The growing market for occupational health insurance

How AI simplifies and personalises the approach to corporate clients in sales

A corporate client is looking for the ideal benefit for their employees in the form of a company health insurance scheme (bKV), and the insurance broker delivers a bespoke solution – efficiently and accurately – even without years of experience. This is made possible through the use of AI. In this blog post, I’ll show how artificial intelligence helps insurance brokers overcome the many challenges involved in engaging with clients. With AI-powered tools, bespoke bKV quotes can be generated directly during the client meeting, perfectly tailored to the corporate client’s individual needs. This not only makes the advisory process more efficient but also increases the success rate in securing contracts.

In recent years, supplementary health insurance has become a key tool for attracting and retaining skilled workers in the long term. The shortage of skilled workers and the growing importance of employee benefits are further reinforcing this trend. More and more companies are turning to supplementary health insurance to hold their own in the competition for skilled workers. It strengthens the employer brand, promotes employees’ health through preventive measures and reduces sick leave, which improves productivity and the working atmosphere. Tax advantages also make supplementary health insurance a financially sound investment. Employees benefit from high-quality healthcare services, favourable terms and low co-payments.

At the same time, insurance brokers and advisers face the challenge of taking into account the diverse and individual requirements of employers and employees . These differ not only in terms of their needs but also in their level of knowledge regarding supplementary health insurance. Advisers must therefore not only offer a suitable product but also specifically address the employer’s particular priorities and objectives. Artificial intelligence offers valuable support here by optimising sales processes, enabling targeted preparation for advisory meetings and helping brokers select the right offers to meet the individual needs of their corporate clients.

Challenges in supplementary health insurance sales

Almost all health insurers in Germany now offer supplementary health insurance products, which differ significantly not only between providers but also within a single insurer. Premiums, benefits and contributions vary considerably, which requires a thorough understanding of supplementary health insurance and a tailored selection for corporate clients.

Employers’ individual requirements

Companies have different priorities that must be taken into account when selecting a supplementary health insurance product. Various stakeholder groups, such as managing directors, finance directors, HR managers and works council members, each have their own expectations, ranging from employer branding and staff retention, through data protection, to tax benefits. This diversity requires bespoke advice that takes all perspectives into account.

Complexity of the products

The wide range of plans – such as modular plans, budget plans or combination options – makes the selection process challenging. For example, modular plans can cover specific benefits such as dental treatment, whilst budget plans offer an annual budget for flexible healthcare benefits. Options such as premium waivers in the event of long-term illness or the inclusion of family members are also available. This diversity makes it complex for insurance advisers and brokers to select the right tariff packages whilst taking clients’ individual requirements into account.

Time-consuming quotation preparation

Preparing supplementary health insurance quotes is not only complex in terms of content, but also time-consuming. Sales software offers support, but often requires numerous clicks and produces standardised PDF documents that rarely address the specific needs of corporate clients. Furthermore, economic analyses, such as calculating savings resulting from reduced staff turnover, are frequently carried out manually and are labour-intensive. Modern sales software, utilising artificial intelligence, could significantly simplify the process through automated tariff selection, personalised quotes and clear economic arguments, whilst making the advisory process more customer-focused.

How AI can support supplementary health insurance sales

Artificial intelligence offers exciting and versatile opportunities to overcome the typical challenges in supplementary health insurance sales. Instead of carrying out time-consuming and manual processes, AI-powered tools can help sales staff work faster, more efficiently and, above all, in a more customer-focused way. In this chapter, I’ll show you, using a specific use case, how AI can transform supplementary health insurance sales in the long term.

Use case: The AI-powered sales assistant

How can an insurance broker, who may have little experience in the field of supplementary health insurance, draw up a quote during a meeting with a corporate client that is perfectly tailored to their needs? What initially appears to be a complex task becomes, with an AI-powered sales assistant, an opportunity to impress the client not only efficiently but also on a personal level.

