The 'Buy versus build' technology debate has exercised the minds of technologists and business executives from almost the point when the first in-house mainframe rolled off the back of the delivery lorry. But in recent times the points of difference have shifted and made the consideration potentially more subtle.'

The nirvana for all companies is a relationship with their clients which transcends product and is seen as a mutually beneficial interaction based upon trust. Mutuality by its very nature embraces the principles of such a relationship but has in many cases failed to achieve it. Do new communication mediums offer a fresh opportunity for Mutuals to achieve this holy grail of consumer interaction?

Exploiting RDR requires more than a tick-box process – the winners will grasp the Executive intellectual challenge. So where is your organisation?

Opinion at our RDR executive Forum provided a startling wake up call for all of us involved in the implementation of RDR.

No one can doubt the positive intentions behind the MOJ reforms, which are due to come into effect in Q2 2010 (May has been mooted as the latest date).  The reforms are designed to accelerate the claims management process, reduce legal and administrative costs, promote earlier decision making on liability and reduce duplicated effort amongst insurer and claimant representatives.  Applying to RTA claims with a value between £1,000 and £10,000, the MOJ reforms will have a significant impact on our industry.

The ABI’s policy paper “Time for Change: Seven proposals to improve DC pension benefits in retirement” lists many well considered, pragmatic and realistic changes that could revolutionise the way pension providers are able to service the needs of the changing in retirement population.

So what does 2010 hold for insurance technology? You’ll hear many predictions but I’d like to think that an impartial, independent view based on a practioner’s guide is both evidential and pragmatic. So here are my top 3:

The PR blurb that surrounded the launch of More Th>n’s ‘Car Claim’ app for iPhones suggested it was created in response to research showing that 38% of drivers fail to record sufficient third party details in the aftermath of an collision. But is such an app really going to solve this perennial problem for insurers?

As the fog surrounding RDR begins to clear, one fact is becoming increasingly apparent. There will be a sizeable constituency of potential customers who want and need products, have the funds to purchase them but who will not be prepared to pay for upfront advice. So are these people destined to go without the products they need or is there another way?

In September 2009 we completed the second of Winchester White’s surveys of our clients’ view on RDR and since then our RDR team has been out and about, digging into the detail on how individual companies are reacting to the proposals. So all in all we are starting to get a well rounded picture of the levels of activity in the industry and the key issues that organisations are struggling with.

Extracts from FSA website:

Swinton to offer refunds on over 480,000 PPI policies following FSA intervention

GMAC-RFC Limited fined £2.8million for unfair treatment of customers in arrears and repossessions and will pay up to £7.7m customer redress

Certainly there continues to be enough evidence in the media for us to know that not everyone’s ‘TCF house’ is in order.

Is the idea of Myfreeadvice.com fanciful or a chilling inevitability for our industry? With some IFAs already viewing advice as the value add and looking to offload the execution – click here for confirmation of this - what if the web could remove the need for any branded advice?

Hands up those of you who like going through an ITT process. Really?? I can think of better ways to select fit for purpose technology.

In the insurance sector Claims Operational Strategies seem to be predicated on two philosophies:
1. Cost efficiency and containment
2. Improving customer service.

However, organisations deploy very different strategies based upon how much they subscribe to each philosophy.

It is clear that in considering the components of RDR (Retail Distribution Review) much of the FSA focus has been on developing a more transparent offering for the end user. What is not clear at this point is how distributors will respond to the potential impact of this transparency.

The range of social media tools available is huge and growing every day, which means it's never been easier to add social networking to your online presence.

So what's stopping you?

Those of us charged with the responsibility of improving our customers experience very often moan/boast/obfuscate that ‘if we had the data and the systems our customer experience would know no bounds!! and in many senses this is true but ultimately unhelpful.

Insufficient and inappropriate systems capability and data will, like death and taxes, always be with us and it falls to our lot to make something wonderful from something so inadequate. So how do we face this challenge and move from a position of resentful defensiveness to one of proud boast?

The digital media hype merchants would have you believe that the fact Facebook now has over 300 million users is a sign of a new social phenomenon. In reality of course, communities have grown and thrived since the dawn of time, so are social networks really anything new?