E-Business
The Unified Insuree Experience Advantage is Key for Insurers to Scale into New Markets
By Dorotea Vatavuk
With customers rapidly adopting digital communication channels that offer quick, simple and convenient processes, digitalisation of the entire insurance process is unavoidable. In fact, digital transformation for the insurance industry is no longer an option, but a necessity.
Traditional processes are increasingly becoming frustrating for the modern customer, who is realising that there are better and easier ways to do things. These are trends that those customers are seeing across other industries and expect their insurers to deliver similar digitalised processes that enhance the customer experience.
For the most part, we are seeing a serious underutilisation of digital channels in the insurance sector. While some insurance companies are trying to keep up with the needs of the modern customer by using digital channels, such as SMS and email, most are still relying on traditional platforms for their business-critical processes.
So, in reality, many insurers are adding digital channels to their traditional ones, but are not using them in a way that leads to the optimisation of their business processes.
This results in complex onboarding and policy renewal procedures that are tiring for both clients and staff. This, alongside an overall process that still relies on traditional engagement methods such as telephone or face-to-face communication and even the physical printing and posting of documents.
Omnichannel strategy
The modern customer looking for cover and insurance companies must realise that adopting an omnichannel communication strategy is the key ingredient to delivering a superior insuree experience. There is a need to offer support over multiple communication channels, and insurance companies need to ensure that they have the right channels for different customer segments.
Starting with onboarding – where insurance companies make their first impression – the modern customer expects a simple and hassle-free process. Once the client is onboarded, the insurer should focus on client retention, keeping in mind their own profitability.
However, we are still observing a lack of pro-active support and a lot of missed opportunities, mainly due to insurers’ inability to personalise engagement. Another challenge is that without rich data, insurance companies are unable to provide the most suitable products for their customers along the different steps of their lifecycle. This means a direct loss of business that was actually within the insurer’s reach.
An omnichannel communication strategy will give insurers the ‘Unified Insuree Experience’ advantage, so it is key for businesses to automate their processes to serve their customers better and faster. In return, companies will save on resources, time and money. While this might sound contradictory, it is actually quite achievable.
Insurance businesses can streamline their processes and provide their clients with a superior level of service, while reducing costs at the same time. Similarly, it is possible to scale customer engagement and experience by, for example, making e-policy delivery faster and more secure, while lowering costs.
Optimising the contact centre
In addition, it is possible for insurers to optimise their contact centre, or even fully replace the legacy, on-premises contact centre with a digital one. With a cloud-based digital contact centre, multichannel interactions with clients can be made through voice, email, SMS, and even chat apps, allowing insurers to be in touch with their clients from virtually anywhere and on the channels their customers prefer.
Achieving the Unified Insuree Experience advantage is not only possible but is expected of any insurance service provider that aims to stay profitable and scale into new markets.
To meet this increased demand for innovative product and service offerings, insurers must partner with a service provider that can lead them through the digitalisation of each and every step of their customer’s lifecycle.
Ideally, companies should avoid introducing partial solutions or single channels, and rather look for a provider that can support full digitalisation, with an all-in-one, feature-packed solution that allows for a 360-degree view of the customer, cross-channel orchestration and powerful analytics. Everything a company needs for a successful journey into the digital realm should be on one platform.
In essence, insurance companies should partner with a provider that can bring it all together and ensure that their digital channels are not underutilised and that the organisation does not miss opportunities to grow its business throughout the insuree lifecycle. The right partner will provide a solution that can support an insurer’s expansion into new markets and follow them as they grow.
Dorotea Vatavuk is Enterprise Sales Lead at Infobip
In a powerful stride towards an inclusive digital future, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is spearheading a transformative drive to empower Nigerian women in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital economy.
This commitment was resoundingly reiterated by NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, at the “Innovate Her 25” conference, the 10th National Conference and 11th Annual Meeting of Nigerian Women in Information Technology.
Speaking at the event themed “Women in AI: Unlocking Resilience, Fostering Innovation and Leadership,” Inuwa, represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, emphasised that true innovation blossoms not in isolation, but through synergistic partnerships and collective endeavor – principles deeply embedded in NITDA’s operational ethos.
Highlighting Nigeria’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, Inuwa added that inclusivity is embedded as a core objective: “Our strategic roadmap mandates that at least 40% of our programmes directly benefit women and underserved groups. We have also developed a Gender Inclusion Strategy to guide interventions in areas such as training and infrastructure,” he explained.
Further underscoring Nigeria’s leadership in the digital space, Inuwa excitingly announced that in September 2025, NITDA will proudly host a Leadership Summit on AI. This landmark event will convene stakeholders from across the African continent, fostering a collaborative environment to forge a unified AI vision for Africa.