The AI-powered sales assistant has a clear objective: to generate a bespoke supplementary health insurance quote in the shortest possible time, which can be presented directly during the client meeting. The AI guides the broker through a series of structured questions and provides helpful advice, such as taking into account the tax-free benefit in kind up to €50. The assistant asks questions one after the other on the following topics in the form of a chat to gather the relevant information:

• Company name (optionally anonymous, if the client so wishes)
• Industry, to take sector-specific requirements into account
• Number of employees, to enable the scaling of rates
• Budget per employee, including a pop-up highlighting tax benefits such as non-cash benefits
• Company objectives, e.g. staff retention or health promotion
• Employee preferences, such as preventative care, flexibility or comprehensive health benefits
• Further insurance-specific details

The AI utilises a comprehensive knowledge base provided through the integration of internal databases, CRM systems and other company resources. This knowledge base includes, for example, the following content:

• Policies & benefits: Structured information on policy names, benefits, target groups and premiums
• Benefits for employers and employees: arguments regarding staff retention, reducing staff turnover, productivity and tax benefits
• Tax information: Non-cash benefits and relevant legal provisions (Section 8 of the Income Tax Act)
• ROI arguments: Sample calculations, formulas and industry comparisons
• FAQs & Objections: Answers to typical questions such as ‘What happens if an employee resigns?’
• Presentation building blocks: Icons, graphics and text modules for creating high-quality PDF and PowerPoint files.

At the end of the process, the AI generates a proposal that is not only compelling in terms of content but also visually appealing. The output is provided as a PDF or PowerPoint file and is perfectly tailored to the corporate client’s needs. If, for example, rising staff turnover is a key concern for the corporate client, the presentation will place a corresponding emphasis on the benefits of supplementary health insurance (bKV) in terms of reducing staff turnover, complete with a relevant economic analysis.

Optionally, the assistant can be expanded to enable additional functionalities, such as the generation of a supplementary health insurance checklist or a group contract for the conclusion of an agreement between the corporate client and the insurer.

Decision to use AI in supplementary health insurance sales

The introduction of AI is more than just a technical project. It is a paradigm shift that transforms processes, roles and corporate culture. Many initiatives fail because AI is treated like ordinary software. Companies often launch AI projects without clear objectives. AI also requires a willingness to experiment and an acceptance of mistakes.

A key factor for success is the quality of the underlying data. Fragmented, outdated or incomplete data is one of the most common causes of failure in AI projects. Data preparation therefore plays a key role, as incorrect or inadequate data can lead to inaccurate recommendations, which undermine both customer trust and the quality of the results.

Furthermore, legal frameworks must be strictly adhered to. The processing of personal data requires GDPR-compliant implementation, including anonymisation and comprehensive security measures. This becomes particularly relevant when external AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot or Claude are integrated, or when the application is made publicly accessible. Such considerations are essential for taking legal and ethical requirements into account right from the planning phase of an AI project.

The introduction of AI-supported solutions in supplementary health insurance (bKV) sales requires careful planning and analysis to identify and successfully implement the best approaches. The insurer’s individual requirements and the objectives of the stakeholders involved play a central role in this. A structured analysis process is recommended to establish a sound basis for decision-making.

A tried-and-tested approach is to hold workshops with relevant stakeholders. In these workshops, the company’s objectives are clearly defined and existing sales processes are analysed in detail. Based on this analysis, specific measures and solutions are developed that are optimally tailored to the company’s needs. Where necessary, a comprehensive IT strategy is also drawn up to support the introduction and integration of AI technologies.

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The expertise of the specialists involved is crucial to the success of this process. They should not only possess methodological knowledge but also combine technological expertise with a deep understanding of the insurance industry and business contexts. With this know-how, tailor-made strategies can be developed that specifically promote the use of AI solutions and achieve the desired objectives, such as increased efficiency, personalisation and scalability in supplementary health insurance sales.

adesso SE supports you in the design and implementation of bespoke AI applications for supplementary health insurance sales, which build on your existing system landscape and deliver concrete, modern use cases. By working together to establish a structured analysis process with the right experts, we lay the foundations for targeted AI solutions – and thus for more efficient, highly personalised and scalable sales and advisory processes in the supplementary health insurance market.