Using technology to help identify and support vulnerable customers

Ageas UK is using speech analytics technology to help identify and support customers who may be living with characteristics of vulnerability. This technology is revolutionising the way Ageas understands customers’ needs, including those customers identified as being vulnerable. The combination of technology with the experience and knowledge of the claims handlers is what makes this so powerful. It is making a difference and leading to continuous improvements in the customer journey and overall experience.

In developing this initiative Ageas collaborated with analysts from within its own contact centre and other support functions, who collectively represent more than 50 years of experience. They brought to the table a deep understanding of how customers interact with Ageas across different channels, and this proved fundamental in how the speech analytics technology has been developed and applied to support customers living with characteristics of vulnerability.

The team engaged with their own people who had a permanent disability, illness or had experienced a transient life event which made them vulnerable. Not only did this support the speech analytics work, but it also informed the training programme.

By taking data from telephony and live chat interactions, more than 1,600k categories have been built using customer language, covering 85% of interactions. This technology has allowed Ageas to better understand why customers make contact, while recognising potential vulnerabilities at the same time. During a live interaction, certain language can trigger a real time vulnerability alert, providing claims handlers with instantaneous support and suggestions for appropriate next steps.

The knowledge this technology brings is extensive, and its application wide-ranging. For Ageas, this approach has and will continue to shape its internal training. It has contributed to the already established Ageas Care Programme and has directly addressed a learning gap analysis of claims handlers seeking more information on vulnerabilities.

The coach platform embedded within the analytics tool allows for a better understanding of the customer journey on a granular and segmented level. Team leaders can identify trends across thousands of calls and analyse performance against a wide range of metrics including soft skills measuring empathy, politeness and engagement, contextual understanding, knowledge and first call resolution.

Ultimately, this initiative enables Ageas to deliver a more efficient, empathetic, and personable claim experience for its customers —putting them at the heart of everything it does.

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