Suncorp Group insurance brand AAMI is trialling a “digital employee” programme called Ava. AAMI said customers can directly interact with Ava by turning on their microphone and camera, receiving answers to questions relating to policy coverage, price, discounts, excess, optional extras, claims, and payment options.
According to AAMI, Ava has a personality and is “charged with emotional intelligence”, meaning the technology will learn to read the face and tone of customers, and adjust “hers” to suit.
AAMI partnered with Soul Machines to develop what the brand believes is a “world first” for the insurance industry. Greg Cross, co-founder of Soul Machines and its Chief Business Officer, said Ava’s emotional intelligence and intuitive functionality stemmed from her digital brain, which he said is built just like a human’s.
“Ava is powered by the Soul Machines Human OS platform, the world’s leading autonomous animation technology, and features a patented digital brain,” said Cross. “The Human OS platform is based on extensive research in psychology, neuroscience and cognitive sciences, that allows for emotionally-intelligent and engaging conversations between brands and their customers. It brings Ava to life in the same way our own brains bring each and every one of us to life.”
Katherine Carmody, Executive General Manager of Digital Distribution at AAMI, said the company is transforming the way AAMI supports and interacts with customers.
“The way people engage with us is changing, and we’re adapting to ensure we give customers what they want,” said Carmody.
“This is cutting edge technology that propels us into the future. What we will learn from the Ava trial will be invaluable when it comes to humanising our digital experience and revolutionising our customer service offering. We’re leading the way with insurance technology and Ava is just another example of how we’re doing it.”
Ava is being trialled with a number of AAMI motor insurance customers. The company says the number of customers in the trial will continue to grow in line with Ava’s intelligence.
Carmody said she hoped – all trials going well – to increase Ava’s knowledge base and roll the technology out to other areas of the AAMI business.