The reactions to the Strategy Meets Action blog “The Shot Heard Around the Industry: AXA and Facebook” have been enlightening. The blog has drawn polarized reactions ... from some who envision the potential, and from others who only see today’s view of Facebook and insurance. The responses of this latter group explain a lot. They see the industry as risk-averse, steeped in tradition, lacking in creativity and slow to change, labels that inhibit an insurer’s ability to be imaginative. This time-worn outlook will need to change if insurers are to survive and thrive in this fast-changing environment.
Like it or not, the increasingly rapid pace of change is because of modern and major influencers: the customers' being in control; the new business models used by other industries and companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon; and next-gen and emerging technologies that are converging and challenging decades of business traditions and assumptions.
A new perspective is required that can inspire new directions for insurance.
Industries -- including retail, books, travel, entertainment and pharmaceuticals -- have found the very foundations of their long-held business and operational models challenged, necessitating innovation. Those that have not innovated … well, they are no longer the market leaders in their space, or maybe even no longer in existence. Just consider the iconic brands of Kodak, Blockbuster, Circuit City, Time magazine, Borders, the Boston Globe, CNN or JC Penney. Their inability or unwillingness to see and act has cost them greatly. Even companies that were recently considered innovative are challenged. Look at Yahoo, Blackberry and Nook.
Yet other companies are embracing innovation, new technologies and outside-in approaches. As noted by one response to our blog, automotive companies like Ford, BMW and GM focused on the “connected car.” Companies offering “shared car services” like Uber, Zipcar and Lyft are recognizing the importance of being customer-driven. And Facebook and Google keep expanding the realm of possibilities to grow and strengthen the customer relationships and experiences through acquisitions such as Facebook’s Instagram, Face and Oculus, or Google’s Nest, Titan Aerospace and Zagat, to name a few.
What separates those who innovate from those who don't? It’s the vision of leadership. Leaders who can innovate can define a future vision, create a culture of innovation, identify and understand the influencers of change and embrace an outside-in approach.
The insurance industry must learn and respond fast, because it is facing the same types of challenges that have reshaped other industries. The strategic partnership of AXA with Facebook is a game-changer, distinguishing their leadership and their willingness to take an outside-in approach. We are not likely to see the inner workings for competitive reasons, but AXA has taken a bold step toward becoming a next-gen insurer. By leveraging a company like Facebook with massive expertise in understanding the digital experience and the changing expectations of customers, AXA is being transformed to a digital insurer in terms of brand presence, customer experience and customer loyalty.
Being a digital insurer is so much more than just having a website, more than using channels like social media to sell or advertise and more than having a mobile app to report claims. A digital insurer is a powerful integration -- of the website, mobile platforms, social media, mobile messaging, location services, crowdsourcing, business and customer applications, online video, content management, customer communications, sales enablement, branding and marketing – that creates a seamless, engaging customer experience. And the digital insurer is underpinned with sophisticated data and analytics that know, influence, anticipate and engage the customer in a way that creates a next-gen customer experience.
After all, in today’s world it really is all about customer experience and customer loyalty. AXA’s bold move in taking an outside-in approach -- by partnering with a company that has been a leader in redefining the customer experience, redefining the digital experience, embracing new technologies, and using data and analytics -- has created an opportunity for AXA to do different things that will position it as a leader in this new digital world.
The coming years hold the promise of unparalleled opportunity for insurers to increase their value to their customers. Those that remain tied to tradition and the past, choose to ignore the key influencers or wait too long to react will risk losing relevance. Those that are willing to take the bold steps forward will stand to gain the greatest rewards.
Yes, there are lots of details to be defined, piloted and implemented over the next few years in the AXA-Facebook partnership. And there will always be naysayers. But this bold move and others like it are ushering in the dawn of a new future that is full of possibilities. This is transformation and innovation. This is what will define winners and losers. And that is what is so exciting!
