Catching the future express

Life, they say, must be lived in the here and now. However, in digital sales, you also need to keep one eye on the future.

Wise people preach that life should be lived in the here and now. But for us in the Digital Sales Department at Zavarovalnica Triglav, it's absolutely essential that we always keep at least one eye on what's coming. Actuaries, by factoring in variables, can brilliantly calculate the probability of predictable future events. It's a little harder for them, though, to forecast what will happen in the broader environment and how this will affect the operations of the Triglav Group companies. That's precisely what we strive for in the Digital Sales Department, which is part of our Digital Operations and Client Experience Division.

We learn best from our mistakes

To truly meet the needs of the insured persons, it's crucial to understand the forthcoming changes in shopping and behavioural habits, and the likely transformations of the digital environment. This, in essence, is a brief summary of my professional mission. In my work and personal development, I accept that there are not only successes but also setbacks, from which I can learn a great deal. This significantly enriches my experience. Globally, there's a different mindset to ours, where an advisory or leadership position might be entrusted to someone who has already had a failed business. These individuals know very well where and when a business can go wrong. And that insight is absolutely crucial for progress.

I'm personally not afraid of these failed attempts. I've encountered them through competitive sailing; you don't achieve the status of a top athlete just for your triumphs, but equally for the effort and the medals that slipped through your fingers. I'm convinced that if you don't try to develop an idea (after, of course, testing it first and evaluating its business contribution), nothing can ever come of it.

Seeking and spreading ideas

Within our team, we develop new products and services through open discussion. We're assisting with the transition from an insurance model to a service-based business model, which will be built on ecosystems of connected services and will lead our digital development. We carry out many diverse tasks. We even have a digital colleague, Sheldon, a virtual robot who works 24/7 without holidays or breaks, and who will save us a lot of time on administration in the future.

At least twice a week, all colleagues gather in the office. Then, as a rule, we all (without Sheldon) go to lunch together. I often work from home, meaning I use the time I would have spent commuting from the Primorska region for work instead. When I'm in the office, we socialise and brainstorm ideas. My personal trait is that I like to challenge my colleagues, inviting them to step out of their comfort zone and think constructively and critically.

Myth of the "innovation strategist"

The notion that people who are frequently immersed in the digital world for work also operate this way in their private lives is quite mistaken. Personally, no electronic device is my favourite; I genuinely enjoy switching off my phone. Because I like to set an example for my children, we all stick to the rule: as many minutes on devices, as many pages of reading. If I'm on my phone for 30 minutes, I read 30 pages in a book. My interests are varied and extend beyond just insurance. I'm keen on technology, economics, psychology and sociology. I'm particularly interested in the younger Generation Z. We need to get to know them to truly understand what interests them and how they think.

This understanding is crucial if we want to understand how we'll coexist well with them, as they are different from how we were. They are growing up in a different world.

Ultimately, everything I do relies on good organisation, which is why my favourite digital tool, Excel, is always by my side. Those of us who appreciate order and systematic approaches are enthusiastic about it.

Sparks of ideas ignite

I go through life with my eyes and ears open. Watching technological and other series on Netflix, listening to podcasts or reading books – all these can be the sparks of ideas that flare into a fire from which something truly new will one day emerge. They say my curiosity is the reason why internal lectures on innovation days are interesting, full of content and inspiring. In training sessions, I try to gently, yet energetically and decisively, encourage colleagues to step out of their comfort zone and not be afraid of their ideas. I am convinced that every idea, no matter how incredible, is more than welcome.

Adapting to young people and new circumstances

Although I spend half of my working time managing projects, my true passion lies in developing new solutions. I even came up with the idea for one of these when I was working in sales. Through the internal 'Idea IN' module, which we have at Zavarovalnica Triglav, I proposed an improvement to the DRAJV application. I received an award for this. The application has thus developed over the years, partly with my contribution to its upgrade, into an excellent telematics solution. Today, it contributes to the safe driving of more than 60,000 regular users. In our Digital Sales Department, we search for and develop similar initiatives that may still seem a little unusual today but will be completely commonplace in the future.

Multiple generations together

I'm very grateful that we have so many young people among our colleagues. I absolutely love that they ask so many questions. Additionally, new generations, on average, have completely different habits to ours. They make me feel young. It's not that I want to adapt to them; I'd rather just be younger myself! These differences between us will only intensify; we simply have to accept that. Young people, for example, are used to services coming to them, preferably digitally. Most young people don't call an agent to insure their phone. It seems self-evident to them that they can insure their phone in the shop where they buy it. For them, it's logical that they can also arrange travel insurance from Ljubljana's Brnik Airport when they are already on their way to distant lands. All this shows that the world is changing, and we must keep pace with it.

Ecosystems in development

There's no shortage of challenges for us in the world where my colleagues and I operate. The changes we need to anticipate extend to the very way an insurance company does business. In my estimation, it will have to increasingly focus on comprehensive services and connect into ecosystem solutions. Let's not forget that, in addition, needs for new products are continually emerging. For example, if we know that a visit from a loss adjuster takes up a lot of people's time, we can create a product that, with the help of artificial intelligence and a 360-degree imaging, will allow remote viewing of the item both when concluding the insurance and for assessing the damage incurred. Everything could take place without visiting a branch, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All of this is feasible and will be part of the future; the only question is when the right (or latest possible) time will be to introduce it into our operations.

Digital business 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0

Colleagues in the Digital Operations and Client Experience team operate in a field that is undergoing drastic changes, and we closely monitor the characteristics of online life. Web 1.0 offered the ability to read content, whereas Web 2.0 enables individuals to create content and data – on social media, for example – but this content and data are owned by the organisations that collect them. For instance, a driver using DRAJV is not yet the owner of the data about their driving patterns and habits. Currently, we, as the collectors of this data, can use it for our own purposes, provided the user consents. With Web 3.0, however, users will become the owners of this data and content. At that point, we, as an organisation, will need to persuade them to share this content with us. This will be a significant change for all of us. The train to the future has already left the station. For now, it's moving slowly enough for us to jump aboard.

Aleš Furlanič  is an independent expert of the Digital Sales Department at the Digital Operations and Client Experience Division.