AXA plans to simplify e-trade platform for brokers

AXA is planning to improve its e-trade platform by making it simpler for brokers to use.

AXA Connect scored four stars out of five in the recent eTrading 2019 survey, placing fifth out of 14 insurer extranets.

To achieve the coveted five star rating next year, Deepak Soni, director of commercial intermediary for AXA Insurance, told Insurance Times that simplifying the platform was key.

“Brokers appreciate that our site is easy to navigate,” he said. “We’ll accelerate our simplification efforts and smooth out our processes throughout.”

One area of the survey AXA performed less strongly on was under the criteria of referral process and expertise. Here AXA Connect only scored three stars, and was ranked eighth out of 11 insurers.

“For me, this perhaps highlights two main things, which we will begin to validate with our brokers,” Soni said.

“Firstly, we need to ensure that the process involved in the referral is as simple as possible.

“Secondly, brokers are beginning to have an expectation that more complex albeit SME business is being traded online and want to marry that with broker journey and referral/decision making.

“In both of these areas, we have a lot of work underway to make things even smoother and easier.”

XL products

Since acquiring XL Catlin and the formation of the AXA XL division, AXA Insurance has been adding XL specialist products to its e-trade platform.

It has already made the accident & health and cargo products available to AXA brokers, and plans to add more.

But Soni was confident this would not interfere with the plans to make AXA Connect simpler to use over the course of the next year.

“Some of these products are already online with AXA XL. This should reduce the complexity associated with introducing anything new in the specialist products arena,” he said.

“We will of course continue to solicit the feedback of our brokers to help us shape the broker journey ensuring it is as easy and seamless as possible.”

Overall, though Soni was pleased with the broker response, particularly among small independent brokers and network members, who he said were crucial in helping AXA serve SMEs. He promised brokers could expect further improvements in the next year.

“We are undertaking several projects in the digital space focused on enhancing the broker journey, developing out our products further and introducing some new products which we have already begun to do,” he said.

“There is always a lot happening in the digital space and we will continue to invest in this area.”