Grundeigentümer-Versicherung (GEV) has teamed up with IT service provider adesso to modernise the front-end architecture of its sales portals.

Nowadays, insurance company customers and contract partners usually go online when they want to submit applications, sort out contracts, or use any other services. GEV has specialised in building and homeowners’ insurance since 1891. But to keep up with current trends, GEV has taken steps to freshen up its online services for customers and agents. Over the past year and a half, adesso’s software architects have partnered up with the specialist developer team at GEV to run an agile software development project. It is a smart strategic move that has involved a complete overhaul of the site’s architecture so as to better suit the latest requirements for sales processes.

Looking to the future with scalable applications and upgrades

The portals need to integrate entire business processes into the digital value chain so that insurance companies can get the most out of them. That way, modern insurance companies have the flexibility to react to today’s market demands. Before the start of the project, adesso carried out a study with its customer to evaluate various ways to proceed. The aim was to come up with the best front-end architecture solution for the task at hand. As part of the study, an interdisciplinary team participated in an “interaction room” workshop to develop guidelines for the project.

Modern IT architecture results in faster time to market

With adesso’s support, GEV updated the technology used to run application procedures for direct and agent sales while reducing the number of system environments. Simple to use and compliant with modern security requirements, the new IT architecture speeds up the application upgrade process for obtaining the latest features. The revamp has also made applications easier to maintain, resulting in lower operating costs.

Business processes for customer service at GEV are now markedly more efficient and streamlined. Agents and insurance comparison companies value standardisation and attaining a high “dark” processing rate – the percentage of applications that can be processed automatically. Seamless, end-to-end “dark” processing thus leads to fewer interventions from staff and considerable savings. During the project, the number of applications processed automatically via the comparison calculator rose by more than 60 percent (as of June 2021).

Dr Matthias Salge, the board spokesman at GEV, outlines the motivation behind the insurance company’s decision to take these steps: “The project represents a milestone in the way technical infrastructure is set up at GEV. In today’s digital world, our customers and contract partners have come to expect more from our systems, which further underlines the importance of a flexible IT infrastructure. With adesso at our side, we have developed a sustainable solution that fulfils this aim.”

Dr Jan-Peter Horst, a member of the management board at GEV, details the team’s approach to the project: “An agile plan of attack with achievable sprints allowed us to be flexible and keep on top of the project at all times.” Horst continues: “I’ve never seen an IT project run so smoothly. We hit our goal of being on time, within budget and in scope. The entire team showed levels of productivity, reliability and commitment I’ve personally never experienced before.”

Access the new website by clicking on the following link: www.gev-versicherung.de/.