Translating users’ emotions into numbers

The pilot allowed to better understand user behaviour on the PZU website and respond to user needs in real time. The tool is an excellent add-on to standard analytical tools. Using it, assumptions about the ideal customer path were verified and changes were implemented to improve the customer experience. Read the case study.

Release: 2023

Skin cancer prevention using artificial intelligence

The app, made available to PZU customers, allows them to check their moles at home. All it takes is just a smartphone to take a picture and get an assessment of skin cancer risk in a few tens of seconds. This makes regular preventive activity easier.

A pilot of the solution was conducted with a leading dermatology startup as part of the PZU Ready for Startups program. As part of the pilot, at least 5 cases of skin cancer were detected with the help of the app, which were confirmed by doctors. The solution is currently being implemented as part of the "Minute for Skin" prevention program. 

Awards:

1. Gold statuette in the global competition The Efma-Accenture Innovation In Insurance Awards
2. Award in the "Wprost" 2022 Innovators competition
3. Orzeł Innowacji awarded by national journal “Rzeczpospolita” in 2023
4. Presented during finals of CIONET Digital Excellence Awards 2022

Release: August 2022

 

PZU has implemented a solution that uses Artificial Intelligence to handle motor claims.

Innovative technology supports PZU employees and experts in their daily work, thus reducing the time it takes to handle the request. As part of the project, machine learning and automatic image analysis in real time were tested and implemented. As part of the pilot study, cost estimates and photo documentation of selected motor damage were analysed.

The system, apart from the automatic analysis of photos, is also able to name a specific part of the car, determine the extent of damage and qualify a given component for repair or replacement. Artificial Intelligence takes only 30 seconds to analyse the technical documentation, and in addition, its use allows you to select ~ 90% of the documentation that meets the requirements necessary to maintain the high quality of claims handling at PZU. The remaining ~ 10% of cases requiring additional expertise are submitted for analysis directly by PZU employees. The technology has allowed us to improve 10 times selected parts of the technical documentation verification process and reduce the time of order processing.

Awards:

1. Third place in the Best Implementation in the Insurance Industry category in the oldest technology competition organized by Gazeta Bankowa.

Release: January 2019

The project aims to improve the process of motor claims appraisal by mobile experts using an on-line solution for automatic photo analysis, vehicle damage and verification against expert systems.

After carrying out a calibration with PZU's business rules and workshops on usability and processes mapping the needs of the pilot, tests of applications preparing cost estimates of damages for passenger vehicles and vans were started. During the pilot, we measure the effectiveness of solutions used in the daily work of mobile communication experts and the benefits of semi-automatic preparation of cost estimates based on damage to the top parts of vehicles.

Release: 2020

AI Assistant on the basis of a few photos sent by a customer prepares an estimate of a motor claim in just few minutes. The tool conducts a detailed analysis of the vehicle’s exterior components. The system, based on AI, is able to independently analyse the photo documentation as well as name a particular part of the vehicle, assess the extent of the damage and classify a given part to be repaired or replaced.

AI Assistant was implemented as a result of increasing interest of clients in products and services available online as well as increasing expectations towards the speed of customer service and payment of compensation.

Awards:

• Leader of 2021 in Gazeta Bankowa's technology competition, in the "Insurance and other financial institutions" category.
• Finalist of the international competition The Digital Insurer, for which 6 projects from Europe, the Middle East and Africa qualified (2022).
• Bronze in International Customer Experience Awards 2022, in “Best Innovation in CX – over 5000 employees” category.

Release: 2021

This project responds to the need to streamline and modernize the process of examining claims and paying compensation.

With so many documents in a highly unstructured form, PZU was looking for a tool to read and interpret data from various types of documents. The pilot was carried out in the area of life & health, but once implemented, this technology can be used in many business areas, bringing the company significant savings and improving many internal processes.

Release: November 2020

PZU was the first company in Poland to implement a solution allowing for comprehensive and remote service of deaf customers.

Free calls from pzu.pl/kontakt enable three-way video connections between the client, the sign language interpreter, and our consultant. Thanks to this, customers can buy insurance on their own and without any barriers, e.g. report a claim or receive information about a reported benefit.

