One of the inevitable consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic is the rise in insurance claims.

Insurers must navigate the challenge of business as usual – making sure that customers’ ability to claim is not impacted by circumstances over which they have little control – while coping with a situation which is very much not business as usual.

For Dutch insurer VIVAT, this meant being there for their customers when they needed it the most and making sure that 100% of claims were handled efficiently and on time.

This was no mean feat given that COVID-19 poses a major threat to business continuity. But that wasn’t the only challenge. VIVAT had to work to ensure service delivery without compromising their employees’ safety as city after city went into lockdown.

Yet, VIVAT did succeed in handling all its customer claims. The digital transformation journey it has been on with TCS over the past few years made this possible. Even more important than its digital transformation, though, was its purpose-driven business approach – the company wanted to become the most customer-friendly insurer in the Netherlands. This mantra has been the blueprint for its transformation journey.

In addition, its pivot to agile working, with the attendant resilience and adaptability, meant that the insurer was well-placed to weather the COVID-19 storm.

In Times of Need

In the face of an impending lockdown, VIVAT had to quickly adapt to a new way of working in order to continue to give its customers uninterrupted service.

TCS proactively worked on business continuity options with the firm, including creating a detailed risk assessment of all options together with IT, Security and Business teams. The Secure Borderless Workspaces™ (SBWS™) model – TCS’ framework concerning access, security, flexibility, and reliability of remote IT equipment - was selected.

VIVAT supported this option by involving relevant stakeholders from its side and providing quick approvals in short duration. TCS Business and IT teams went out of their way to ensure there was no impact on business by proactively preparing the run book, including demonstration, testing, packaging and shipping the desktops.

On March 22, the city went into lockdown. By then, the TCS team had ensured that 100% of TCS-VIVAT staff were enabled to work from home. This ensured zero disruption to end consumers in getting their claims processed in this most unprecedented and testing of times.

VIVAT was hugely relieved that it could pivot toward the new normal so quickly, while keeping its customers front and center in its approach. 

“As well as supporting VIVAT’s aspiration to be the foremost digital insurance company, TCS has proved its ability to think on its feet in a crisis and ensure that we continue to perform to the standards to which they have been accustomed. Hats off to TCS!” - Ronald Richardson, Senior Operations Manager, VIVAT

Taking a Lead in the New Normal

In today’s highly competitive environment, businesses must be forward-looking and embrace all that digital technologies have to offer. 

Since 2014, TCS has been a key partner in VIVAT ’s digital transformation efforts, helping it achieve its aims of becoming a leading customer-centric insurer using a digital-first, Business 4.0TM strategy. 

TCS has offered its strategic consulting services, thought leadership and innovation to implement key changes. These changes include the consolidation of VIVAT’s customer data on a single CRM platform, which has led to service improvements across the customer lifecycle and given VIVAT a more holistic view of its customer.

For instance, a life-term product that could previously take weeks to deliver can now be arranged in a few minutes. The 360-degree customer view that employees now have has led to superior service delivery and customer experience.

VIVAT has switched to a more agile way of working. This has resulted in faster time to market for new products, better quality of service, and reduced costs. It has also had the additional benefit of bringing together the technology part of the business with the core, resulting in a stronger partnership that creates value on both sides. This approach has enabled VIVAT to be highly adaptable and resilient, and not lose sight of its purpose, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

The ongoing relationship with TCS, along with VIVAT’s commitment to invest in new technology, will allow the insurer to develop exciting new value propositions for customers, as well as withstand shocks, now and in the future.