Building a digital-first insurance provider

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70 posts

Master Geek

# 2068135 4-Aug-2018 23:22

Hey - I signed up for your beta and really liked the process of obtaining a quote. It was also quite competitively priced which was great.

I know you're still in beta so things are WIP but are there plans to extend your contents insurance offers soon? I don't want full contents as there's only a few items I own that are worth insuring (laptop mainly - everything else either belongs to a flatmate or is just stuff like clothes).

MichaelNZ

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# 2068220 5-Aug-2018 12:06

So is the insurance purchased via a conversation with a chatbot?

I have previously not bothered with buying online because it's so easy to end up with an exception their online quote can't handle.

Integrity Tech Solutions @ Norsewood, New Zealand

McMatt

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# 2068244 5-Aug-2018 14:10

antonknee: Hey - I signed up for your beta and really liked the process of obtaining a quote. It was also quite competitively priced which was great. I know you're still in beta so things are WIP but are there plans to extend your contents insurance offers soon? I don't want full contents as there's only a few items I own that are worth insuring (laptop mainly - everything else either belongs to a flatmate or is just stuff like clothes).

Thanks for the feedback! Great to hear we were competitive too. We will be extending our product range soon. A lot of people don't want full contents, but just want their cellphone, laptop, camera etc covered, so we will aim to cater for this audience soon.

MichaelNZ:

So is the insurance purchased via a conversation with a chatbot?

I have previously not bothered with buying online because it's so easy to end up with an exception their online quote can't handle.

Correct, the insurance will be purchased 100% within the chatbot so you don't have to login to a website, or call a call centre (although...we do have a 0800 number and live chat for people who have extra questions).

This is just our initial method of sales & service, we are in early stages of our online self-service version at the moment.

Fair enough point on the exceptions. Generally if you are denied online (eg car is too powerful or expensive, or it's modified) then you will be denied over the phone. Unless the modification is something like a unique paint job, in which case you'll be denied online but may be able to explain it's not a big deal over the phone. Our goal is to just make insurance a lot more simple and understandable using technology. As we've got no legacy systems the traditional insurers have, using APIs and other tech to make the process easier isn't a big deal for us to implement.

MichaelNZ

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# 2068258 5-Aug-2018 15:06

McMatt:

Fair enough point on the exceptions. Generally if you are denied online (eg car is too powerful or expensive, or it's modified) then you will be denied over the phone. Unless the modification is something like a unique paint job, in which case you'll be denied online but may be able to explain it's not a big deal over the phone. Our goal is to just make insurance a lot more simple and understandable using technology. As we've got no legacy systems the traditional insurers have, using APIs and other tech to make the process easier isn't a big deal for us to implement.

In the nicest possible way, you have jumped to a conclusion here, which is relevant to note, because it shows the inhernet limitation of chatbots, namely there are more nuances.

Here is the reality:

1. When shopping around, I called up FMG, who wanted my whole history back to dot. This was basically minor stuff which happened years ago and I paid out of my own pocket. Like a minor bumper scrape at the Skycity carpark which from memory cost me about $200-something, which I paid to the other party (2003) and the no-fault-of-mine accident in 1998 which the other party's insurance paid out ($1,500 from memory) for by writing off my crapbox. This is why other insurance companies only ask for 5 years worth.

2. Recent claims - There was one, but it was the other party's liability. Their insurer paid out. Even if the tables had been turned and it was my liability, it was only a minor issue by insurance company standards (stone chip damage)

3. Business use of private vehicle - incidental.

I'm looking for contents soon.

Would you cover myself and my wife at our own place and in a flatting situation under one policy? (purpose - I live rurally and will have to get a room for the week closer to work)

All of the above would likely cause a chatbot to barf. Quite frankly, there is nothing highly unusual there but I would not appreciate engaging with a chatbot and then having to do it all again, when I could just have spoken with a real person.

Integrity Tech Solutions @ Norsewood, New Zealand

McMatt

34 posts

Geek

# 2077775 23-Aug-2018 09:33

Hey guys,

We snuck out of beta this morning, but haven't announced it or advertised it just yet (just here!). So now you no longer need an invite, you can head to our website and click the Check our prices button.

We've had some great feedback from Geekzoners, and we would still love to hear more feedback. So any comments on how we can improve are greatly appreciated!

MichaelNZ - All fair points. We are working on our web version which will make cases like this easier to manage.

Cheers,

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

# 2077805 23-Aug-2018 10:39

I just tried to get a quote for my 2016 Ford Ranger Wildtrak but was denied cover halfway through the questioning process as I have aftermarket alloy wheels worth over $1000.

