{"id":25293,"date":"2017-11-15T20:32:49","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T01:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/digital-mayhem-at-the-gate-is-allstate-in-good-hands\/"},"modified":"2017-11-15T20:33:31","modified_gmt":"2017-11-16T01:33:31","slug":"digital-mayhem-at-the-gate-is-allstate-in-good-hands","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/digital-mayhem-at-the-gate-is-allstate-in-good-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Mayhem at the Gate \u2013 Is Allstate in Good Hands?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since Allstate started selling insurance through agents 85 years ago1<\/sup>, the insurance industry has rarely faced disruption on so many fronts and in such a scale as it does today2<\/sup>. The ubiquity of digital technologies in the recent years has enabled trends such as AI, big data analytics, Internet of Things, connected devices, mobility, miniaturization of tech, etc. that are affecting how insurance risks are underwritten, how insurance gets distributed and how consumers buy insurance2, 3<\/sup>. These trends are upending the moat of incumbent insurers and creating fresh new entry points for start-ups throughout the supply chain. Since 2015, insurtech start-ups across the insurance supply chain have attracted over $4bn in venture capital funding in over 300 early stage investments4<\/sup>. For a large insurer like Allstate, business going forward may not as usual. To maintain its leadership position in the new digital world, Allstate must innovate and disrupt its own ways of doing business before the new entrants do.<\/p>\n

Among major insurers, Allstate has been on the forefront of embracing digitalization. In 2011, Allstate spent $1bn to acquire Esurance.com, an online only direct-to-consumer acquisition channel for its auto, home and life insurance lines, and Answer Financials, a carrier neutral insurance agency that allows comparability across insurance products from various insurers5<\/sup>. Since then, the Company has also launched other major digital initiatives, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Drivewise, a telematic-based auto insurance program that uses a mobile application or an in-car device to capture driving behaviors and subsequently rewards customers for driving safely1<\/sup><\/li>\n
  2. DriveSense, a usage-based insurance product that gives customers flexibility to customize their insurance plan and pay based on the number of miles they drive1<\/sup><\/li>\n
  3. Arity, a separate insurtech company that leverages software, data, analytic and telematics to help better manage risks and is being adopted by both Esurance and Answer Financials and is also being marketed to non-affiliates1<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While these initiatives indicate significant steps towards digitalization for a legacy player like Allstate, they address primarily the more immediate sales and distribution challenges of a highly inefficient supply chain. Despite the investment in digitalizing distribution, Allstate still generated 90% of its 2016 insurance premium from its 34,160 licensed agents1<\/sup>. Industry observers note that digitalization unlocks significant value in almost every step of a legacy insurance supply chain \u2013 a vulnerability wide open for new entrants to exploit6 <\/sup>(Fig. 1). Therefore, for Allstate to hold on to its leadership position, the future roadmap needs to consist of not only incremental and immediate changes to parts of supply chain but a digital transformation of its entire supply chain.<\/p>\n

    Fig 1. 1-Combined ratio%: % profit generated6<\/sup> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fig 2. Digital opportunities in insurance supply chain2<\/sup>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \"\" \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

    Allstate\u2019s management agrees. Recently, Chairman and CEO, Thomas J. Wilson, declared, \u201cAllstate is no longer an insurance company. Allstate is a software company7<\/sup>.\u201d The VP of Allstate Claims Technology Services claimed that the company is now treating digitalization not as a threat but as an opportunity that not only unlocks embedded value from its existing business but also opens newer lines for growth. She detailed how Allstate is using \u201cmodern software development practices to build applications that make it easier for customers to self-serve\u201d and is thereby hoping to \u201creduce the six million annual phone calls to claims by half7<\/sup>.\u201d Allstate also recently introduced technology features to allow video appraisal of a\u00a0 claim and instant claim payment, becoming the first US P&C insurer to do so8<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