Awards:

1. The project was awarded the international Efma–Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards 2018 in the Customer Experience & Engagement category.

Release: October 2017

The project made it possible to reach PZU customers through a new channel of direct interaction.

Each user of the Action, via the voice interface, could familiarize with the initial offer of PZU Wojażer travel insurance, based on individually selected travel parameters. When the customer was interested in the received variants, a consultant from the PZU helpline would contact him to discuss the details. PZU was the first insurer in Poland to implement a product of this class.

Google has suspended support for actions on Google Assistant in 2023, so the service is no longer available.

Release: June 2019; the service is no longer available

The flu prediction model is capable of forecasting the number of people suffering from influenza a month in advance at the voivodship level.

The algorithm works on a weekly basis. It uses, inter alia, meteorological and behavioural data. Machine Learning algorithms were used for modelling, which allowed taking into account the time specificity of the data (the problem of the time series class).

Release: August 2019

AI in HR support

The chatbot deployment supports internal employee inquiries, the scale of which is constantly growing. Questions about vacations, settlements and other HR issues are sometimes repetitive, so with the support of Artificial Intelligence it is possible to automate their handling. Everyone interested receives an answer in a few tens of seconds at any time, without having to wait for an answer from the right employee or search the intranet. The solution positively contributes to the efficiency of the Employee Operations Center, where the team has gained more time to handle more complex tasks.

Release: 2021

A new channel for customer service

Machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms in insurance support more than just claims handling. PZU's customers can use a chatbot, which can, for instance, provide information about PZU's products and help in using them, check the status of a claim and redirect to the best informed consultant.
 
The tool enhances the usability of the pzu.pl website, supports product sales and after-sales care, and relieves other communication channels in responding to repetitive queries. Thanks to the use of machine learning mechanisms, with each question it understands its meaning better and it is able to prepare the satisfying answer with higher probability.

Release: 2023

Daily updated insurance product information

The platform provides PZU with detailed comparative analyses of insurance products available on the market and enables better monitoring of changes in the products offered by other insurers. The intelligent system mainly benefits sales support teams responsible for the development of product knowledge among agents and helpline consultants. Significantly, unlike most comparison engines, the implemented solution does not compare product prices, but focuses on product terms and conditions.

Release: 2022

AI in Agricultural Claims

PZU has developed technology that is able to efficiently analyse claims caused by the consequences of bad wintering, hurricanes and rain with usage of satellite imagery.

AI algorithms individually adjusted to a given kind of cropping and weather risk, which ensures high precision of claims assessment – that was possible because of training of algorithms on the basis of data collected by PZU from hundreds of thousands of historical claims. A dedicated mobile app for mobile experts collects all necessary data in one place.

Awards: 

1. Silver award in The Efma-Accenture Innovation In Insurance Awards global contest in 2022

Release: 2022

Easier replacement of appliances with new ones

The application, using the latest technology, supports PZU employees in the valuation of home appliances and movables, with a special focus on consumer electronics and household appliances. The use of the innovative tool significantly improves the work of the Customer Care Agent. The item valuation platform searches for and provides replacements for damaged equipment. The solution enables cashless handling of the damage by arranging the process of replacing the equipment with a new one.

Release: 2022

An innovative solution that ensures the safety of drivers. PZU GO is a small sensor (a beacon) and a mobile application that work together.

In the event of an accident, the sensor transmits information about the incident to the PZU Emergency Center via mobile application. Thanks to this, we can immediately contact the driver and check if they need help. If the driver does not answer the phone, we will notify the Emergency Notification Center—it can send an ambulance to the place of the last GPS indication, if needed.

The PZU GO application also allows you to quickly contact our hotline using one button—drivers can easily use the help of PZU in accordance with the scope of the insurance contract.

In addition, the driver can verify his driving style based on the information presented in the application, including: speed and smoothness of the ride, driving time and distance travelled, dangerous situations that have occurred, e.g. hard braking.

Awards:

• First place in the Best Implementation in the Insurance Industry category in the oldest technology competition organized by Gazeta Bankowa.
• Appreciated by the FinTech & InsurTech organization, which brings together the leaders of the banking and insurance world, awarding it the most interesting innovation - InsurTech Award.
• “Innovation of the Year 2019” in Mobility Trends contest.

