THE IDEAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY, CAN YOU DEFINE IT? 

For a customer journey to be ideal, you need to meet the identified customer needs. A first criterion for an ideal customer experience is all about mapping a frictionless journey for the customer/prospect. Our company has well-structured “product” and “design” teams while being at the cutting edge of these services. For example, the general conditions of sale in Alan products’ first version, issued end 2016 were validated by “designers” in order to end up with a fifteen-page document that would be easily readable by every expert. We need to pay attention to every single detail taking into account needs as expressed by customers. This will ensure that our efforts bring desired results and draw a strong link between products and needs.

The second criterion is fairness. Before signing a contract, you need to make sure the offer matches the prospect needs. Insurance is a complex industry where opacity seems to have different effect to reputation. Put it simply, commitment under Alan offer must be clear and transparent for the prospect.

Alan does not adopt a selling through intermediaries-method. That is why we need to make sure that everything is crystal clear. It is highly recommended to work on presenting the offer effectively and lead the journey towards subscription phase. Not to mention the form (UI) and the background (prices and guarantees).

The concepts of fluidity and fairness are to be taken into consideration during after-sale processes. Same care to fluidity and fairness should be found everywhere, including submission of claims and customer support service. Customers must be persuaded that the engagement is based on an end-to-end principle. The subscription process tends to improve customer effort scores. For example, do we necessarily need our phone numbers to subscribe? How to connect remotely to social security for an insured without demanding his social security local office?

HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE? 

At the end of 2016, Alan began with a unique health product, a mid-range product that matches customers’ tests and expectations under interviews with tech entrepreneurs. Alan chose to build a minimum viable product, one that fairly evaluates prospects’ perceptions through a multitude of options. The offer was then further developed based on customer feedback.

Initially, Alan was oriented around tech start-ups. It then widened its scope following analysis of perceptions towards the offer. Alan demonstrated emphasis on responsiveness on the spot to requests. Today, there is no other way but to ensure agility.

The same approach applies to customer service. Initially, all of the team members provided customer support service. Then, we appointed a dedicated team and selected the more suitable tools. The intention is to use real-time feedback to develop the organization and assess whether our tasks meet the most compelling needs.

WHAT BUSINESS APPROACH DOES ALAN ADOPT? 

Alan currently covers 70,000 policyholders. Alan’s commercial pace is driven by annual contract renewal cycles and commercial campaigns. Each campaign begins with market segmentation and targeting, based on collective bargaining.

Alan prepares each campaign by calibrating his value proposition in relation to the needs of the buyer and employees within the framework of a collective subscription (price, functions, health expectations, etc.).

Targets are precisely defined and corresponding arguments are adapted. Part of the approach is carried out by salespeople while the other part through digital channels. Compared to traditional insurance companies, Alan’s business approach does not adopt face-to-face meetings with prospects.

Some targets are approached only via digital channels. This means that prospects must be able to sign a contract alone, without consulting a salesperson, even if our customer support service is available to answer their questions. The final product must be clear and didactic-oriented in order to draw an effective path towards the sale process, without requiring special support.

A combination sales approach is adopted by companies of certain size. Salespeople were recruited for the tech sectors and the selection process was depended upon working experience in the world of tech rather than insurance. Indeed, Alan distribution method has many similarities to technology offers: SaaS mode, monthly subscriptions, price per individual, and termination at any time.

The sale of health contracts is specific when conducted via distribution channels. Alan gets in touch with its prospects by creating brilliant digital content and targeting decisions makers. To generate churn rate, we compare active collective contracts with our offerings. We then create comparison tables to determine whether the active contracts are competitive or not.

At the end of each campaign, a debrief phase is carried out in writing, in order to list the outcomes obtained. Carrying out signals analysis in terms of prices, guarantees, functions, Alan aims to understand the competition game, the reasons for fall rates and the prospects’ equipment in order to continuously improve the offer and sales pitches.

BEYOND ITS PRODUCTS, WHAT MAKES ALAN A UNIQUE INSURER? 

Alan’s culture is a very strong differentiator that rests on several pillars. Firstly, goals are set in a very orderly and systematic way, arising ambition, that urge us to shift away from traditional methods. This means accepting the risks and the possibility of failure, while mastering agility skills to rectify the situation when necessary. Then, full transparency is promoted, both internally and externally. This way, a consensus decision-making can prevent bad decisions. There is always room to hear all collaborators’ voices, however each subject guarantees a decision-making process that allows to go ahead further and faster.

Finally, the responsibility of each employee is subject to examination. This is what allows them to accelerate business growth and speed up its development.