As the insurance industry continues its transition into the digital era, the role of CTO is becoming increasingly important.
Legacy businesses now face a choice: face obsolescence, or integrate new digital tools into their day-to-day operations. Those who choose the latter option need a technology leader in their c-suite who can shepherd the company into the modern age of insurance.
The reasons insurance companies must digitize are numerous. Customers expect a seamless online experience across the entire insurance distribution lifecycle, from quoting and renewals to filing a claim. Adopting intelligent agency management technology can make meeting those expectations viable. What’s more, it can help earn and keep clients’ trust.
The expanding influence of CTOs was clear in a study by the IBM Institute for Business Value, which surveyed 5,000 c-suite technology leaders. Of those surveyed, 40% of CTOs indicated they now report directly to the CEO, and 29% said they expect their next role to be a CEO. This should come as no surprise, given that technology is increasingly integral to business success.
But what kind of tech leaders should insurance companies hire as CTOs? Below are six key qualities to look for.
- Communication skills
Whether leading the engineering team, explaining a technological consideration to the c-suite, keeping clients updated and happy or briefing vendors on the specific needs of the company, a CTO must be an effective communicator. In writing or in person, on the phone, or on a Zoom call, they’ll need to be well versed in tailoring their message to suit their audience. Of course, effective communication also means effective listening. They’ll need to understand the needs and concerns of all parties to do what you’ve hired them to do.
- Expert team management
An effective CTO will ensure the engineering team is happy, motivated, and productive. This involves interpersonal skills but also equipping the team with the right tools, clear goals, and enough time in which to achieve those goals.
- Savvy hiring skills
Effective team management begins with hiring. A CTO needs to lead the charge in finding and recruiting the right engineering talent, to help ensure new tech is smoothly implemented and put to good use.
- Deep technical knowledge
As crucial as a CTO’s leadership qualities are, they should be supported by considerable expertise in forward-thinking technology. They must know the ins and outs of customer relationship management and agency management software. They’ll need a deep understanding of the differences between legacy solutions with cloud-based facades and true cloud-native solutions that can help insurance businesses meet their short- and long-term goals. All this is key for assessing the quality of a solution, interfacing with vendors, collaborating with internal teams, and helming the implementation of new technologies.
- Strategic thinking
The needs and goals of an insurance company will inevitably and continuously evolve. A CTO needs to be both visionary and pragmatic. They need to have one eye on the horizon and the other on the next few steps. In other words, they need to see the forest and the trees. This dual vision is critical to the success of a CTO and the company they help lead into the future.
- Understanding of the insurance distribution lifecycle
Insurance is a uniquely complex industry. To lead an insurance company into the digital age, a CTO will need a deep understanding of the distribution lifecycle. Integrating and streamlining all the functions of the front, middle, and back office will require empathy for customers and employees alike, ensuring newly introduced tech solutions truly serve all parties.
Perhaps most importantly, an insurance agency’s CTO must be prepared for the inevitable pitfalls that go hand-in-hand with digital transformation. It’s not always a linear journey. The reality is, digital transformation is not a finite occurrence; it’s an ongoing initiative. Even when an agency’s “go live” technology implementation date is achieved, there will always be more to change and adjust as the agency’s customers’ and employees’ needs.
About the Author
Eric Ayala is Managing Director, North America for Novidea. Novidea’s end-to-end platform provides real-time business intelligence and seamless workflow management for brokers, agents, MGAs, bancassurance and corporate risk management. Designed specifically for insurance distribution, the Novidea cloud-based platform gives you a single view for managing the entire insurance distribution lifecycle across all lines of business. It promotes service excellence, simplifies regulatory compliance, and gives you secure data access from any device, anytime. By consolidating all your front- and back-office data and workflows — from leads to quotes to policy administration — Novidea’s integrated solution delivers full visibility into the entire customer journey and actionable insights to help you increase sales, profitability and productivity.
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