Ignite to launch new chatbot service for brokers

Ignite Insurance Systems has announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence (AI) service for brokers to save them time and money when managing customer queries.

Powered by Open AI – the creators of ChatGPT – the new Ignite AI Layer tool uses dynamic calls on policy data to answer customer queries quickly.

Its aim is to replace less advanced chatbots currently being used by brokers and reduce the need for call centres.

At the launch event of the new service earlier this week (6 June 2023), Toby MacLachlan, Ignite’s managing director, told attendees that the “AI revolution is coming to insurance”.

“[This] essentially [uses] OpenAI’s ChatGPT to create a chatbot, initially at the call centre, and saves brokers time as well as giving a good customer experience,” he added.

Launch process

In February 2020, Ignite launched an AI-powered chatbot with self-service insurance broker Yoga Insure to help with administrative based tasks.

Ignite’s new AI Layer was thought up earlier in 2023, when the team were discussing the future of the business.

The launch version of the product will be used to assist back-office broker staff when answering incoming queries.

MacLachlan explained that with Ignite’s most common queries being from customers wanting to know more about their policies, the new chatbot will handle simpler enquiries while triaging more complex ones via live chat.

The next phase, due to roll out in two-three months time, will see AI responses start to appear within a supervised live chat service.

After iterations of user feedback have refined responses to a point of high reliability, the final iteration will be a standalone chatbot for customers to interact with directly.

MacLachlan said that its target was to increase its policyholders from 120, 0000 to 500, 000 by 2025. 

He added: “We’ve been using an AI chatbot for over 18 months with a minus 50% query-satisfaction success rate.

“We hope the Ignite AI Layer will increase that rate to 90% plus, saving our brokers and their customers time handling queries, increasing customer satisfaction and driving proactive product development feedback loops.”

GDPR-compliant

Ignite said AI Layer had been designed to be GDPR-compliant through proprietary obfuscation and tokenisation routines.

The service will initially be available to Ignite brokers, with a stand-alone product for brokers on legacy software houses coming later this year.

“This is only the start of AI’s journey in insurance and we know that being an early adopter will give significant learnings and advantages to Ignite, Verisk and all our clients present and future,” MacLachlan added.