Technology plays a big role in the transformation of the insurance industry

Across the country every day, Kenyans are increasingly relying on simple technologies as tools for socio-economic transformation. These innovations have in turn stimulated acquisition of new skills, increased civic participation, and access to Insurance, education, healthcare, public safety among others.

Until recently, insurance has been slow to technological change. The insurance industry seemed to be operating in the same old way while new players worked to technologically disrupt banking and financial management, ticketing, travelling, bill payments etc. That era of stability has ended with increasing deployment of advanced sensor technologies and related services. The Insurers and reinsurers are seeking new and innovative systems to improve service delivery and efficiency within their companies.

A report by Institute on International Finance 2016 examining how technology is beginning to reshape the insurance landscape stated that Insurance is now like other major industries, grappling with the risks and opportunities of new technologies. The report further stated that one of the most exciting implications resulting from these developments is expanded insurability for low- income populations. In turn, this is accelerating competition, innovation and change in insurance.

In light of this, Resolution Insurance has adopted this new technology shift. Recently, we have implemented the SSP Pure Insurance System that is aimed at improving service delivery and simplifying product design processes. The system will drastically reduce exhausting and time consuming manual processes. Customers will benefit from an array of services such as web based application processes, digitized quotes among others.

Further, the integrated portal will support full cycle trading for Resolution Insurance brokers thereby enabling Insurance brokers benefit from single solutions claims management, e-trading across the broker community and overall policy administration.

In addition to simplified processes, we cannot ignore the mobile world which is a key innovation contributing to reshaping of the insurance industry today. The growing prevalence of mobile phones provides new methods for insurance firms to communicate with and provide products seamlessly at all hours to their customers, encouraging greater engagement and brand allegiance.

The Insurance market is an information based market since there is a lot of information gathering, processing and distribution and thus technology is needed to manage this information.

(Thomas Gachie – Chief Operating Officer – Resolution Insurance