AI transforms online insurance services

Can artificial intelligence be controlled? Should it be controlled? From Leonhard Fischer’s perspective, the answer is a resounding yes. As the head of AI, chatbots and technology at German insurer HUK24, Fischer aims to harness the power of intelligent systems while ensuring their reliability and user trust. For a company with the bold vision of transforming its website into a personal insurance machine, these challenges are beyond technical; they’re deeply human.

Turning a website into a personal insurance machine

As a direct insurer, HUK24 positions its website as the customers' primary point of contact. Speed, efficiency and effectiveness are non-negotiable as the company treats its digital platform like a virtual insurance agent. Fischer breaks it down: “We want to help users complete simple, standardized processes directly on the website. More complex issues are handled by our highly trained processing colleagues.”

But for this seamless experience, the underlying AI models must perform flawlessly. Fischer is laser-focused on analyzing homepage traffic to understand what errors come up when customers submit queries. The goal? To create a machine that works reliably at all times. Reliability here means something tangible: delivering a useful, accurate response from the first interaction.

For example, when a user enters “moving,” the virtual assistant needs to understand the context. It should then guide the customer step-by-step, just like a human consultant, with meaningful answers. Fischer says, “The key is ensuring every AI response is contextually relevant and helpful.”

Breaking down the AI framework

To achieve this, Fischer orchestrates a finely tuned system composed of three essential components: search, chatbot and contact forms. These elements work together to help customers with short or lengthy queries. At the core of Fischer’s strategy is visibility into the AI's performance. He insists on knowing how the autonomous system handles interactions and whether customers trust the virtual assistant enough to use it.

“We want our customers to feel confident handling requests directly through our website. It’s faster, it’s easier and it creates happier customers,” notes Fischer.

The role of SAS Viya

AI reliability is not just a buzzword for Fischer. It’s a commitment grounded in analytics. HUK24 needed a tool capable of analyzing website data from past years at lightning-fast speeds. Fischer’s criteria for the perfect solution didn’t stop there; it had to present movement data visually and provide detailed insights into user behavior with the virtual assistant, in particular, the chatbot.

Enter SAS Viya! With its in-memory database technology, SAS Viya met all Fischer's demands, allowing HUK24 to measure more than just the AI’s success – it could measure its quality. “There’s no static playbook for AI. Specialized tests only cover a subset of scenarios, but the real challenges emerge during production. That’s where we need flexibility to adapt quickly,” Fischer explains.

SAS Viya brought clarity to the complexities of HUK24’s virtual insurance machine. Through SAS Data Integration Studio, HUK24 linked data from upstream systems, cleansed and aggregated it, then loaded everything into the SAS Viya environment for analysis. Here, key performance indicators (KPIs) were calculated and visualized in easily accessible dashboards. These dashboards, tailored with flexibility to meet constantly evolving requirements, became the cornerstone for decision making across management, technical departments and AI training experts.

Fischer summarizes, “The ability to adapt the dashboards quickly aligns with how rapidly the needs of our customers – and the business – can change.”

The future of AI at HUK24

Fischer’s work is driven by one goal: helping HUK24’s customers save time and gain confidence while interacting with AI. “It takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes to complete a process directly through the site – something our customers deeply appreciate,” says Fischer. 

With SAS Viya, Fischer ensures that customers can rely on their virtual assistant while his expert colleagues handle complex requests. It’s a system designed for adaptability, built on the foundation of cutting-edge analytics. Together, HUK24 and SAS Viya prove that AI can truly be a tool for human connection and trust.