Nominations for the Fifth Annual Celent Model Insurer Asia Awards (2015 Awards) are now Open!

Every year, Celent recognizes the effective use of technology in the Asia Pacific region through its Model Insurer Asia Awards program. The nomination period for 2014 has already open. If you know of an insurance company which exhibits best practices in the use of technology, please click here and complete the nomination form. Submissions are being accepted until 31 October 2014. Through our Model Insurer Asia Awards Program, Celent recognizes the year’s top technology initiatives. Past winners received their recognition through outstanding implementation of technology areas such as agent portals, document management, claims, billing, distribution management, and policy administration. Past winners include Max Bupa Health Insurance, Ageas Insurance Company (Asia), AXA Asia, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Yingda Taihe Property Insurance, and Cathay Century Insurance, to name a few. Celent's Model Insurer research is designed to try to answer the deceptively simple question: What would it look like for an insurer to do everything right with today's technology? Obviously, the question is not as simple as it appears. The terms “everything” and “right” will mean very different things to different companies. The approach that Celent has taken is to tease out high level best practices in the use of technology across the product and policyholder life cycle and in IT infrastructure and management that a Model Insurer would use. On the back of the global Model Insurer research by our colleagues in North America and Europe, we at Celent Asia are conducting an Asia Pacific specific program to identify the potentially unique Model Insurer solutions that have been recently deployed in our region. Of course, there is no such thing as a Model Insurer Asia across the board. Therefore, we focus on specific real world examples of individual technology initiatives in the Asia Pacific region. These case studies are presented at Celent’s annual Model Insurer Asia event and represent key themes: •Legacy and ecosystem transformation: Legacy technology can hinder innovation, since insurers must typically offer backward compatibility. Insurers must not only modernize, but also transform their internal systems and how they interact with customers, counterparties, and regulators. This theme recognizes projects related to core system replacement or transformation including policy administration, billing, claims, and rating/underwriting. •Digital and omnichannel technologies: Digital transformation is moving from person-to-person interaction toward person-to-machine or machine-to-machine. Integrating and coordinating among disparate and siloed delivery channels will be critical to satisfying ever-increasing customer expectations. Using the definition that digital automates complex tasks, allowing them to be mastered, then reproduced and distributed at no cost, this theme recognizes projects such as online customer portals; industrialization of processes; engaging user interfaces; online sales with STP; integration with business partners; leveraging social networks; and the use of mobile technology. •Innovation and emerging technologies: Celent defines innovation as fundamental changes to products, services, or business models that break existing tradeoffs and provide value to the customer. New hardware, software, and network technologies feed insurance innovation. This theme recognizes projects such as the expansion into previously untapped markets due to technology; the use of technologies not previously used in the insurance industry; or the development of an innovation culture within an IT organization. •Data mastery and analytics: Data has become a key source of competitive advantage for identifying profitable niches, managing risk, and improving service. New external data sources, data derived from devices, and new techniques for interpreting data are pushing the competitive boundaries for insurers at an accelerated rate. This theme recognizes projects such as predictive analytics (claims fraud, underwriting, pricing, climate analysis); prescriptive analytics (triage, sales automation, “next best action”); and virtualization (dashboards and heat maps, catastrophe management, network analysis, geopolitical risk analysis). •Non-core implementation best practices: What does it take to safeguard investments in technology and answer the inevitable question, “What’s next?” This theme recognizes projects such as successful reuse of technology for new initiatives; implementation of a non-core system such as illustrations, document automation, electronic applications, or agency management systems; or finding successes in new methods and processes for distribution and sales. An important note is that a Model Insurer Asia Award is recognition of an insurer’s effective use of technology in a certain area or theme, not necessarily a statement that the insurer is Best in Class. Model Insurer Asia success highlights the insurer’s ability to improve performance and meet market demands when tackling issues facing the industry today. To nominate an initiative at your company as a Model Insurer Asia, please use the brief form on here: Nomination form. Please note that vendors are welcome to assist their client insurers with their nominations, however vendors/suppliers are not qualified to receive an award. All nominations MUST include insurer contact information, and all follow-up will be done primarily with the insurer, not the vendor. Guidelines for Celent Model Insurer Asia Award Submissions: This information will assist you in completing the nomination form. Below are generalized criteria that are considered by Celent when evaluating submissions. General submission and award criteria: •The initiative has been implemented in the Asia Pacific region at an insurance company, a company that takes on risks under the policies it sells in return for the payment of premiums. MGA, TPAs or self-insured companies are not eligible for nomination. •The nominated initiative is LIVE (in production) and functioning at the insurance company. Pilot programs are not considered live and in production. •The nominated insurer has been involved in the submission and is willing to be actively involved in the post submission evaluation process which includes follow up emails and interviews, and possible inclusion in the Celent Model Insurer Asia report. •Quantitative success metrics are measured and provided. Nominations without quantitative success metrics will not be accepted. •Quantifiable results from a pilot program are acceptable however it must be noted that the results are from a pilot. Full production results are preferred. •The initiative has not been submitted for another Celent 2015 Award, e.g., Model Insurer. Quality of Nominations The importance of the quality of the nomination itself, and of the supporting information, cannot be overemphasized. The nomination should be as specific, accurate, and complete as possible. It is imperative that the true merits of the initiative be conveyed through this information. Keep in mind that in most cases those involved in the selection process will have no personal knowledge of the nominated initiative and will lean heavily on the information provided below for the information they need to make reasonable judgments. In some cases, Celent will check publicly available information to augment or substantiate the information provided. The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 31, 2014. Once submitted, all communication will occur between Celent and the insurer, however Celent will acknowledge the receipt of the submission with both the insurer and, if applicable, the vendor partner.