INTERVIEW
How 'Emma' transforms AXA's digital strategies The all-in-one platform will provide all the insurance needs of Indonesian customers.
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hen branch offices are visited less and less, AXA Mandiri realised that the way consumers access their personal protection has evolved. Their behaviour is now affected by social distancing restrictions, the hesitancy of visiting doctors in person, and other health and financial concerns. But amongst these changes, AXA Mandiri also saw the increasing public awareness of the need for insurance protection. Citing a report by the Indonesian Life Insurance Association, AXA Mandiri said the life insurance industry managed to rebound during the pandemic by scoring a new business premium growth of 17.6% whilst advanced premiums grew 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021. AXA Mandiri believed that these numbers were supported by the insurers’ innovation on their digital channels, ranging from services, websites, social media, to applications. This led the insurance firm to launch its all-inone digital platform, called Emma. “At the end of 2021, we launched Emma to make it easier for customers to transact online. Now, the customer can get the information about their insurance policy, total balance, claim submission status, investment performance, articles on health tips, and virtual sports classes that customers can attend from their homes,” said President Director of AXA Mandiri, Handojo G. Kusuma in an exclusive interview with Insurance Asia. “We also position Emma as a ‘Teman Sejati’ or ‘True Friend’ as seen in the slogan,” he added. All-in-one digital access Before the launch of Emma, AXA conducted multi-regional qualitative and quantitative research across five markets in Asia with over 4,000 customers to better understand what they wanted from an insurance company when it comes to their physical and mental health. AXA analysed the data collected and came up with Emma. The Emma all-in-one digital platform is available across AXA’s network in Asia, including Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. It can be accessed through various electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Handojo said customers only need to activate their Emma account through an activation link and user ID they will receive on their emails upon registration. When successfully logged in, the customer will be greeted by a female digital assistant wearing a casual blue blouse, clear and round glasses, and shoulder-length hair—also named Emma. The features available through Emma carry the theme “One Stop Protection and Health Partner.” It is where customers can get information related to their insurance
20 INSURANCE ASIA
The features available through Emma carry the theme “One Stop Protection and Health Partner." (Photo: Handojo G. Kusuma, President Director, AXA Mandiri)
Emma's presence is expected to make it easier for over 1 million AXA customers in Indonesia
policy ownership such as premium information, policy status, and personal data. Through Emma, customers can also carry out financial and non-financial transactions, which include paying premiums, updating policy data, viewing the history of claim submissions, and contacting customer service via live chat. There are also health services that help customers avail of teleconsultation services with trusted doctors. From the hospital directory to the list of VIP services, everything is available through Emma. To help in their well-being, customers can access health articles and virtual exercise classes in the comfort of their homes. There is even a point rewards feature that can be exchanged for prizes. In an effort to involve its customers in the protection of the environment, for every AXA Mandiri customer who activated Emma from 1 April to 31 May 2022, AXA Mandiri planted a mangrove tree seedling in collaboration with LindungiHutan, a non-profit organisation for forest and environmental conservation. “Emma's presence is expected to make it easier for more than 1 million AXA entity customers in Indonesia. This encourages us to be more creative, both in designing protection solutions, as well as in offering products to prospective and existing customers according to their evolving needs,” said Handojo.
