Insurtech is the term used for companies that use technology applied to the insurance industry. Although very common in the international market, in Brazil and Latin America its applicability still generates uncertainties.
Insurtechs are startups, responsible for digitizing any processes involving insurance services. The central idea of these companies is to ensure practicality in solving problems, making the consumer's life easier, and impacting the way consumers hire insurance plans.
Generating value in a way that positively impacts the customer experience brings Insurtechs to the center of current discussions in the insurance business. With more demanding customers, insurance companies and brokers need to focus not only on marketing their products but also on the user experience, which becomes, in this new scenario, the forerunner of all this change.
“A clear profitability plan is needed. Listen and evaluate the critics, they can help direct your business to mitigate your bigger risks”
Pages and pages of contracts, specific nomenclatures that are difficult to understand, signatures in proposals, the difficult understanding of the conditions for protecting goods leading to misunderstandings and problems in the use of services, all this classic model no longer makes sense today, as they make it difficult access to customers, reducing bureaucracy is the first reason for the advancement of the Insurtechs market and customers are grateful.
The Traditional Market also wins with all that innovation, one of the accesses to these products and customers’ familiarity with the terms in policies propitiates one search bigger in aspects general per policies that suit each need. Customer starts looking for the best alternatives to what they need and can choose one policy more traditional, comprehensive, or something else simplified. In the end, all win, consumers, Insurtechs, and the traditional market.
Most Insurtechs in Brazil work together with the traditional market, automating and streamlining processes, reducing user response time, minimizing fees, and offering quick access to insurance.
These companies bring greater autonomy to the customer, they can access an app or a platform and contract their policies, monitor, purchase added services, make modifications, and cancelations, and clarify doubts, without needing an insurance broker. The digitization of processes has been a revolution in the relationship between insurers and customers, bringing closer, humanizing, and personalizing the customer experience.
As an example of the reduction of bureaucracy in services, we can mention the exemption of fees in cancellation requests, in addition to the fact that there is a reduction in contracting costs, as the client can assemble a version according to his needs and pay only for the services he contracted.
In Brazil, Insurtechs operate mainly in insurance distribution, services for Insurance Companies, solving efficiency problems, comparison, additional services, and new business models, all focused on innovation and digital transformation.
Despite the efforts made by Insurtechs to reduce the bureaucracy of contracting insurance, maintaining an Insurtech is very difficult: regulatory costs are high, and legislation has not kept pace with this speed, bringing a direct impact on costs, the constant changes require adaptations in real-time so that the businesses and services do not become obsolete, another very important detail is the regulation that unfortunately still does not keep up with the speed of the digital, the market of Insurance is highly regulated, which can make the process of acquiring and opening these startups quite time-consuming and can also generate high costs for the maintenance and adaptation of these companies, in addition to the resistance of the traditional market.
There are several challenges to the advancement of technologies for companies. Thinking about general aspects, here in Brazil, the Technologies must adapt to the LGPD - General Data Protection Law that is in force, being necessary that the companies comply with the determinations of the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD).
Another important point is about the adaptation to the hybrid work system. Companies are having to adapt their network infrastructures to guarantee remote work with complete data security.
Very aligned with Insurtechs, is the implementation of the new “mobile first ”, models that create applications to optimize services to customers quickly and conveniently, we have seen this happen in most services and businesses. Maintaining the digitization of services and processes is another relevant factor. After the pandemic, companies had to adapt to digital processes and this reality seems to be permanent.
Having Big Data to concentrate sensitive and useful data is something that companies cannot forget. Finally, I reinforce the importance of companies having a solid and complete IT area, suitable for the size of the company or having a Field Service service to meet the demands and profiles of the company.
The scenario is optimistic in Latin America, especially in Brazil, it is estimated that there are more than 300 startups throughout Latin America, 146 of them in Brazil, according to a survey by KPMG, the number of companies in the segment has increased by 47 percent in the last two years in Brazil. According to the study, Brazil represents 37 percent of the Latin American market, the market is betting on new business models that use Artificial Intelligence, Data from connected devices, and open-source ecosystems, driven by the possibility of investments that between 2021 and 2022 exceeded the number of 15 billion dollars in the world.
This requires interaction between the traditional and Insurtechs markets, making these companies support insurers through a more diverse and innovative ecosystem, boosting their business. It is clear to the entire market that we are in a moment of transition in the insurance sector, driven by creative and innovative solutions created by Insurtechs.
The entire market wins, as customers who are more familiar with the insurance sector seek solutions that fully meet their needs, both for products with easy access and for more comprehensive and differentiated policies marketed mainly by traditional entities, that is, the popularization of the sector benefits everyone, innovating, expanding and improving the entire ecosystem.
To ensure success with an Insurtech is necessary, Identify and classify your risks in a way clear and efficient. Check properly the costs and deadlines regulations so that these Lawsuits don’t lock your operation. Keep one adequate IT area to support needed your company. How Insurtechs yet they are new on the market it is necessary to take realistic care of investments it is necessary to care and control to ensure the retention of values and the eyes of investors. A clear profitability plan is needed. Listen and evaluate the critics, they can help direct your business to mitigate your bigger risks. Expand risk policies in your company, disseminating your importance to all business areas, to engage them in search for the best solutions. Risk Management will always be the best way to ensure peace of mind and security for the results of your business.
I’ve been working in the Insurance Market for over 20 years, performing on all fronts: Insurers, Brokers, and Clients. I have specialized in Elementary Branches of Scratch Industrial and Engineering. Today as a Risk Manager at SAE Towers, this expertise has helped me with risk perception and also in decision-making, to guarantee the lowest exposure to the risks, bringing peace of mind to the business.
