Accelerating adoption

Fractal helps a large US insurer to build relationships and boost productivity  

When the US government mandated to move insurance agents from an exclusive model, where they would only sell a specific company products, to an independent model, where they could sell any company’s products, a large US insurance company knew there would be a major shift in working practices. 

The insurer developed an Agency Segmentation tool to help the sales team identify and prioritize their agents. It hoped this would enhance relationships between sales managers and agencies, and boost productivity. However, after launching multiple versions, and going the traditional route of introducing usage mandates, and training, adoption among the 150 sales managers was low. 

Unpacking the problem 

The insurer turned to Fractal for help. Fractal’s interdisciplinary team of specialists in Data, Design and Behavior Science, quickly recognized that the problem was not with the model alone, but also with how the sales managers perceived. It engaged the company’s stakeholders at various levels to identify problem areas, vision for this program and their business goals. Immersion with over 20 sales managers was conducted to understand user context and how they interacted with their agencies. Fractal also ran co-creation workshops with sales managers, to understand how they processed important information that led to the right decisions regarding their agents.  

The insights gained about their decision-making process, were crucial for the final interventions incorporated in the user interface.

They had developed a great relationship with their agents and wanted to manage these client relationships their way while maximizing revenue. Management, however, wanted a more structured, data-driven approach to agency engagement, focused on profitability. Both groups wanted a sense of control. 

Finding common ground 

Fractal’s solution was to reposition the tool as a bridge that could better the sales managers’ relationships with their agencies. A new workspace front-end interface was redesigned to tie segmentation to their business goals and brought in transparency and control. The tool now encourages exploration and induces social proof to increase engagement. These changes were accompanied by targeted communication via emails, SharePoint, and chat. 

Remarkable results 

The results have been remarkable, with 75% of users adopting the tool in the first month since relaunch. It brought the business and the sales managers to focus on the right agency at the right time. Sales managers are now recognizing its value and making the most of the insights it provides. One said: “Based on my prioritization, I had considered one particular agency as not important. But the Agency Segmentation tool has segmented it as high potential, and I am now engaging with them more often.”  

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