That seems like an extraordinarily low amount for the threshold to be. Even a set of factory alloys and tyres on a 2016 Ranger Wildtrak would cost over $1000 to replace in the event of a theft/accident etc.

Just as an example, here's a second hand set of Wildtrak factory wheels & tyres on Trademe for $1350 - I imagine they'd cost even more than that new from a Ford dealer.

MichaelNZ

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# 2077824 23-Aug-2018 11:07

Another reason I don't trust this idea is insurance companies can and will cancel policies at their whim afterwards. I had that happen to me with AMI. CSR went off on a tangent, decided I was a courier driver because I occasionally used my car to take customer orders to the Post Shop and cancelled the policy. This was later retracted by a manager but by that time I had gone back to State.

So what will this company do if their system barfs and they decide they don't like the policy they have issued?

Integrity Tech Solutions @ Norsewood, New Zealand

McMatt

34 posts

Geek

# 2077825 23-Aug-2018 11:08

Wheelbarrow01:

I just tried to get a quote for my 2016 Ford Ranger Wildtrak but was denied cover halfway through the questioning process as I have aftermarket alloy wheels worth over $1000.

That seems like an extraordinarily low amount for the threshold to be. Even a set of factory alloys and tyres on a 2016 Ranger Wildtrak would cost over $1000 to replace in the event of a theft/accident etc.

Just as an example, here's a second hand set of Wildtrak factory wheels & tyres on Trademe for $1350 - I imagine they'd cost even more than that new from a Ford dealer.

Thanks for the feedback - I've passed this into the appropriate person in the business

MrAmerica

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# 2077832 23-Aug-2018 11:23

One person supports this post

Gave it a go. Worked really well up to the point where it needs Facebook to get in.

MichaelNZ

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# 2077833 23-Aug-2018 11:24

MrAmerica: Gave it a go. Worked really well up to the point where it needs Facebook to get in.

So they need a client to have a FB profile and they want access to this?

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premiumtouring

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Master Geek

# 2077858 23-Aug-2018 11:51

I won't use any service that routes my highly sensitive personal information through a third party platform. Even more specifically if it is Facebook.

+1 for the idea

-1 for the execution ("chatbots" imho are a fad)

MrAmerica

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# 2077952 23-Aug-2018 14:01

MichaelNZ:
MrAmerica: Gave it a go. Worked really well up to the point where it needs Facebook to get in.

So they need a client to have a FB profile and they want access to this?

Currently, yes

MichaelNZ

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# 2077954 23-Aug-2018 14:03

MrAmerica:
MichaelNZ:

MrAmerica: Gave it a go. Worked really well up to the point where it needs Facebook to get in.

So they need a client to have a FB profile and they want access to this?

Currently, yes

Reminds me of:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System

The Social Credit System (社会信用体系 shèhuì xìnyòng tǐxì) is a national reputation system being developed by the Chinese government.[1][2][3] By 2020, it is intended to standardise the assessment of citizen's and business's economic and social reputation, or 'credit'.[4][5][6][7][8] As of mid-2018, it is unclear whether the system will be an 'ecosystem' of various scores and blacklists run by both government agencies and private companies, or if it will be one unified system. It is also unclear whether there will be a single system-wide social credit score for each citizen and business. By 2018, some restrictions had been placed on citizens, which state-media described as the first step toward creating a national social credit system.[9][10][11][7][12][13]

The system is a form of mass surveillance which uses big data analysis technology.[14]

Integrity Tech Solutions @ Norsewood, New Zealand

McMatt

34 posts

Geek

# 2077960 23-Aug-2018 14:23

MrAmerica:
MichaelNZ:

MrAmerica: Gave it a go. Worked really well up to the point where it needs Facebook to get in.

So they need a client to have a FB profile and they want access to this?

Currently, yes

That's correct. The way we are setup is that Facebook doesn't get access to the more sensitive information - eg payment details, declarations etc

Soon we will be 100% independent of Facebook, and have a platform on our own website, as we understand it's not some peoples cup of tea.

Peppery

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# 2078000 23-Aug-2018 15:19

Gave it a try. Unlike others in this thread I don't mind using Facebook but I did find that the messenger process was quite slow overall compared to a webpage. At one point the bot stopped replying and I had to repeat the previous answer so it was a 10 minute affair at the end.

Unfortunately the car insurance quote I got was 33.5% higher than with my current insurer with the same benefits added on (roadside + windscreen) so I don't see myself changing too soon.

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