Zero‑downtime insurance decisions in the moments that matter

For most in India, insurance feels like an expense rather than an investment. But when disaster strikes – a sudden illness, a vehicle accident, a lost business – the uninsured face not just tragedy, but financial devastation.

Shriram General Insurance exists for these moments. But serving 11 million customers with empathy and speed requires more than good intentions. It demands infrastructure that can match the urgency of human needs.

When every minute matters, every delay erodes trust

Field agents across India heard the same anxious questions: "When will my claim be processed? How much will this cost? Can you help me understand my coverage?"

But behind each question lived real worry. A parent wondering if they could afford treatment. A business owner facing closure. A family uncertain how to rebuild.

"Customer service is meant to be prompt with no gap between data and decision making," explains Rachit Goyal, Chief Risk Officer of Shriram General Insurance. "But there was considerable time required to compile reports manually. Until reports landed on decision-makers' desks, customers waited."

The challenge wasn't data availability – Shriram General Insurance had rich information across policies, claims and customer histories. The problem was accessibility. A 12-person team manually compiled reports that took days to complete. By the time insights reached field agents, the moment to provide reassurance had passed.

For Anil Aggarwal, Chief Executive Officer of Shriram General Insurance, the gap between data and decision making represented something deeper than operational inefficiency. "Shriram General Insurance covers customers during stressful and emotional experiences. Our focus is protecting customer trust, because insurance is all about trust, especially in today's highly competitive market."

Building an always-on foundation for everyday protection

Shriram General Insurance partnered with SAS to replace manual reporting with a resilient, AI-enabled analytics framework built on SAS Viya. The transformation centered on one principle: zero downtime for zero compromise in customer care.

"We built a cloud-first, always-on system," explains Malaya Kanta Barik, Head of IT. "Whether you're in underwriting, actuarial, claims or an agent in the field, you have up-to-date information every time you open the system. But for this system to deliver insights 24/7, the technological backbone had to be unshakable."

The implementation – following responsible and trustworthy data practices – took six months of careful orchestration. Shriram General Insurance continued serving customers without disruption while building the new infrastructure. When the launch arrived, the transformation became immediately visible.

More than 100 personalized reports began flowing daily to field officers, regional directors and area managers. Over 1,500 emails delivered tailored insights before teams started their workday. Reports arrived at 5 a.m., enabling informed decisions by 9 a.m. What once required days now took hours and resulted in a 75% increase in reporting efficiency.

"Overnight, reporting efficiency rose multi-fold," Goyal reflects. "SAS Viya on SAS Managed Cloud Services sped up our actuarial data preparation from 15 days to just 2 days. The dashboards lit up, and suddenly we could decide faster – meaning we can ensure customers feel safe and secure, quicker."

When confidence replaces confusion

The impact extends beyond metrics into moments. When a customer calls to check on their claim status, the field agent opens their daily reports and sees analytics embedded with operations, including claim status, pending claims, average turnaround time, settlement ratios, and more. The conversation shifts from uncertainty to clarity within minutes.

"This is what zero downtime really means," Barik notes. "The team works with confidence because they know the information is there when they need it. Every decision traceable, every outcome auditable."

From reactive service to proactive care

The SAS Viya platform now supports Shriram General Insurance's evolution toward predictive intelligence. The company is embedding computer vision for faster claims assessment and deploying explainable AI for dynamic pricing and underwriting. These steps will grant Shriram General Insurance the tools to serve customers with greater precision and transparency.

For Aggarwal, this transformation represents something fundamental about insurance done right. "Every outcome is aligned with our mission: helping families live safe and secure lives. For our 11 million customers, it means no more waiting. Every claim, every answer, every price is faster, clearer, fairer.”