Storebrand is a leading financial services provider based in Norway. By volume, their main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has significant divisions working on investment banking. Storebrand’s objective is to provide sustainable digital banking solutions with next-generation service. They’ve been using Puzzel for over 2.5 years, including Puzzel chatbot, co-browsing, queue management and channel management. They have over 150 agents managing approximately 25,200 chat conversations per month. 

Next generation customer service

The reasoning behind Storebrand’s digital journey was obvious. In today’s ever-changing landscape, Storebrand noticed a change in customer behaviour and needed solutions for today’s digital world. “The world is digital. We need to keep up with the times. This is not only more efficient for us here at Storebrand, but also for our customers,” says Nicolai Sølna, Process Developer at Storebrand. His main task is to simplify everyday life – for both customers and service agents – by improving processes and the customer journey.

Nicolai explains that many banks today use digital processes such as chatbots and automated loan applications. In addition, Storebrand wants to simplify its processes using the digital capabilities offered by Puzzel Digital Engagement and thus bring the customer closer to the service and create a lifelong relationship.

“Most providers can deliver a simple general chat function. Puzzel was the only vendor able to deliver all the functions to fulfil our vision.” One example of this is co-browsing. If a customer is experiencing a problem on our website, Storebrand employees can see the problem and act in real-time. This provides important insights for the employee, who can provide more effective customer support.”

A flexible and proven solution satisfies stringent security requirements

The route to the digital world is not always straightforward. There are stringent security requirements to navigate, making the digital journey more complex.

“If the necessary security requirements are not in place between the solution and Storebrand, then there is no solution,” says Nicolai. He explains that a bank cannot provide open chats as customers must always be logged in. Therefore, Storebrand requires a solution that supports the security protocols, including the local BankID apps, and Puzzel’s solution delivers on this.

Puzzel Digital Engagement is used by several government agencies, where security requirements are paramount. “It’s not enough for the customer to know who the bank is. We also need to know who the customer is,” he says.

Digitalising – bit by bit

The digitalisation process can sometimes feel overwhelming – the options are numerous, and change takes time. Puzzel’s digitalisation expert, Rickard Janz, recommends starting with just fewer processes/customer journeys on a smaller section of your website. For example, a proactive chat function can be added only to the pages dealing with child insurance, which can then be expanded page by page. “You can start simple, without affecting any other parts of your website,” says Rickard. Storebrand started out in a similar manner. They began upgrading their digitalisation processes with a simple video-call pilot and have since implemented several of Puzzel’s other digital functions.

Transforming traditional banking with personalised digital service

One element that has garnered positive feedback from both customer advisors is the ability for agents to video chat or securely share their screens to assist with complex tasks or discuss policies and claims in more detail. With Puzzel Live Share, you can video call your customers and share screens to deliver that ‘in-person’ experience from anywhere.

“The employee can talk freely and is not tied solely to the presentation, and it’s also easier to remember details,” says Nicolai. Since implementing Puzzel Live Share, support call meeting times have dropped significantly.

According to Nicolai, customers also prefer visual meetings. “It’s easier to follow what’s happening, and the customer is more focused.” He also mentions that a human presence is crucial in banking: “Financial matters are complex and personal. Human assurance is needed when making big decisions.”

Storebrand intends to expand its use of digital advice meetings to more customer segments and companies.

Routing interactions effectively

No one likes being sent to the wrong place. Customers get frustrated as they’re bounced around between different departments, while agents are left dealing with a query or request outside of their expertise. With Puzzel Digital Engagement, Storebrand can direct enquiries to the appropriate agent straight away and via the most efficient channel. Keeping agents happy and their customers even happier.

“This is a major advantage of Puzzel’s solution compared to many other chat solutions that have only one general point of entry for all cases. We no longer have to assign cases manually.” says Nicolai. Puzzel’s channel management capability shortens the customer journey considerably, as an employee can often resolve the issue on first contact, thus avoiding unnecessary transferring of customers within the organisation.

Storebrand’s chatbots have also been very helpful in freeing up time and service agent resources. In January and February 2022, the chatbot function handled around 70% of all conversations. 86% of these (about 42,000) were fully resolved by the bot, and the remaining 14% (about 6,000) were escalated to a live agent. This is a considerable improvement in efficiency!

The real impact of Puzzel Digital Engagement

Storebrand’s employees have praised the solution’s simplicity and ease of use. “The biggest gain is to have switched to a solution that our agents find easy to use. The solution is clear, so the agent has a tool that works but which is also customer-friendly. The agent should be able to devote their energy to serving the customer, not dealing with the tool.” says Nicolai

Easy integration and set-up are additional factors valued by Storebrand. “A big company requires simplicity. It’s great that you don’t need lots of resources to get started with Puzzel Digital Engagement.”
Nicolai Sølna’s most important task is helping to make everyday life easier for Storebrand and its customers. Puzzel Digital Engagement plays a crucial role in this. “Digital Engagement is about solving problems fastest and most effectively. This makes for a smoother flow in day-to-day activities for both service agents and customers,” says Nicolai.