Employee Spotlight - Allan Wishart

My background is very much in insurance and IT. In previous jobs I have had numerous roles including Project Manager, Business Analyst, Underwriter, Broker. Now I have joined RDT as an Account Manager, where my background means I understand what is going on from both the view of the client and from the view of RDT.

I have had previous dealings with RDT from the client side. I was part of the team that selected Landscape as a solution at one of our current client sites. I was really impressed with the company and with the product. When the opportunity arose to join RDT I was happy to take it.

RDT is a great place to work, it’s full of wonderful people. There is a real culture of supporting innovative thinking and people here have pride in what they do.

Insurtech : everyone after a piece of the action

With the worldwide insurance market worth nearly £4trillion, and £2.1billion invested in insurtech last year alone, it’s not surprising that there’s a feeding frenzy going on among service providers. Because, as the latest Future of Insurance publication from Raconteur clearly reveals, everything is up for grabs.

Right across the value chain, from law firms and big data specialists, to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and fintech pathfinders, there is no shortage of hungry businesses ready and able to move into the insurance space – a fact clearly reflected in the advertisements in the Raconteur paper. Our analysis of its contents (see graphic above) reveals the wide range of players and the main areas of focus for insurtech. Consultancy services, software solutions and customer experience dominate, with a large number of new entrants and technology providers highlighting their skills as risk managers and data specialists. All are poised to disrupt the industry in the same way that fintech transformed banking.

Innovation and regulation – how RDT helps insurers and their customers

When we describe new technology as disruptive, it’s not only because it can bring dramatic improvements and shake up an industry. It’s also because it can challenge the legal and regulatory framework, and could undermine the rules and safeguards that protect consumers and businesses.

Such is the caveat with insurtech, whose breakthrough technologies include the internet of things, cloud computing, sophisticated analytics, telematics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Collectively, allied to the power of big data, they provide new ways to identify, measure and control risks, which means we are now asking many questions about the boundary between public and private information.

Big data provides a very revealing and accurate picture for underwriters. Lawyers and regulators may contest the line between accuracy and intrusion, but there is no doubt that reliable data can protect and benefit consumers. As a data enrichment specialist, RDT is continually finding new ways to harness and process data to help insurers and their customers, and is working very closely with insurers and regulators to develop the full potential of new technology.

Getting to know you – how RDT uses data to build customer relationships

Most important attributes of customer experience compared with performance

Research from Accenture shows that 30 per cent of customers have a negative view of their insurance providers. The figure was quoted in a feature* in Raconteur’s ‘Future of Insurance’ supplement, distributed last month with The Times, and underlines the need for insurers to find out as much as possible about their customers so they can provide a more personal service. 

The feature included a table compiled by KPMG of the most important attributes of customer experience compared with performance. This revealed that insurers are well behind digital exemplars such as Amazon and Google, and must become far more adept at extracting value from the huge amount of data available to financial services providers.

Accessibility, tailoring products and polices to customer needs, and more online access were listed as priorities to improve customer experience. While cost still remains the number one reason for closing or replacing a policy, customers cite poor communication and lack of speed, from quote through to renewals and claims, as the next major bugbear. And when it comes to communication, digital is clearly the preferred channel.

Redefining tomorrow: RDT and the future of insurance

The rise of insurtech is reflected in the amount of column inches devoted to new technology and its power to transform one of our most conservative industries. Not known for innovation, insurance is slow moving, labour intensive, bound by tradition and convention. But if the current media focus on disruption is anything to go by, insurance is on the threshold of big changes and is ready to embrace a digital future.

But who will help to make this happen, and how will insurers stay ahead of the growing wave of technology startups and challenger brands? The debate was joined in last month’s Raconteur Insurance supplement*, distributed with The Times, which provided a snapshot of the issues and players in a changing industry. In this article we comment on some of the trends covered in the supplement, and provide RDT’s vision for the future.

A key theme of the editorial was that although there is a wealth of data available, both structured and unstructured, and a host of digital resources and analytical tools that promise to turn straw into gold, insurers are struggling to find their way – a fact underlined by recent PwC research that found that while 74 per cent of insurers believe their business is at risk of disruption, 32 per cent are not yet engaging with technology firms on any level.

RDT are going to InsurTech Rising 2016!

RDT has been at the leading edge of general insurance software for 25 years. From the outset we’ve been pushing boundaries, producing disruptive solutions and investing in technology and people. We are fiercely proud of our achievements but we’re never satisfied, and constantly seek opportunities to accelerate our technology. Insurtech is transforming the industry and to stay competitive insurers must adopt new techniques and practices; innovation has become a strategically essential target. Collaboration is one of our guiding principles and we work closely with our clients to define tomorrow’s challenges and tackle them before they become problems.

We are delighted to announce that we are a sponsor of InsurTech Rising 2016, the leading InsurTech Showcase taking place from 14th - 16th November 2016 at The Crystal, Royal Victoria Dock, London.

InsurTech Rising will bring together over 400 key players shaping the InsurTech sector from insurers and entrepreneurs to VCs and solution providers.  With an exciting agenda built around business challenges and innovative solutions, gain insight into where the market is heading, what technologies insurers are looking for and the areas attracting most investment.

As one of our valued contacts, we would like to offer you an exclusive 20% discount from the delegate booking fee.

November 2016 Employee Spotlight - Felicia Asher

Felicia Asher - Business Analyst

I joined RDT five months ago to work as a Business Analyst.  Previously I used to work for larger insurance companies, so I was a little worried that RDT was a smaller organisation by comparison.  Any concerns I had were unfounded, though – RDT is a small company doing big things.  It’s amazing what work we’re putting out, and I feel triumphal here.

The location of the office is great, and there is a plenty of free parking, which I find very useful.  The office itself is modern and clean and a brilliant place to work.  Inside it’s very open which is useful for team communication and collaboration.

My team allows me to bring new ideas to foster innovation.  I feel I have the opportunity to prove myself and people are open minded to ideas that we all bring forward for discussion.