Enhancing Loyalty in Insurance: How Rethinking Experiences and Partnerships Can Change the Game
By Nick Smith, SVP, Sales, APAC and EMEA, Smart Communications
At ITC Asia 2025, I had the pleasure of joining Ravi Makhija from Capgemini on stage for a fireside chat exploring a topic that’s increasingly central to insurers across the region: how to enhance customer loyalty by re-examining value propositions and the experiences that support them. In an industry that’s low touch, but high stakes/customer stress, it’s the moments of touch that matter.
It’s a timely conversation. As insurers navigate digital transformation, legacy tech modernization, and rising customer expectations, the traditional drivers of loyalty—price, product, and basic perks—are no longer enough. What really earns lasting loyalty today? Experiences that feel personal, relevant, and human.
Customer Expectations Are Redefining Loyalty
One of the major themes we discussed was how dramatically customer expectations have evolved. Where "good enough" used to pass, policyholders now expect always-on, mobile-first, omnichannel engagement. They want the right information, delivered at the right time, in the right tone. And increasingly, they want those interactions to feel like part of a broader experience, not isolated transactions.
Onstage I referred to recent stats we uncovered in our forthcoming 2025 Benchmark report that insurers are feeling this shift firsthand. As Ravi put it during our session, “Customers remember how you made them feel more than the policy terms.” That emotional connection, built through consistency, clarity, and care, is the new foundation of loyalty.
Experiences That Stick Start with the Right Approach
So how can insurers move beyond transactions and create experiences that truly resonate?
It starts with rethinking the value proposition. Loyalty today means embedding relevance into the everyday. Examples include:
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- A proactive notification about a policy change
- A contextual service offer
- A communication that speaks a customer’s language—literally and emotionally
Whilst at ITC Asia, where we shared a booth with our partners Duck Creek Technologies and Hyland, we heard from many delegates exploring how AI solutions can help them boost operational efficiency while staying compliant and delivering personalized experiences at scale. Of course, achieving this is no easy task—but that’s where the right technology and delivery model come in. At Smart Communications, we’ve seen how platforms built for intelligent automation—paired with intentional experience design—can enable organizations to deliver compliant, personalized communications quickly and efficiently.
The Power of Collaboration: Smart Communications and Capgemini
Another core message from our discussion was the importance of partnership. As Ravi shared, successful transformation takes more than good tech—it requires the ability to translate vision into action.
Our recent work with a top-tier insurer in Asia shows just how powerful this combination can be. Faced with end-of-life legacy tools and slow, IT-dependent processes that give business users little control over communications, the client needed to modernize fast. Together, we helped them migrate to Smart Communications’ cloud-based platform, which drove several key benefits.
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- Enabled business users to manage templates directly
- Reduced reliance on IT
- Improved time-to-market
The result of this shift? Greater agility to create meaningful interactions, enhanced customer experience, and greater cost-efficiency via the scalable, pay-as-you-go model.
Looking Ahead: Speed + Empathy = The Future of Loyalty
The insurance landscape in APAC is only getting more competitive, and the path to differentiation is increasingly defined by how well you understand and serve your customers—not just at the point of sale, but throughout the entire relationship.
As we heard from attendees, =the opportunity to lead with empathy, enabled by smart systems and strong partnerships, has never been greater.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at ITC Asia.