What is the link between a customer, a network and an employee of an insurance company in 2023? Generali identified the answer in the strategic data management "which allow us to anticipate needs and trends, identify the main relationships between customers and networks - through predictive models - so as to offer products and services for our customers even closer to their present and future needs with a significant impact on innovation and on strategy.” He says it in a 'interview at FIRSTonline, Fiorella Caranchini, who in Generali holds the role of Human Resources Business Partner Country GM, within the framework of the General Country Manager Gianluca Perin.
Generali calls himself “Life partner of people: we pay close attention to the market. Technological innovations and growing digitization reflect the evolution of people's needs and we work to identify them in advance, satisfy them through the creation and customization of innovative products and services for our customers and also by modifying operating processes and working methods throughout company following the same approach and the same attention to our people”, says Caranchini. “We have changed the way insurance is done”.
How has Generali changed and how is insurance done today?
“Ours has become a data-driven company: assessments are no longer made on the basis of internal data alone, as in the past, organized by silos, which did not allow decisions to be made with a holistic view of the customer. Today, however, decisions are made on the basis of all the information sources available in the customer's interest, for example by integrating data from various internal company sources within the so-called enterprise data lake, which makes access to the various data and enriching internal data with external data available on the market.
To do this, we have mainly moved in three directions: accelerating on technology, introducing new skills (in data science, design, IoT, digital and automation), identifying new ways of working (Agile projects, Next Normal) and investing significantly in the quality of given with a rigorous data governance program extended to the whole company, a fundamental prerequisite for the conscious use of company data”.
This transformation has a fundamental goal: to make the customer experience better and better. We have the ambition to achieve service standards of a digital company through continuous improvement and a series of transformative initiatives. In practice we could say: the Generali you don't expect!
So has technology become the center?
“Technology is an enabling factor, but people are always central. The profound transformation process that we have started was achieved with the contribution of all people at all levels of the company and this was possible because we deeply believe in the strategic value of innovation and through change management processes we have brought the culture of given at all levels of the company and we will continue with numerous projects that will go in this direction.
We are a company made by people for people, we value every single contribution and develop everyone's skills, strengthening our role as top employer".
What are the strengths of this new way of doing insurance?
“Have an innovation strategy that converges and reinforces the drives and actions that come from every point and level of the company; a corporate culture focused on the customer in which every process and service inside and outside the Company puts the person at the centre. Being a Life Partner means adding real value to people's lives, their health, their home, their way of moving, their work, supporting them in achieving their goals and dreams. Life partner also means building and spreading a sustainable and meritocratic culture to encourage the involvement, enhancement and energy of employees.
This means valuing the uniqueness of the individual, so that everyone's personal characteristics become a resource at the base of every project, a source of value for our customers, the partners we work with and the ecosystem in which we operate. We are a company made up of people who work for people. We have embarked on a path made up of great commitment and actions with which we want to go beyond diversity and stimulate the individual realization of people by valuing their differences, because we are convinced that the deepest meaning of diversity and inclusion is to be more than different, unique people " .
So the profile of your employees has changed in recent years, how?
“In recent years we have focused on new transformative and innovative skills, hiring over 200 people including data scientists, data engineers and digital experts who bring different experiences in several areas.
We want to bring internally those skills necessary for digital transformation: we are making the team grow, hiring people capable of bringing new points of view to the company, thus creating a real center of expertise.
We have set up a Digital Factory that consolidates the "newer" IT skills such as java developer, front-end and back-end developer, test engineer, cloud architect, and profiles dedicated to new ways of working such as DevOps engineer and scrum master's degree".
When we talk about new technologies, new languages and new professional figures, we cannot fail to mention Artificial Intelligence. How do you see this sector, also from the point of view of the labor market?
“Artificial intelligence is already having an impact on some products and services in our sector too, for example the management of the emergency call in the event of a claim.
This change requires greater transversal skills, greater integration between technology and business than in the past, a strong capacity for continuous learning supported by our training and reskilling courses.
Just last month, in the Generali Tower in Milan, we promoted and organized "AI Innovation & Inclusion", an event in which the focus was the integration between innovation and inclusion in Artificial Intelligence projects. On that occasion, more than 200 people including students, professionals and employees met to discuss, reflect and exchange views on artificial intelligence.
The "AI Innovation & Inclusion" event was attended by the Country Data Officer Davide Consiglio and professionals of the company who presented some practical applications of machine learning and generative AI as well as an external guest, Calvary Rogers of Google, who explained the challenge of create products that are innovative and inclusive at the same time, in order to bring benefit to the whole of society”.
What do you think about tools like ChatGPT?
“The democratization of access to information and the homogeneity of knowledge are fundamental values in a company as large as ours and rooted throughout the national territory. These tools can help – when guided by professionals and high standards of due diligence – to provide homogenous, transparent and accessible answers to all users who make a given request. However, a collective reflection and a change of mentality are certainly also necessary to ensure that these technologies truly become an opportunity for society and do not create distortions in decision-making or excessive confidence in their potential. The intellectual capital of the solutions we find for our customers will always come from the professional, whether it is in the network or in support functions”.
The approach to data necessarily opens reflections also from an ethical point of view. How does Generali move to respect ethical principles?
“The set of processes, roles, policies, standards and metrics: everything is aimed at guaranteeing an effective and efficient use of data in compliance with ethical principles (non-discriminatory software, homogeneity in data processing).
Ethical principles are the foundation of Generali's actions because the trust our customers place in the company is based on them. The use of automated predictive models and more generally the use of Artificial Intelligence to support the business opens up new scenarios in which particular attention must be paid".
You mentioned using non-discriminatory software, how do they work?
“Generali has always adopted an internal policy that prevents discrimination on the basis of all so-called sensitive data, as defined by the GDPR. When customer data is processed by Artificial Intelligence, it is always necessary to adopt special precautions to prevent the emergence of discrimination".
When recruiting your staff, do you take into account the gender balance?
“About 100 people work in our Country Data Office team and in the last 2 years at least 50% of new hires are women, even in new functions that require the most innovative digital skills. Furthermore, to bring students and especially female students closer to the new STEM professions, we offer scholarships (there are more than 50 a year up for grabs) and we define role modeling programs to help girls overcome gender prejudices”.
Do you have relationships with universities to identify new profiles?
“We have close collaboration with the most prestigious Italian universities throughout the country to encourage young people to enter the world of work and we also contribute to the design of study programs for the development of the skills most in demand today on the job market, above all in the STEM field".
