The leading insurer and CLQ adopted a design thinking-led approach to deeply understand client experiences, identify challenges, and co-create solutions. The process followed four key phases:

1. Discovery & Research

• Conducted ethnographic and qualitative research through interviews with over 68 participants, including members, clients, advisors, and employees.

• Gathered external trends and industry best practices to gain an outside-in perspective on the market.

• Performed internal analysis, mapping employee and client journeys to uncover friction points in interactions.

2. Insights & Strategy Formulation

• Identified macro and micro trends affecting insurance and employee benefits (e.g., demographic shifts, digital disruption, and changing consumer behaviours).

• Created customer personas and behavioural archetypes based on data-driven segmentation.

• Defined customer experience dimensions (Personal, Coherent, Engaging, Distinctive) to guide experience design.

3. Blueprint Development

• Designed high-value customer journeys, such as:

  • Member onboarding and engagement

  • Claims processing (e.g., death, withdrawal, disability)

  • Employer and advisor interactions

  • Retailisation and retention mechanisms.

• Mapped touchpoints, actions, channels, pain points, and opportunities for each journey.

4. Implementation & Testing

• Developed an omnichannel platform with digital tools for enhanced engagement.

• Integrated self-service functionalities to streamline transactions and reduce operational inefficiencies.

Piloted the implementation with strategic enablers such as real-time data analytics, automation, and AI-driven personalisation.

Through extensive research and stakeholder engagement, key problem areas were identified:

1. Fragmented Customer Journey

• Members and employers faced multiple disjointed systems, making information retrieval and transaction execution cumbersome.

• Lack of real-time data visibility, causing inefficiencies in claims processing and contribution allocations.

2. Lack of Engagement & Trust

• Members were disengaged from their financial wellness journey, viewing pension fund contributions as a deduction rather than an investment.

• Poor communication from advisors and call centres led to frustration, particularly for claims and onboarding processes.

3. Operational Inefficiencies

• High dependency on manual interventions created backlogs and errors in member servicing.

• Siloed teams and disparate systems reduced operational agility and real-time decision-making.

4. Digital Limitations

• Limited self-service functionalities, causing high call centre volumes.

• Inconsistent digital experience across employer portals, HR systems, and direct member touchpoints.

Several insights emerged from the research, guiding the transformation strategy:

1. The Need for an Omnichannel Experience

• An integrated system architecture was required to provide a single view of members and clients, ensuring seamless engagement across multiple platforms.

• Self-service digital tools needed to be intuitive, accessible, and capable of handling complex transactions (e.g., claims, fund allocations, advisory interactions).

2. Personalisation & Data-Driven Decision Making

• Customer insights and AI-driven personalisation were critical to engagement and retention.

• Behavioral nudges could drive proactive financial decisions (e.g., alerts on contribution shortfalls or investment opportunities).

3. Driving Operational Excellence through Automation

• Lean and agile methodologies were needed to improve service delivery efficiency.

• AI and automation in claims processing and onboarding could eliminate bottlenecks, improving turnaround times.

4. Reframing Customer Perception

• The positioning of employee benefits needed a shift from “forced deductions” to “investment in financial security.”

• Financial literacy and advisory services needed enhancement to empower members in making informed decisions.

The collaboration between CLQ and the organisation led to tangible business and customer experience improvements:

1. Experience Blueprint Development

• Created ten high-value customer journeys covering onboarding, transactions, claims, and advisory services.

• Designed a track-and-measure framework to quantify the return on experience.

2. Strategic Digital Transformation

• Omnichannel integration for a seamless client experience across HR platforms, employer portals, and self-service applications.

• Chatbot and AI-driven advisory services to assist members with decision-making in real-time.

3. Improved Operational Efficiencies

• Automation of core processes, reducing processing times for contributions, claims, and advisory requests.

• AI-driven workflows to optimise response times and enhance personalisation.

4. Enhanced Member Engagement & Retailisation

• Personalised financial wellness recommendations based on real-time data insights.

• Improved digital onboarding leading to increased portal registrations and usage.

• Higher customer lifetime value through proactive contribution engagement and advisory upselling.

5. Business-Level Strategic Decision Making

• The Final DEC Experience Blueprints served as a roadmap for executive leadership to align customer experience with business growth objectives.

• Provided data-backed insights to increase customer retention and expand market share.