Robotic Process Automation in Insurance: Benefits and Use Cases

Insurance is a risk management business. The risks that insurance companies help their clients manage range from natural disasters to human-caused accidents. In order to effectively manage their clients' risks, insurance companies have implemented advanced processes and systems across their organizations. These processes are usually manual, which makes them time-consuming and error-prone. Reducing the manual steps in these processes is key to improving efficiency and reducing operational costs. With the increased digitization of insurance processes, many insurers are using robotic process automation (RPA) software to streamline their operations, reduce manual effort, and lower operating costs.

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic process automation, or RPA, is software that uses artificial intelligence to execute processes that humans typically perform. RPA uses various technologies, including natural language processing, machine learning, and process mining. RPA software can be programmed to perform the same tasks each time. Robotic process automation software is similar to workflow software. The difference is that workflow management systems require human input to change workflows. RPA reduces costs by increasing the efficiency of processes. It also reduces errors by removing human error. There are many benefits of robotic process automation. It can reduce costs by removing the need for humans. It can also increase consistency by removing human error. RPA software uses algorithms to identify patterns in data. It can also scale easily and be integrated with other systems.

RPA Use Cases in Insurance

One of the most common uses of RPA in insurance is claim handling. Insurance companies process millions of claims each year, which is complex due to the various stakeholders involved (the claimant, the insurer, and a contracted service provider). Robotic process automation is used to automate the handling of simple claims, claim investigation, policy issuance, and policy amendment. This automated process can reduce the time it takes to process a claim and significantly reduce the number of missteps and errors in this process. This, in turn, reduces the time it takes to settle claims by an average of 40 days.

Why Insurance Companies Should Use RPA

● Insurance companies can benefit from RPA across their entire business. Companies can improve profitability and operational costs by automating processes and improving efficiency. This will, in turn, allow insurers to provide better service to their customers.
● Reduced costs: RPA allows businesses to remove the need for human effort across their operations. This allows businesses to reduce their headcount and, therefore, their operating costs.
● Higher customer satisfaction: RPA can improve customer satisfaction by reducing the time it takes to process a claim and by reducing the number of missteps by employees. This leads to happier customers who can get the coverage they need when they need it.
● Higher employee satisfaction: RPA can improve employee satisfaction by reducing the time employees spend on repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This includes both the time spent on training and the time spent performing those tasks.
● Higher customer retention: Customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency improve at the same time. This leads to happier customers, happier employees, and increased profitability.
● Higher company valuation: Companies that implement RPA are able to reduce their costs and improve their service offerings. This, in turn, allows them to increase their profitability. This, in turn, allows them to increase their valuation when they want to raise funds in the capital markets.

The Benefits of RPA in Insurance

● Increased efficiency - By automating manual processes, organizations can reduce the time it takes to complete their work. This frees up employees' time for tasks requiring human interaction, allowing them to serve their customers better.
● Robustness - RPA software is fully tested and has no defects. This improves the robustness of the systems that use it, reducing the time and cost it takes to resolve issues. Higher scalability - RPA is scalable and can be integrated with other applications. This allows organizations to expand as their business grows quickly.
● Greater compliance - RPA software fully complies with data protection and GDPR regulations. It can be implemented with a single button click and doesn't require IT intervention. This allows companies to comply with regulatory requirements.
● Lower operating costs - RPA automates manual tasks and reduces employees' needs. This leads to lower employee costs and improved profitability.

How RPA Works in Insurance

Insurance companies that are looking to implement RPA need to select a vendor and implement the software across their operations. This can be achieved in two ways: The first approach is to build an agent-based system. This approach combines an RPA endpoint with a natural language processing (NLP) engine to execute business rules and process transactions. The second approach is to use a robotic process automation platform. A robotic process automation platform enables an insurance company to connect different systems and use them as input/output (I/O) sources. This allows the system to pass data across different applications and execute RPA functions.

How to Implement Robotic Process Automation in Insurance?

Insurance companies should start their RPA implementation with the most complex processes in their business. This enables them to achieve quick wins that will allow them to prove the value of RPA to their stakeholders. The next step is to select the right RPA software. There are a variety of RPA vendors in the market, each promising different things. Insurance companies should select vendors with a proven track record in the insurance industry. Once the vendors have been selected, the next step is identifying their strengths and weaknesses. This will help insurers determine which vendor they should select for their RPA implementation. The last step is to create an RPA roadmap. This enables insurers to identify the right processes to automate and prioritize them based on their business objectives.

Conclusion

Robotic process automation is a proven technology that can benefit businesses across industries and functions. Insurance companies can benefit from RPA by achieving faster claim settlement times, reducing operating costs, increasing customer satisfaction, and providing better client service. Insurance companies should implement RPA and select the right software to achieve these benefits. They should also identify the right processes to automate and create an RPA roadmap to prioritize their efforts in the future.