In alignment with the conference’s focus on empowering women in technology, the DG detailed NITDA’s diverse capacity-building initiatives spanning AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. “We work with partners such as the Renew Hope Initiative to train thousands of women across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones,” he revealed, highlighting the agency’s broad reach.
NITDA stands ready to collaborate with organisations like the Nigerian Women in Information Technology (NIWIT), actively encouraging proposals for bespoke programmes that cater to specific community needs. “We focus on targeted training with measurable outcomes, rather than generic approaches,” Inuwa affirmed, emphasising a results-oriented methodology.
He further spotlighted NITDA’s “Digital Literacy for All Initiative,” which seeks to equip 70% of Nigerians with digital literacy by 2027. Through strategic partnerships with the NYSC and the integration of digital literacy into national school curricula, the agency plans to train over 30 million Nigerians — with a dedicated focus on underserved communities and public servants.
Addressing critical concerns surrounding ethical AI, Inuwa emphasised the importance of developing indigenous datasets and large language models reflective of Nigeria’s unique realities: “We are working closely with stakeholders to build local datasets that safeguard Nigerians’ digital rights and ensure ethical AI use,” he assured.
NITDA is also championing mentorship for women in technology through impactful initiatives such as Women Innovate. The agency warmly welcomes collaboration with NIWIT to design structured mentorship programmes and is open to formalising such partnerships through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
“NITDA is committed to fostering inclusive economic growth through innovation. Partnership and collaboration remain the way forward,” Inuwa declared.
The session concluded with a resounding call to action, urging women-focused organisations to leverage NITDA’s open-door policy and unite in advancing digital inclusion across Nigeria. The future of Nigeria’s digital economy is inclusive, and women are at its forefront.
Amazon’s management on Wednesday said that it expects that artificial intelligence software will reduce the number of office workers at the world’s largest online retailer.
Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon
“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs,” Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon wrote in an email to employees.
He said it was difficult to predict how the overall workforce will evolve, but in the next few years, it is expected that AI efficiency gains will lead to a reduction in the number of office workers.
According to earlier reports, Amazon employed around 1.5 million people worldwide, with approximately 350,000 office employees in various roles.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the company does not anticipate further large-scale layoffs, as seen in 2022 and 2023, in the near future.
Instead, it expects that vacant positions will not be refilled.
However, layoffs are not ruled out, according to sources familiar with the matter.
“Amazon is focusing on so-called AI agents, software capable of independently performing tasks. These agents could, for example, summarise information from the web and data sources, write software, translate languages and automate many time-consuming tasks,” Mr Jassy explained.
“Agents will be teammates that we can call on at various stages of our work,” he added, urging employees to experiment with AI whenever possible.
The impact of AI on the job market has been a concern for many years.
Recently, Spotify, the leader in music streaming, announced that teams requesting additional staff would first need to prove that AI could not perform the tasks.
The creators of the language-learning app Duolingo plan to gradually replace external workers with AI.
Dr Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to data protection in Nigeria.
He disclosed this in a statement at the weekend by Zira Nagga, head of Public Relations, BPP, following a courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Adedokun stressed that data protection is vital to Nigeria’s economy and development, particularly in areas such as demography, health, education, and other key sectors.
He emphasised that no country should leave its data unprotected, as it plays a crucial role in future planning and national development.
“Data governs the world. It is essential to technological progress and must be protected for a country or business to be taken seriously,” he said.
Adedokun described the visit, aimed at fostering partnership on data policy implementation and protection, as timely and aligned with national goals.
He said the BPP would collaborate closely with the NDPC to boost data development, capacity building, and enhance the procurement system.
“The BPP will support compliance as part of the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy, although it is not a core procurement eligibility requirement,” he explained.
He suggested a hybrid training model to help build strong capacity in data protection, privacy awareness, and policy understanding.
According to him, a dynamic training approach will reduce logistics costs and improve public confidence in data safety and privacy.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO, and national commissioner, NDPC, praised Adedokun and the BPP for supporting data protection initiatives.
He said the partnership supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision and will strengthen data privacy across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“The collaboration will create awareness and train BPP staff to ensure a firm grasp of data protection principles and policies,” he stated.
Olatunji said the NDPC would establish a working group to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding beneficial to both institutions.
He added that President Tinubu signed the NDPC into law on 12 June 2023 to uphold citizens’ rights and protect national and business data.
Olatunji also noted that strict legal measures were in place to enforce data protection and ensure full compliance nationwide.
Both agencies agreed to form a team to sign the MoU and focus on capacity building and data management in procurement and beyond.
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