Insuranceciooutlook

Digital and New Business Capabilities are Boosting Mid- to Large-Size Life Insurers' Modernization, Reveals Novarica CIO Study

Insurance CIO Outlook | Friday, August 07, 2020

"For 60 percent of insurers surveyed, improving digital and new business capabilities stand out as the key drivers for modernization, followed by improvements in productivity to allow faster and more fluid underwriting processes and workflows," stated Tom Benton, Vice President of Research and Consulting at Novarica.

FREMONT, CA: In a new research report underwritten by Equisoft, Novarica reveals the findings of an interview series conducted with mid- to large-size US life insurance carriers to identify the major drivers for policy administration system modernization projects, and the key factors that determine their success.

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"For 60 percent of insurers surveyed, improving digital and new business capabilities stand out as the key drivers for modernization, followed by improvements in productivity to allow faster and more fluid underwriting processes and workflows," stated Tom Benton, Vice President of Research and Consulting at Novarica.

Additional key findings of the report:

• Data accessibility feeds into the major drivers for modernization. Life insurers are discovering new business capabilities that leverage predictive analytics to replace fluid underwriting.

• Integrations are the most time-absorbing part of the project. Developing a strong end-to-end test strategy and utilizing automated testing tools ensures applications and integrations are working properly.

• One of the common challenges life insurers face is balancing the need to launch new products faster with the long-term goal of converting legacy products to the new platform.

Understanding the in-force block and developing a data conversion strategy is crucial.

"Modernizing a core policy admin system is a significant endeavor that requires organizational buy-in. Most people at insurance companies have never been through a core system replacement, so the pre-planning and evaluation phases are really key. Take your time, envision your future business, carve out your priorities, really get to know the product and the vendors that are involved. And before you make that final decision, recognize that your modernization effort is a journey. I see too many insurers who view a core system implementation as a marathon, and 'going live' as the finish line. In reality, that's when insurers are getting to the start line. When you go live, that's when you can begin to incrementally roll out new features and services that will enhance your whole customer journey and accelerate growth," commented David Nicolai, Vice President, Insurance Solutions at Equisoft.

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