Awards Ceremony and Reception
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 — Beanfield Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto
The winners were announced at ICTC2019
The People’s Choice Award
The ‘PICTAs’ return once again for 2019. It's your turn to choose the winners; you will be the jury for three People's Choice Technology Awards.
- Browse the contenders below, in alphabetical order;
- Cast your ballot by Friday, February 22 (voting has now closed).
Your voting helps to recognize the organizations whose use of technology is having a positive impact on the business of insurance.
The winners were revealed at our 17th annual Technology Conference during the ICTA ceremony, followed by an industry networking reception.
2019 PICTA Winner
Aviva Canada & Accident Support Services International
Connecting to Improve Customer Claim Service
Aviva Canada Inc. has deployed a first-in-Canada real-time integration with Accident Support Services’s Collision Reporting Centres for automated first notification of loss in Guidewire ClaimCenter. A customer reporting their motor vehicle collision to Aviva at a Collision Reporting Centre location will receive immediate confirmation of their Aviva claim number via email and/or SMS. This integration drastically shortens the time that it would typically take for new claims to be identified and set up through Aviva’s systems and processes. It also reduces friction for customers and for Aviva staff in the critical and stressful hours following a collision.
2019 PICTA Runners-Up
First Runner Up
iA Financial Group
Improving The Customer Experience With A Chatbot
We use a chatbot approach to increase the engagement and completion rates of the online auto insurance quick quote. This approach enabled us to remove seven questions without changing the rating engine. The intensive use of quick-reply button helped keep users engaged, add some personality to the chatbot and reduce the overall time to complete the quote.
At the end of the quote, if users have questions about the price, the chatbot can transfer them to an agent to continue the chat. All these features brought together in a chatbot provide a unique experience for users and help increase the conversion rate.
Second Runner Up
CAA Insurance
CAA MyPace for Lower-Distance Drivers
At CAA Insurance we believe that insurance options can be based on individual lifestyles, accessible at a competitive price and convenient payment plan. To meet the needs of today's consumer, we developed Canada's first “pay-as-you-drive” insurance offering, CAA MyPace, that provides unparalleled control and choice for consumers, by giving them greater control over their premiums.
CAA was named the most trusted brand in Canada in the 2018 Gustavson Brand Trust Index this year. In 2017 the Argyle Public Relationship Index ranked us as the most trusted brand of insurance. Our brand strength comes from delivering value to our insurance customers.
We are an insurer that puts people first. Our Members and policyholders are at the heart of everything we do. Our promise is “Live your life. We'll take care of the rest.”
- Technology by Octo Telematics
2019 PICTA Nominees
aha insurance
aha insurance and the Online Purchase Experience
At aha we believe that we don't sell insurance; rather, we sell the experience of buying insurance. This experience allows our customers to get a quote with minimal effort in minutes, and empowers them to make confident, informed decisions while buying a policy online. Using external data, we minimize the amount of information needed while ensuring the accuracy of our premiums, enabling us to guarantee the price. Customers can buy insurance on their phone while in a car dealership and download proof of insurance and liability slips without ever leaving their seat.
Soft launching in the Fall of 2017 and ramping up more aggressively in January 2018, we have seen phenomenal response to our brand and extremely positive signs in terms of customer comfort while buying on our platform.
The Commonwell
Quick Claim Payments Make For Happier Customers
ClaimsPay is a customized web application for the generation and issuance of claims payments and vendor payments (related to claims) via Interac e-Transfer Bulk Disbursement. Claims personnel do not require any online banking credentials and do not have to generate any security question and answer that corresponds with an Interac e-Transfer. ClaimsPay enables personnel to enter in a few data points specific to a claim on their mobile device into ClaimsPay. ClaimsPay automates gathering of approvals (as necessary) and generates an Interac e-Transfer to the claimant. This contributes further to a positive claims experience for a claimant in that there is no handling of cheques and funds are immediately usable.
- Technology by ClaimsPay (powered by ClearPay) and Interac.
Gore Mutual
Removing More Friction From Premium Payments With Subscription Billing
Easy and convenient, our Subscription Billing Service lets customers purchase insurance products online from a broker’s website or mobile app and their policy will stay active as long as funds are available each month on their credit card. By creating a simplified insurance payment solution that meets modern consumer expectations, this first-in-industry innovation allows our policyholders to pay for their insurance just like any other monthly online subscription.
Industry partners have called our Subscription Billing Service a “game changer” and with good reason. In addition to helping brokers reach new customers online and boosting GWP, this customer-centric solution also eliminates the issue for insurers of time on risk with unpaid premiums. With our Subscription Billing Service, if a customer’s credit card has insufficient funds, their policy will automatically lapse at the end of the current monthly term.
Nuera Insurance & SGI Canada
Completing The Broker-Company Circle: Full Life-Cycle On-Line Real-Time
The Nuera platform is an industry-leading consumer-facing digital solution providing customers with the capability to not only quote and purchase new business but also perform transactions throughout the lifecycle of the policy – in real-time – all the while supported by real brokers through chat or phone.
This capability is supported through customer-centric design, trusted third-party data, and APIs provided by SGI CANADA to provide a simplified experience on-line with access to a broker when the customer chooses.
Customers love Nuera's industry-leading, 7-day a week service as proven in their 5-star reviews on Facebook & Google!
Surex Direct
Using Artificial Intelligence To Improve Broker Efficiency
Surex Direct is doing in-house development of artificial intelligence systems that automate many internal processes. From insurance document processing to auditing, these intelligent systems learn our brokerage's processes by observing staff members and can adapt to industry changes. Intelligent automation has significantly increased efficiency at our brokerage, allowing us to focus on our rapid growth.
