Analytics in Insurance Customer Experience
Insights and analytics play a crucial role in the insurance industry. Leading insurance carriers use data and advanced analytics to reimagine risk evaluation, improve customer experience, and enhance efficiency and decision-making in the underwriting process.
To get more insights on this role, our Partner at New Metrics, Maya Omeiri, interviewed Noura Al-Shubaiki, the Director of Insights and Analytics at Tawuniya, the leading Insurance Company in Saudi Arabia and the region. Noura’s focus on driving customer feedback and creating a sense of employee responsibility to improve services and products has contributed to Tawuniya being the Saudi insurer of choice and earning numerous awards for its customer service and digital initiatives.
This interview is the second installment of our “Women Leading Transformation & Experience Management,” a series of interviews with leaders making a difference and creating opportunities in the customer experience field.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this interview represents the views and opinions of the interviewee and is for informational purposes only. The information provided does not constitute professional advice or endorsement. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Maya Omeiri: Congratulations on your inspiring successful career journey; tell us how it all happened.
Noura Al-Shubaiki: It all started when I was a quality assurance manager in customer service. I was looking into the day-to-day issues that call center agents face and the reasons behind customer dissatisfaction. In Tawuniya, we needed more insights to understand all aspects of customer experience, so we devised a VOC system and created internal transactional surveys that helped us shed light on the most critical areas. With the expanding scope of customer experience, I am now leading the insights and analytics division.
Customer Experience in Insurance
Maya Omeiri: How important is customer experience to navigate the industry today, and how can companies improve it?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: Customer experience in insurance is very important because customers need insurance services in the most challenging circumstances in which they may face risks, whether in their health or property. Therefore, SAMA, the regulator of the Saudi insurance sector, regularly issues circulars and laws that enhance the value of the customer and protect his rights.
On the other hand, customer-centric is a main pillar/ promise of Tawuniya’s 2025 strategy. Revamping CEX & digital journeys and driving operational excellence are the enablers to achieving this strategic promise.
As part of our efforts to enhance the customer experience, Tawuniya seeks to be the digital-first partner of choice for priority segments, upgrade IT infrastructure and adopt agile, and establish and roll out the state of a digital art hub.
In this direction, we partnered with New Metrics to improve CX through Medallia technology.
Technology helped us through:
- Personalization: Personalization is key to improving customer experience. We can use data analytics to personalize our offerings and provide customers with tailored experiences.
- Omnichannel experience: Customers expect to be able to interact with us through multiple channels.
As part of our efforts to enhance customer experience, Tawuniya seeks to be the digital-first partner of choice for priority segments, upgrate IT infrastructure and adopt agile, and establish and roll out the state of a digital art hub. In this direction, we partnered with New Metrics to improve CX through Medallia technology.
Noura Al-Shubaiki
VoC Program Challenges
Maya Omeiri: Implementing VoC programs can be challenging. Could you share some of your challenges and how to overcome them?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: We had many challenges while gathering customer feedback and listening continuously to our customers. The most important ones are:
- Siloed Data: This made it difficult to personalize the customer experience and provide a seamless omnichannel experience.
- Lack of integration: When different technologies are integrated properly, it can lead to better customer experiences.
This is why having the right technology partner was paramount to us. New Metrics helped us with the following:
- Customer Journey Mapping: Adopting Medallia technology helped us map customer journeys and identify touchpoints where personalization can be integrated.
- Data Analysis: Medallia also offered data analysis tools that help us gain insights into customer behavior. By analyzing data, we can now identify patterns that help us understand customers’ preferences, behavior, and needs. This information allows us to create personalized experiences, such as offering customized product recommendations.
- Voice of the Customer: The voice of the customer enabled us to deploy a range of tools, including online surveys, NPS, and chatbots.
By taking customer feedback from various channels, such as social media, surveys, ratings, and reviews across the customer journey, we can use that data to continuously refine our customer journey-based tech strategy and achieve a 360 view of the customer.
