Innovations

Innovation is one of the key values for the PZU Group. The New Strategy for 2017-2020 defines it as familiarity with client needs, searching for new solutions and setting trends on the financial services market. Innovation also signifies thinking outside the box, breaking molds and looking for opportunities to streamline how the company functions.

Innovation in the PZU Group is not limited to a single division, project or area. Smaller and greater changes are constantly being made to every aspect of how the firm operates, and they combine to form a picture of one of the most innovative companies in the financial industry in Europe. PZU’s innovations contribute to client satisfaction, which is a top priority for the Group, and to employee comfort, and at a micro scale, to the development of the overall economy. 

The Innovation Strategy adopted by PZU in November 2017 supports the pursuit of the overall PZU Group’s mission and strategy. Three major areas are set forth thereunder in which particular effort is expended to find new solutions:

• utilizing Big Data,
• digitalization,
• new client interactions.

The Innovation Strategy is reflected in the projects and initiatives run by PZU. The Group fathoms that innovations call for the creation of creative space fostering the generation of ideas, prototyping original solutions and building a culture of innovativeness. The Innovation Laboratory team is such a place in PZU. Its overarching task is to search for modern solutions, check them, perform tests and support rollouts. Moreover, special processes have been forged in the entire organization to facilitate rapid testing and implementation of innovative solutions. During a given year the Innovation Laboratory Team analyzes nearly 2 thousand solutions and ideas relating to innovations; from among that number 12-15 innovations are slated for piloting.

Strategy of innovation

MARKET APPRECIATION

In the PZU Group in 2018 more than PLN 160 million was designated for innovative projects4. 

The outcomes were appreciated by independent experts, among others from the EFMA organization: 

• The PZU I sign project (client service in sign language) won the “Insurance Innovation of the Month” award and the “Innovation in Insurance 2018” award. PZU was the first company in Europe to launch three party video connections via the web with a sign language consultant. 
• Pekao PeoPay won the Distribution & Marketing Innovation Award 2018 in the Phygital Distribution & Experience category as the most innovative project in the world in 2018. 
• Alior Bank’s Very Personal Account won a prize in the category “Offering Innovation” in Distribution & Marketing Innovation Awards 2018, where innovations were assessed that are to constitute added value to traditional banking products. 

Data Lab

Laboratory is the Data Lab project. Having regard for the size of its business and its lengthy operating history, PZU has one of the largest data files in Poland. Data Lab checks how this data set, by tapping into the most advanced technologies and analytical methods, can be harnessed to enhance the organization’s efficiency and produce many millions of savings. Experts from Polish Data Science companies support the work done by Data Lab, while projects are executed in all of the organization’s areas.

Selected pilot projects completed in Data Lab:

Robotics

Robotics deserve special mention among the innovative solutions employed by the PZU Group. Robotic Process Automation has been operating successfully in the company since 2018. This is software that operates existing systems and apps just like a human operator. However, no changes are made to them. Only the actions specified in the job position instructions are taken. If it fails to find something in that app, or if it happens upon systemic limitations, it stops and turns over the rest of the tasks to an employee. In the duties the robot performs it uses only encrypted data. It operates rapidly, faultlessly and during off-peak hours, or for instance during the night.

The first robotic process in PZU was to update litigation provisions for the Claims and Benefits Handling Department. This task involved the input of data into claims in the system on the pending litigation proceedings in those cases and the provisions related to them for claims paid and costs. During the early months of 2018 PZU employees turned over five more processes to the robots from the Claims and Benefits Handling Department and the Service Processes Department.

Easily, with greater accessibility, independently

The efficiency of information systems is indispensable to enable clients to utilize the Group’s products through the web on their own (referred to as the self-service channel). The innovative #myPZU internet platform launched in 2018 enables users to do the following things, among others:

• fill out claim forms,
• book meetings with medical care,
• fill out contact forms with an insurance agent,
• purchase products, among others, PZU Auto, PZU Dom, PZU Wojażer, PZU Ja Plus, doctor’s visits and accessibility of the inPZU.pl investment offer,
• enroll in group insurance.

