Insurance provider If tackles Covid-19 demand with Puzzel’s omnichannel cloud-based customer service solutions

If is the leading property and casualty insurance provider in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden the company serves more than 3.7 million customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries, providing tailor-made insurance solutions to private individuals, commercial enterprises and other large companies.

During the pandemic, If experienced sudden fluctuations in demand as customers raced to rearrange travel plans and insurance policies. However, with the right resources and a flexible cloud-based contact centre solution, the company was easily able to manage the peaks and troughs. We sat down with Satu Edelman, If’s Development Manager for Contact Centre Solutions, to find out more.

A unified solution

If switched to Puzzel’s cloud-based contact centre platform a number of years ago. With around 3,500 contact centre agents working in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, the company needed a single, unified solution that could facilitate collaboration between teams and ensure consistent service quality across the board.

Satu described the large-scale transition as being a very smooth process for If agents. “It took just a couple of customer enquiries to learn to use the new system,” she says.

More than 11 million customer enquiries now flow through their contact centre each year, and customer satisfaction is increasing year on year. The new solution has enabled greater synergy between teams and has brought If closer to its customers, reflecting its mission to be at the customer’s side at every stage of their life journey.

Supporting customer service

If offers a variety of customer service channels, including voice, live chat and email. This omnichannel environment keeps its agents engaged and supports customer choice. “We believe that this benefits our customers. They can reach out to us using any channel they want,” says Satu.

Voice is by far the company’s most popular channel for enquiries, indicating that customers still prefer a human touch. However, If believes that all customer service channels have an important role to play. “All channels are important to us. It all comes down to the customer’s preferences. We operate via multiple channels, which enables our customers to choose the channel that works best for them,” explains Satu. For example, the company’s chatbot was instrumental in its success during the pandemic.

Flexibility during covid-19

When lockdown restrictions were first introduced in 2020, If was completely inundated by customers needing to rearrange their travel plans. While enquiries about car insurance fell, requests for holiday insurance soared. “When demand increases in one sector, it decreases in another,” explains Satu.

It is possible to maintain demand by publishing regular customer updates, keeping them informed of the latest developments and guidance, and offering callbacks. When queues became too long, customers were guided to alternative channels where they could be served more quickly. For example, If’s chatbot was able to respond to simple customer enquiries, while human agents focused on more complex queries. “Through effective resourcing and the efficient use of channels, we are able to deal with different types of situations,” says Satu.

The transition to homeworking was also quick and seamless, thanks to Puzzel’s cloud-based contact centre solution. “Coronavirus had actually had very little impact on us because we had a customer service solution in place that supported us when we began working from home. It took just a week to transition to remote working, and I think that’s an amazing achievement when you consider the scale of the challenge. A flexible customer service platform that wasn’t dependent on location was key to our success.” 

Endless possibilities for the future

If is now preparing for the future and is keen to continue developing its customer service strategy. “We are constantly monitoring customer behaviour. We want to deliver on customers’ expectations and develop our services with them in mind,” says Satu.

With Puzzel’s support, the possibilities for innovation and experimentation are endless. “Puzzel is a dynamic system that continues to make great progress. As a company, Puzzel is characterised by a passion to evolve alongside its customers,” concludes Satu.