Customer Segmentation and Insurance
Maya Omeiri: How do you see customer segmentation as a vital component for insurance companies towards providing tailored services, and could you share an example from your organization?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: Customer segmentation is very important to us, whether based on the size of the customers (individuals – small and medium enterprises – corporates) or according to the type of insurance (Mobility – Health and Life -General). At Tawuniya, we apply this segmentation to help us further understand customer needs, design a customer journey suitable for each sector, and create insurance solutions that meet those needs. Our 2025 strategy designed the programs and initiatives we will do for each segment and finally achieve Tawuniya’s vision of becoming the MENA region’s largest insurer.
We have many examples of developing innovative solutions that suit customer segments, such as the Tawuniya Vitality health insurance program, which helps customers adopt a healthy lifestyle and promotes the shared-value concept. Also, the Tawuniya Drive program allows motor insurance customers to improve their driving behavior. It ultimately leads to a reduction in accident rates and thus reduces the cost of insurance.
We also applied many changes last year. We implemented a new strategy, company brand, and values. We also have a substantial digital transformation, a new mobile app, and a new website with a whole new end-to-end digitalization journey. For example, our retail motor clients today have a complete end-to-end journey service where in case of an accident happens; a tow car will pick up the insured car, do everything for the client, and finally deliver a fixed vehicle to his home. Similar initiatives are done for B2B as well, such as portals that make communication and business more accessible to our clients and partners.
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Insurance
Maya Omeiri: How are AI and machine learning impacting the field, and what opportunities do they present for companies?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: As a CX organization, we must stay ahead of the curve and reduce customer friction. This is where AI comes into place as it provides:
- Self-service options: Customers want to be able to purchase insurance products and solve problems on their own. Providing self-service options like chatbots or online portals improved our customer experience.
- Speed: Customers expect fast service. It helps us increase the customer retention ratio.
- Customer Loyalty: Medallia’s AI-driven predictive models help us drive customer loyalty. This is achieved by understanding the conversation and predicting the customer’s next move through real-time customer service calls, chats, and email analysis.
Employee Experience and Customer Experience
Maya Omeiri: We’ve established the importance of employee feedback and engagement to enhance CX; what are your thoughts?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: Diversity in customer experience is about who is on board! To be innovative, you need diversity of thoughts; to do that, you need to provide a culture that allows that, a culture that listens and respects peoples’ differences and enables every individual to flourish according to their talents and abilities.
Passion for our people is one of the main pillars of Tawuniya Strategy 2025, through which we care for our people as we care for our clients. Within this positive culture, we created the values that lead us to act as one to serve our customers with care and the right way.
By prioritizing customer experience and cultivating this value across the organization, employees become more passionate about delivering a great experience to customers. Furthermore, offering a transparent feedback channel and regularly seeking feedback can demonstrate to customers that their opinions are valued.
Women in Experience Management
Maya Omeiri: As a role model for young women in transformation and experience management, what advice would you give women just starting their careers in this field?
Noura Al-Shubaiki: Having a strong customer-oriented attitude, passion for creating change, and empathy is important to understand the client experience when dealing with your organization. Organizations are going beyond short-term sales targets. It is about gaining customers long-term through outstanding experience at the time of purchase and throughout their lifecycle.
Maya Omeiri: Applying customer experience skills serves as genuine catalysts for success in both life and career. Actively listening, timely responsiveness, value addition, and feedback-seeking enrich personal relationships and professional interactions, fostering happiness, fulfillment, and the establishment of profound connections. Prioritizing these skills paves the way for personal growth and achievement in one’s professional journey.
Noura, I can’t thank you enough for sharing your experience and invaluable insights today. Wishing you continued success.
Applying customer experience skills serves as genuine catalysts for success in both life and career.
Maya Omeiri
The insurance industry is undergoing significant disruption, and technology is crucial in enabling high-quality and trusted customer experiences. Embracing technological advancements can help insurance companies enhance their services, streamline processes, and deliver exceptional customer experiences that meet policyholders’ evolving needs and expectations.
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