featuring affinity-based, connected services) and lets their customers subscribe smartphone insurance offers through a chatbot.
- This service, called BEA (“Best Electronic Assistant”), is accessible from the bank’s website or via Facebook Messenger.
- Their customers may subscribe insurance offers for their cell phones, tablets or computers. The application process is conducted via BEA, using natural language.
- The chatbot records the customer’s request before asking a few questions for them to specify their needs.
- An online simulation feature is provided to instantly issue quotes; at which point, customers may accept and pay. Simplesurance then sends an insurance certificate.
CHALLENGES
- Improving customers’ access to services. BEA is available full-time to address any issue customers may face, using natural language. It contributes to removing obstacles that might have hindered insurance subscription procedures in general.
- Expanding their banking offer. From a technical standpoint, this service relies on integrating Simplesurance’s API in the bank’s chatbot (designed by Visor.ai). Banco Best’s customers have access to an offer fully managed by the German InsurTech and their partner, Allianz. Simplesurance and Banco Best are already planning to jointly feature other products and services.
- Boosting their development. Simplesurance is a reference on the market for affinity-based insurance services. They may now rely on a new financial partner to sell their offers, after having won FinTechs, including Revolut and Raisin (which already added their service to their marketplace).
MARKET PERSPECTIVE
- Besides customer relation and helping them deal with day-to-day issues, chatbots are winning group in the financial sector and meeting more needs by the day.
- In the insurance industry, these tools were first meant for processing claims, but they now apply to subscribing contracts, too.
- Other players introduced similar features: in Hong Kong, Starr Insurance, for instance, unveiled a chatbot-based option for subscribing travel insurance policies.