IBM FileNet Project for Zurich Sigorta

Meets regulatory obligations and cuts cost of handling policy documents by 90 percent

 

When faced with new regulations around policy management, Zurich Sigorta seized the opportunity to go beyond basic compliance. The insurer created a secure digital repository for millions of policies and now offers customers online and mobile access to their documents—meeting regulatory demands, managing costs effectively and enhancing service.

 

New regulations required insurer Zurich Sigorta to prove that policy documents were being stored and delivered to customers properly—but paper-driven processes stood in the way of compliance.

 

Zurich worked with IBM and partner Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri to create a secure digital repository for some 1.5 million policies, along with a web portal where customers can access their documents.

 

90% cut in document management costs and  lower carbon footprint thanks to digititization

45%lift in delivery sucss rate for policies, compliance and customer service

Reducess risk of regulatory penalties and fraud with full auditrail of polices

Complying with new regulations

Turkey's insurance industry is going through a major transformation. New regulations and technologies, intensifying competition and rising customer expectations are causing carriers to re-think the way they manage their operations and go to market.

 

At Zurich Sigorta, one of the country's leading insurers, a recent regulatory change presented a valuable opportunity for the company to reinvent the way it manages policies and interacts with customers.

 

Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu, CIO of Zurich Sigorta, elaborates: “In the past, when we issued a new policy, we sent a copy of the documents to customers through the mail. Relying on paper made it difficult to track copies of our policies and, on average, we were only able to confirm that around 40 percent of documents had been successfully delivered to customers.

 

“Recently, the government introduced regulations that require insurance providers to offer proof that policy documents have been sent to customers, and to maintain a secure copy of every policy they underwrite. We knew that we could not rely on our existing paper-driven process to comply with our regulator's demands—and we needed a more reliable way to distribute and store policy documents.”

 

“IBM and BBS have helped us to create a springboard for future digital innovation at Zurich.”

 

—Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu, CIO, Zurich Sigorta

 

Content management reimagined

Zurich decided to establish a new digital repository for policy documents and to introduce streamlined workflows for managing policy content and related processes. After evaluating several enterprise content management offerings, the company homed in on a comprehensive solution from IBM.

 

“We chose IBM because they offered proven technology, backed by strong references,” notes Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu. “I've worked with IBM enterprise content management software in previous roles, and have found the solutions very reliable and the support from IBM excellent. I knew that IBM had the capabilities that Zurich needed to solve our content management challenges.”

 

To underpin its new approach to policy management, Zurich designed a content management platform built on IBM® FileNet® Content Manager, IBM Case Foundation and IBM Content Navigator, running on IBM POWER8®processor-based servers.

 

To help guide a smooth implementation, the company teamed up with IBM Gold Business Partner Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri (BBS). Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu recalls: “BBS were instrumental to the success of this project. We worked closely with their team to configure and deploy the new content management system and supporting hardware. With help from BBS, we were able to bring the solution into production in just one and a half months.”

 

Today, IBM enterprise content management solutions sit at the heart of policy management at Zurich. FileNet Content Manager acts as a central repository for some 1.5 million digital policies—a number that's growing every month. The company uses Case Foundation to link these documents with structured workflows, which makes it quick and easy for employees to work with content and for customers to access their policies.

 

Once Zurich issues a policy, an electronic copy of the document is saved in FileNet Content Manager. Next, a workflow pulls the relevant customer contact information from the company's systems, and sends the customer an SMS message, notifying them that their policy is active and providing a link to a web portal where they can view and download a copy of the policy. The web portal is built on Content Navigator software, which provides an interface for accessing content stored in Zurich's core FileNet Content Manager repository.

 

“We are the first insurer in our market to offer this kind of SMS notification service and digital access to policies,” says Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu. “Most of our customers now choose to view and download their policies on mobile or online. For the minority of customers who cannot or do not wish to use the web service, we continue to send policy documents by post.”

 

“Digitization has helped us to deliver a first-of-its-kind service for customers in Turkey, which sets us apart in a very competitive market.”

 

—Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu, CIO, Zurich Sigorta

 

Enhanced response to regulations and customer needs

With help from IBM and BBS, Zurich has transformed a regulatory obligation into a more efficient and secure approach to policy document management—empowering it to provide more responsive, differentiated customer services.

 

Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu confirms: “Previously, we were only able to confirm delivery of around 40 percent of all policies, but today we have lifted our delivery success rate to 85 percent—and we expect that figure to rise as we enhance our document management processes and as more customers embrace the new digital service.

 

“It is now much easier for us to demonstrate to regulators that we are meeting our obligations. If we are asked to provide proof of delivery, we can simply share SMS delivery records with the regulator. As we are sending fewer documents by post, it takes much less time and effort to provide delivery confirmations for these items as well.

 

“Similarly, now that policies are digitized and stored securely in FileNet Content Manager, it is very quick and easy for us to respond to audits. Instead of having to dig through mountains of paper, we can retrieve electronic policies with just a few mouse clicks.”

 

The new approach to document management has helped Zurich to unlock impressive cost savings and a valuable source of competitive advantage.

 

“IBM enterprise content management solutions have helped us to make cost savings of 90 percent,” says Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu. “We no longer have to print, process or post huge volumes of paper policies, saving us an enormous amount of time, money and effort.

 

“Equally importantly, digitization has helped us to deliver a first-of-its-kind service for customers in Turkey, which sets us apart in a very competitive market. As policy applications are often the first interaction that a new customer has with our brand, the ability to deliver key documents via smartphones, tablets or desktop computers allows us to offer a much more responsive, polished service—helping us start new customer relationships on a very positive note.”

 

For Zurich, these achievements represent the first step on a far-reaching digital transformation journey. The insurer has ambitious plans for content management. For example, it plans to migrate claims information to FileNet Content Manager in the near future, and introduce more mobile applications, including a mobile claims app that will allow customers to submit claims from their smartphone.

 

In addition, Zurich plans to harness case management and analytics software from IBM to enhance the way its teams work with content and reveal new insights into operations and customers. For instance, with a comprehensive view of customers, teams can provide more personalized service, boosting satisfaction and retention. And with newfound insight and control over policies, Zurich can more accurately assess and mitigate underwriting risks—and even improve fraud detection.

 

Taşkın Kayıkçıoğlu concludes: “IBM and BBS have helped us to create a springboard for future digital innovation at Zurich. Now that we have a trusted, centralized content management platform in place, we can start harnessing our enterprise information in new ways, creating even more opportunities to drive down costs, reduce risk and provide personalized, efficient service to customers across Turkey.”

 

Zurich Sigorta is an insurance company based in Istanbul, Turkey, which provides fire, marine, accident, personal accident, health, legal protection, engineering, and credit insurance. The company is a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group AG.

 

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Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri (BBS) is an IT services and solutions provider, and an IBM Gold Business Partner, specializing in enterprise content management, information risk and protection, and storage systems.