During the Corona pandemic, video conferencing became a matter of course in everyday life. Even before the outbreak of the pandemic, digital consulting was part of the business model for many insurance and financial companies, supplementing face-to-face meetings on site. Flexperto has been offering companies an all-in-one software solution for digital sales since 2012 and has helped numerous companies with rapid implementation, not only in times of crisis.
Thanks to increased customer acceptance during the Corona pandemic, many have recognized the benefits of online consulting. As a result, even less digitally savvy consultants have been able to minimize their on-site appointments. Flexperto was able to increase the number of users by 200 % in the last 4 months. The use of the plattfrom also increased very strongly. Comparing January 2020 and May 2020, the total "minutes" of online meetings within the Flexperto platform increased by approximately 1,600%. In particular, companies that invested in digital consulting before the crisis benefited and saw increases in revenue. As an example, Bayerische Versicherung can be quoted: "We were already using video consulting before the outbreak of the pandemic, and it turns out that especially those distributors who also use digital tools in their activities showed a strong plus. The others would have recorded a minus."
Insights from the Corona Pandemic
One learning is that the customer does not want a media break in the sales process. Therefore, a simple video telephony provider is not enough. Flexperto is a professional sales tool that offers the entire consulting process, from scheduling to legally valid e-signature, end-to-end online in one solution.
It also pays off financially to rely on digital communication. As reported by Bayerische Versicherung and Christopher Lohmann, CEO of Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung AG, among others, some advisors lost little business as a result and were able to continue advising their customers and supporting them during the Corona crisis without losing sales, especially if they were already using digital tools such as Flexperto before the crisis and were therefore already proficient in their use.
Due to the elimination of face-to-face meetings in the context of the Corona crisis, the behavior of intermediaries and companies has changed in such a way that the question is no longer whether you want to offer your customers digital consultations, but how quickly as many employees as possible can be equipped with digital consulting. Thanks to Flexperto's long experience in the field of digital communication and the ready-made concept, thousands of employees could be equipped with the Flexperto software in just a few days. For example, Flexperto was able to increase the number of DEVK consultants from 70 pilot users to 1000 company license users within 14 days. In addition, Mehmet Türker, Head of Innovation and Digitalization Management Sales at DEVK, recently reported in an article in Versicherungswirtschaft that comprehensive functional training and webinars per week enabled around 250 colleagues in exclusive sales to use the new video solution in terms of technology and processes. DEVK has ensured that agents are not only able to use the technology adequately, but also want to use it, by offering additional training sessions in which the special features of addressing customers and conducting conversations at a distance are addressed and communicated, coupled with many practice sessions.
In addition to the digital conversion of the consultants, the companies had to consider the new data protection requirements when choosing a professional video provider. Flexperto provides a ready-made solution for this as well. The online advisory process can be documented and is fully FinVermV and Mifid II compliant. This means that companies do not have to call in an external program and get a regulatory-compliant solution from a single source.
A look into the future:
Felix Anthonj, CEO and founder of Flexperto says: "Many consultants and customers tried out digital consulting for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic. Many have decided to pursue a hybrid consulting concept even after the pandemic thanks to very positive experiences Many companies have now created the conditions for digital consulting, working from home or remote working. I assume that, in addition to the qualification of the consultants, it is above all the consistency in the implementation of digital consulting processes that makes the difference. The digital tools now in use must be seamlessly integrated into the system landscape of the companies, for example the CRM systems. In this way, a 360-degree view of the customer and an omni-channel sales target image can be realized."