Release: December 2018; this product is no longer available

PZU Group, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Health, launched a pioneering project called "Opaska Życia.

This is a new version of the PZU social strategy #10yearslonger. It is an electronic device worn on the wrist that monitors the basic vital signs of patients and alerts medical personnel to emergency situations. For the first time in Poland, such advanced technologies, with the involvement of non-public funds, have a chance to be used on a mass scale in emergency medical services and healthcare.

The band measures the pulse, body temperature, as well as illustrative measurements of saturation (blood oxygen saturation). Analyses the results and alerts medical personnel when the patient's vital signs drop to critical levels. At the same time, a beep sounds in the wristband to draw the attention of the patient and people around. Rescuers can precisely determine the place where he is ill thanks to the location sent by the device. The band is also equipped with a fall detector that triggers an alarm when a patient falls over.

Pilot: October 2019, at the Mazovian Provincial Hospital in Siedlce, Poland.

Release: May 2020, as part of the release, PZU handed over 1000 bands to Polish hospitals in order to monitor the condition of patients suffering from COVID-19.

Pre-service is a process consisting in initiating contact by PZU with the injured party, even before the claim is reported by him.

The project deals with property damage and aims to improve customer satisfaction. After the occurrence of an event (e.g. fire, gas explosion), an attempt is made to identify the customer based on information from generally available sources (including the Internet, radio, e-mail). If the identification is successful, contact is made with the client in order to provide real help in a more difficult situation (e.g. if the scope of the policy covers a substitute premises, it will be offered to the client at the first contact). Claim registration may take place on another day, at a time convenient for the customer. PZU is the first insurance company in Europe to implement a large-scale customer contact initiation process before contacting the insurer to report a claim.

Awards:

1. “Golden Earphone” 2018 in the category of Excellent Communication With The Client.

Release: January 2018

Data Lab is a project by which the PZU Group conducts experiments on large data sets (fast design and testing of analytical hypotheses in cooperation with business).

Data Lab gives the opportunity to create solutions (usually prototypes) based on Big Data that support current business and analytical processes in areas such as detecting irregularities in mass operations, pricing, cross-selling or better business management (including prediction). Data Lab initiatives allow to improve the effectiveness of operational processes, reduce the costs of their implementation and create new innovative processes based on advanced analytics. Annually, as part of Data Lab, 4–5 pilot projects are carried out in cooperation with leading data science in Poland.

Release: initiative carried out on a continuous basis.

Cash is a new lending platform prepared by PZU in cooperation with Alior Bank.

Thanks to it, each employer will be able to introduce a new benefit in the form of quick and low-interest loans for their employees. The project assumes that every employee related to his employer with an employment contract and having creditworthiness will be able to apply for a low-interest loan. It is enough for the employer to join the Cash platform. The loan application and launch process is fully remote from the customer's perspective. The repayment of instalments takes place automatically from the remuneration - the customer does not have to remember about the date and amount of the repayment.

Release: October 2019

Visit: www.portalcash.pl

As part of cooperation with a startup from the MIT EF CEE acceleration program, the PZU Group launched a special recruitment campaign called #challengePZU, using the globally innovative formula of an open challenge addressed to Java and SQL programmers.

The methodology of the challenge was based on the so-called "Skill challenges", which are thematically related to the scope of knowledge necessary for a given position. As part of the gamification challenge, the candidates could demonstrate their skills, and the artificial intelligence analysed the answers and the candidate code and assessed their skills, indicating the best people for the next stage of recruitment. Such activities are part of an innovative strategy implemented in HR departments, based on the constant acquisition of the best candidates based on their skills.

These types of activities are not only a highly distinctive element of the employer branding strategy, but also an effective way of reaching both active job seekers and the so-called passive candidates who do not respond to traditional job advertisements. The campaign allows you to build a positive candidate path, which is assessed on the basis of the results obtained. It is also a great opportunity to show your skills and develop your career faster. Both for ambitious specialists and young graduates who often lack experience.

Release: September 2019