All these solutions are accessible in a single venue while users can easily search for the information they need. At the same time, the platform maked it possible, among other things, to unify the client databases and abandon many hard-copy forms. In the future the Group plans to extend the number of products offered in myPZU.

“The 360 degree view is a landmark moment for PZU, while at present the client information is the most important tool and a key to success. This means that we are better able to tend to their loyalty, enhance the number of transactions and stay in contact with them. The foundation is the centralized client database. This is a historical event: we have expanded and created a single client database from two companies, and we will continue these efforts. We are appending PZU clients to the PZU Życie database consisting of group and individual continuation insurance clients. We have amassed unique client information in a single venue reflecting the most important and up-to-date client information. The magnitude of this endeavor is awe-inspiring: we are talking about more than 100 million records containing data about clients, their products and offers.”

Agnieszka Jeż, Director of the #myPZU Project

The key project completed in 2018 was the rebuilding of the pzu.pl corporate website. Nearly 120 people toiled for more than a year on the new unveiling of this website which is also available in a version for smartphones. The outcome is an innovative and intuitive internet platform that provides easy access to all of PZU’s products and services. In a single spot you can find the following items, among others:

• online sales option,
• login panel for all of PZU’s services,
• search engine,
• forms to notify a claim and book a visit under private medical care,
• contact channels to book a meeting with an agent.

A CMS system was launched along with the refreshened service that makes it easy to edit quickly information on the website.

“Our major goal was to allow clients to find the most important products and services quickly. We prepared a new catalogue in which products are sequenced using simple categories. Content personalization is one innovative solution. Persons who frequently visit pzu.pl will see information aligned to their needs.”

Marta Baran, Director of Strategy and Marketing Analysis, responsible, among others, for e-marketing, project manager 

Claims handling done with greater customization and more quickly

In this time of automation and digitalization of processes, clients expect to an even greater degree a customized approach. That is why in April 2018 a new job title was introduced in the PZU Group, namely: Relationship Manager.

Depending on client expectations, the Relationship Manager handles claims and advises of progress in a given case. The Relationship Manager can also provide support to clients, act as their advisor offering specific solutions in a difficult situation, and efficiently organize and manage all the services PZU offers in the framework of handling a notification. That person’s task is to walk clients through the entire process in the least cumbersome manner, ascertain their preferences regarding, for instance, channels of communication or methods of rectifying the loss. 

“Relationship Manager, abbreviated as RM, is how the person responsible for client service will introduce him or herself when clients report a claim or benefit. Some will contend that this is just a new name for a job title, but in essence we will do exactly the same thing. However, there is a difference, a marked change in our approach to clients. We are leaving the back-office and joining the front-office. We are providing all the contact details and we are communicating through selected channels. For clients this will mean that they can contact just one person on any issue related to a claim or a benefit. Service procedures have also been substantially simplified, which will afford our RMs the opportunity to act. Why? Because we believe in the advantage given by our employees’ know how, experience and ability to think logically over rigid clauses in written instructions.”

Radosław Bedyński, Director of the Claims and Benefits Handling Department  

The New Claims Handling Model under a formula based on client support provided by the Relationship Manager enables the injured party to avoid many formalities related to claims handling. The RM’s role is to prepare the best solutions for clients and provide advisory services to select the most optimal choice involving, among other things, the method of calculating a claim or the selection of a workshop. The pilot project completed in 2018 spanning the handling of 4.5 thousand claims was very well assessed by its participants, chiefly on account of the formalities having curtailed to a minimum and the ability to choose from the options prepared by the RM.

Under this new model the process for handling the claims notification has also changed. The revolutionary solution is the notification.pzu.pl web service through which clients can report motor and property claims within a mere 5 minutes.