Top 5 Takeaways from Guidewire Connections 2025

November 24, 2025

Eileen Potter

By Eileen Potter, VP of Insurance Marketing, Smart Communications

Once again, Guidewire Connections delivered an incredible mix of innovation, collaboration, and practical insight into how insurers are transforming every part of the policyholder journey. From policy administration to claims, it’s clear that the P&C industry is redefining what it means to deliver connected, customer-centric experiences — and Guidewire continues to lead the way.

As I reflect on the event — including our session “From Policy to Claim: Building Lasting Loyalty at Every Touchpoint,” our policy administration and claims roundtables, and countless conversations with insurers and partners — here are my top five takeaways:

1. Loyalty is earned across the entire lifecycle, not just at renewal.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to moderate a panel of insurance leaders from three joint Guidewire and Smart Communications customers at the conference: Val LaBarba from AAA of Southern California, Chris Reed from CSAA Insurance Group, and Travis Fritts from Shelter Insurance.

Our discussion centered around one big idea: True loyalty is built at every interaction. Every communication, whether it’s a quote, a midterm policy change, or a claim update, is a moment of truth. The most successful insurers recognize that consistency across the entire customer journey is what builds lasting trust.

Customer experience and engagement was also a major theme across both the policy administration and claims roundtables, which I facilitated along with Chris Murphy, our vice president of product marketing. Leaders emphasized the importance of building communications strategies that span the entire customer lifecycle. When policy, servicing, and claims communications are unified and digital-first, insurers can provide clearer guidance, reduce customer effort, and strengthen overall trust and satisfaction.

That’s where the Smart Communications-Guidewire partnership shines: by making it possible for insurers to orchestrate personalized, compliant communications in real time, directly from their core systems.

2. GenAI excitement is high, but governance, transparency, and trust will determine who succeeds.

GenAI was one of the most talked-about topics at Guidewire Connections 2025, but this year the conversation shifted from experimentation to responsible adoption. Across both the policy administration and claims roundtables, leaders shared that while they see enormous potential in GenAI to improve efficiency, accelerate decision-making, and enhance communication, they are equally focused on the risks and guardrails needed to use it responsibly.

Questions around governance, transparency, and maintaining customer trust came up repeatedly, including:

- How do insurers ensure GenAI-generated content is accurate, explainable, and compliant?
- What safeguards are needed so that automation strengthens – rather than undermines – the customer experience?
- How can insurers balance speed and innovation with the oversight required in a highly regulated industry?

The consensus seemed to be that the path forward is not just about deploying GenAI tools but also about establishing frameworks that guide how those tools are used. Leaders emphasized the importance of human review, clear accountability, and keeping the customer at the center of every GenAI-enabled interaction. (Learn more about insurance customer expectations.)

3. The ecosystem is the advantage.

If there was one overarching theme of Guidewire Connections 2025, it was the power of the ecosystem. No single vendor or solution can deliver end-to-end transformation on its own. Success comes from partnerships that are open, flexible, and focused on shared outcomes.

That’s exactly what makes the Smart Communications-Guidewire relationship so successful. Together, we demonstrated how integrated communication capabilities can help insurers simplify document generation, reduce errors, and elevate customer engagement. From policy issuance to claims settlement, the combined solution empowers carriers to communicate more clearly and more effectively.

Throughout the conference, attendees shared how partnerships like this one help them innovate faster, scale smarter, and serve customers better. The future belongs to connected ecosystems, and our partnership is a great example of what that looks like in action. (Related reading: “5 Vendors to 1: Why Insurers Are Consolidating Customer Communications Platforms.”

4. Even in a digital age, human experience matters most.

There was no shortage of technology-focused conversations at the conference, especially about AI, automation, and cloud modernization. But what struck me most was the emphasis that speakers placed on the need to balance technology with empathy — because it doesn’t matter how advanced the technology is if the customer ends up frustrated. Whether it’s simplifying language, using the customer’s preferred channel, or timing messages just right, the goal should be to make every interaction feel like a conversation, not a transaction.

That was a central theme in our “From Policy to Claim” session. We explored how insurers can use digital tools to make communication feel more personal, especially during emotionally charged moments like claims. The conversation in the Claims Roundtable reinforced that idea: Carriers see communications during a claim as one of the biggest opportunities to strengthen relationships and build trust.

5. Execution determines success – strategy alone isn’t enough.

My final takeaway: The best ideas don’t matter if they’re not executed well. Across both roundtables, insurers shared lessons learned from technology modernization projects — the ones that worked, and the ones that didn’t. Ultimately, implementation is where value is realized, and the difference almost always comes down to a combination of vision and execution, including collaboration between business and IT, strong governance, change management, and partner alignment.

The panel also emphasized the importance of selecting technology partners who align with an organization’s strategic vision. When insurers prioritize adoption, enablement, and measurable outcomes, transformation stops being a buzzword and becomes a reality.

The Smart Communications team and our collaboration with Guidewire prove that such transformation is achievable, and I look forward to carrying the momentum forward through 2026 and beyond.