The Luxembourg insurance company Foyer is leading a project that will upgrade all of the computing equipment in its network of agents and is even going one step further in the digital mobility of its related intermediaries and their integration into its telephony system. All agencies will be provided with new PCs and sales representatives equipped with iPads. Thanks to Cisco technology, each partner’s telephony system will also be directly integrated into Foyer’s telephony system. The objective is to make each agent’s life easier and allow them to work more efficiently in order to continually provide better service to the end client.
As Luxembourg’s main insurance company, Foyer relies on a wide network of agents in order to distribute its products throughout the national territory. «Our agents remain personal advisers for the vast majority of our clients, who turn to them for advice when taking out new insurance or for assistance in case of a claim. It is therefore essential that Foyer ensures the satisfaction of these leading partners by allowing them to benefit from high-quality office automation and computer tools», explained Jean-Claude Stoos, head of the distribution networks of the Foyer Group. With this in mind, Foyer has set up its «Agent Smart Office» project.
Upgrading the infrastructure and deploying new services
The insurance company wants to upgrade the computing equipment in its network of agents by providing them with a vast catalog of equipment, but also with new connected services. To implement this project, from defining the solutions to their deployment, Foyer has turned to POST Telecom.
«Depending on their size and requirements, agencies have been asked to upgrade their equipment by making a selection from among several proposed configurations. The defined catalog offers a range of state-of-the-art HP Mini and All-in-One PCs,» said Michel Etienne, Foyer’s Front information systems business manager.
«Now that mobility is a strategic challenge, sales representatives are provided with an iPad tablet enabling them to advise and assist the client anywhere. With these tools, all policyholders can now receive their insurance policies by email following their discussions with the agent.» Foyer also wants to relieve its agents from having to deal with printing issues by using «managed print services». «All technical aspects related to document printing are directly handled by POST,» assured Jean-Claude Stoos. «Agents also benefit from a support service in case of problems with their printer.»
The agents’ telephony system integrated into Foyer’s telephony system
This project for high-level computerisation improvements at Foyer’s agencies also integrates a new telephony solution. «The «Connected Office» service, which relies on Cisco technology, makes it possible to guarantee a high-speed, stable and secure internet connection within each agency. Agencies will gradually be connected to Foyer’s telephony system,» explained Michel Etienne.
«All agents will benefit from new features – such as caller identification, quick in-call access to client files on the PC, convergence between fixed and mobile telephony – and from a corresponding support service.» The convergence of fixed and mobile telephony also allows agents to manage their professional activity from a single number and switch their mobile device to «private» mode when they wish to do so.
Nearly 500 workstations and 400 tablets deployed
The deployment of this strategic project has been carried out in several phases. First of all, Foyer wanted to convince all of its agents to get on board the project. Setting up a dedicated showroom at Foyer’s head office has allowed the agents to discover the equipment, share their requirements and receive answers to any questions before placing an order.
«In order to guarantee smooth deployment, POST and Foyer’s teams have been working side by side. Right at the start of the project, a pilot group was formed. After having analysed everyone’s needs, we deployed the new equipment in around ten agencies,» said Michel Etienne. «This evaluation phase has allowed us to improve the proposed configurations in order to guarantee users the best experience.»
At the end of this pilot phase, deployment was able to be expanded to the whole network. Some 500 workstations and more than 400 iPads will have been configured and deployed throughout a network of more than 300 agencies, including 120 well-established outlets, by the end of March 2019.
High-quality equipment, smoother processes
The expected benefits are numerous. «Firstly, each agent will be able to rely on high-quality, reliable and carefully-selected equipment, but also on a more effective support service,» said Jean-Claude Stoos. «Better integration of telephony as well as the provision of new digital solutions across the media largely play a big role in streamlining the processes in order to allow the agents to work more efficiently and guarantee a better user experience both for our partners and, through them, all of our clients.»
For example, if a client calls a Foyer agent to report a claim and the file requires the intervention of a claim manager, it is now possible to transfer calls directly. «A file can thus be resolved in one phone call. The agent saves a lot of time and has the guarantee that the client is being well looked after. The client does not have to go through multiple procedures and obtains satisfaction more directly», added Jean-Claude Stoos
Guaranteeing performance throughout the network
On a technical level, the project implemented also offers advantages. «POST has assisted us throughout the project by intervening at the level of each agency, notably in order to optimise the technological infrastructure and guarantee the end-to-end performance and security of the network. This is a key challenge insofar as, more and more, as part of our activity, whether it be for underwriting insurance products or settling claims, we are dealing with data flows, photos or videos that are increasingly voluminous,» assured Michel Etienne.
«In addition, the «Connected Office» solution meets the highest standards in terms of security. Lastly, the environment set up will allow us to more easily deploy new services throughout the whole network at negotiated rates.»
Appealing to and retaining agents
Finally, such a project contributes to the Foyer Group’s appeal with independent distributors. To guarantee its market position, the insurance company must convince talented individuals to join its network of agents and retain them over time. «For this to happen, we need to work at various levels. And the technical resources provided to our partners are an important issue,» emphasised Jean-Claude Stoos.
«If your agent is a true entrepreneur, they will ask you as a company to free them as much as possible from any administrative tasks in order to optimise the time that they can devote to their clients. High-level computerisation of the agencies, through the project led with POST, makes it possible to meet these challenges.»
Security, efficiency, mobility
At the start of this new environment, Foyer will be able to develop its services more easily, whilst making sure to strengthen security throughout its network. «In the current context, we need to make sure that any data exchanged is fully protected at the level of the agency and across the whole network that it passes through,» said Michel Etienne.
«One of the challenges, for the future, will be to make clients’ lives easier by deploying new services, by allowing everyone to interact with the company or its agent through the channel of their choice, via chat or even video. Cisco technology allows us to take everybody in this direction. Furthermore, all workstations deployed have videoconferencing equipment. Lastly, we must provide our partners with the right tools on mobile devices, which are increasingly used, in order to allow them to be used by the client wherever they are, at any time."