    The true transformation of Allstate into a digital insurer [Fig 3] is a complex affair not simply because of the time and capital it requires but because of the conflicts it introduces with major value drivers of the legacy business model. For instance, Allstate\u2019s direct-to-consumer initiatives are creating channel conflicts with Allstate 34k brokers5<\/sup>. Such transformation also requires a cultural convergence towards being more proactive, agile, experimentational and risk-taking \u2013 a behemoth thinking and acting like a digitally native start-up2,3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

    Fig 3. Making of a digital insurer2<\/sup><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    As Allstate forges ahead in its transformation from a legacy insurance company to a software company, many open questions remain.<\/p>\n

    Are the advantages of incumbency becoming tenuous or even a liability for Allstate? As it pushes its digital distribution channels, how will Allstate manage the conflict of interests with its 34k+ agents who currently produce 90% of its business?<\/p>\n

    What would be the basis for competition in the digital age? How can an incumbent with legacy IT, systems and culture reinvent itself to remain ahead of the digitally native new entrants? Being a public company, does it have the flexibility to trade-off current earnings for long-term value?<\/p>\n

    Word Count: 750<\/p>\n

    1<\/span><\/sup><\/span> The Allstate Corporation, <\/span>http:\/\/www.allstateinvestors.com\/phoenix.zhtml?c=93125&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2FwaS50ZW5rd2l6YXJkLmNvbS9maWxpbmcueG1sP2lwYWdlPTExNDA3MTk3JkRTRVE9MCZTRVE9MCZTUURFU0M9U0VDVElPTl9FTlRJUkUmc3Vic2lkPTU3<\/a><\/span>, accessed November 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2<\/span><\/sup> Tanguy Catlin, Rob Hartman, Ido Segev and Ruxandra Tentis, \u201cMaking of a Digital Insurer,\u201d McKinsey & Company. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    3<\/span><\/sup><\/span> Michael Lyman, Marc Carrel-Billiard & et. al, <\/span>https:\/\/www.accenture.com\/t20170322T024212__w__\/us-en\/_acnmedia\/PDF-47\/Accenture-Strategy-Allstate-DiscussionDoc.pdf<\/a><\/span>, Accenture LLP.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4<\/span><\/sup><\/span> www.cbinsights.com, <\/span>https:\/\/cbi-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/earlystage2016ins.jpg<\/a><\/span>, accessed November 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5 <\/span><\/sup><\/span>Wells Media Group, Inc, <\/span>https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/national\/2011\/05\/18\/199061.htm<\/a><\/span>, accessed November 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6<\/span><\/sup><\/span> Michael Niddam, Jon Hocking, et. al., \u201cInsurance and Technology: Evolution and Revolution in a Digital World,\u201d <\/span>https:\/\/www.the-digital-insurer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/372-evolution-revolution-how-insurers-stay-relevant-digital-world.pdf<\/a><\/span>, The Boston Consulting Group, Morgan Stanley, p. 1-7.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7<\/span><\/sup><\/span> https:\/\/builttoadapt.io\/two-insurance-companies-learn-how-to-operate-like-a-startup-and-so-can-your-enterprise-3d6fb1a522d2<\/a><\/span>, video accessed November 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

    8<\/span><\/sup><\/span> The Allstate Corporation, \u201cEsurance Reinvents Insurance Claims Experience with Real-Time Video Appraisals,\u201d <\/span>https:\/\/www.esurance.com\/company\/news\/2014-esurance-reinvents-insurance-claims-experience-with-real-time-video-appraisals<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How is the 85-year old, largest publicly held property and casualty insurer in the US preparing for digital disruption in insurance?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10250,"featured_media":25294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[2123],"class_list":["post-25293","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digitalization","hck-taxonomy-organization-allstate","hck-taxonomy-industry-insurance","hck-taxonomy-country-united-states"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/rc-tom-challenge-2017\/","yoast_head":"\nDigital Mayhem at the Gate \u2013 Is Allstate in Good Hands? - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/digital-mayhem-at-the-gate-is-allstate-in-good-hands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Digital Mayhem at the Gate \u2013 Is Allstate in Good Hands? 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