Q&A With Tim Richards From Zurich UK

If I had a dime for every time I heard the phrase ‘the industry moves slowly….’, but I don’t. What I do have is a story about a fast implementation, a friendly competition, and a female chatbot called Zara, after catching up with Senior Brand Proposition Manager at Zurich UK, Tim Richards .

What’s in a name?

The name Zara (Zurich Automated Response Agent) was selecetd after an internal competition to name our prototype chatbot. We used internal communication channels to build interest in the project and to explain the reasons for the project at a time when claims people are fearing that their roles may be automated.

Describe Zara’s functionality:

Currently Zara can handle non-emergency home and motor claims. She captures enough information to allow her human colleagues to decide on the next step in the claim, be able to call the customer back and proactively deal with the claim.

Name one challenge developing Zara:

We have worked closely with Spixii, a London-based startup, on this project. The challenge within a big business like Zurich has been getting everyone comfortable with us partnering with a startup rather than a large corporate who happen to have chatbot capabilities. Working with Spixii meant we could be highly agile and develop Zara in just 5 weeks using their iterative methodology.

How has Zara been received? 

We’ve received fantastic feedback from customers and staff alike. Over 80% of customers are highly satisfied with the experience of reporting their claim with Zara and when a customer has expressed dissatisfaction we are taking that feedback on board and improving the ‘bot’ in the background. Around 60% of claims made via Zara are made outside of office hours as customers tell us they don’t have time in their busy daily lives to report simple claims (e.g. a broken TV) during the day.

What stage is Zara in?

Zara is currently a proof of concept but with such great feedback we hope she becomes a permanent member of the Zurich team and that we continue to develop her skills!