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TechnologiesChallenge
Co-founded by MetLife and AXA, MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) is a network of almost 140 insurance companies in over 120 markets, combining local expertise with global insight. The member organisation employs around 160 people around the world, half based in the UK where MAXIS GBN has its global headquarters. It also has operations in France, Switzerland, across the US, and in Hong Kong and Singapore. Its clients are major international corporations which provide insurance cover for their employees – specifically medical, accident, disability and life insurance products.
MAXIS GBN is a leader in its niche market; there are only eight global benefits networks in the world. In its field it is a pioneer in service innovation, particularly in the area of digital client solutions. It is always looking for new ways to add value for the multinational employers it serves. One of the latest ways it does this is through innovative health and wellness solutions with the potential to help companies reduce the costs of medical cover and claims, which are rising by more than 10 per cent annually.
As part of its drive to keep adding new value for clients, MAXIS GBN has provided an online portal through which employers can access reports. Having a self-service portal is convenient and informative for clients but the organisation wanted to do more with this facility – providing clients with interactive, at-a-glance insights into their current insurance portfolios; relative take-up, premiums and pay-outs from country to country; and other on-demand, tailored information.
Specifically, MAXIS GBN wanted to give its ‘OneClient’ portal a more consumer-style look and feel, including intuitive graphical dashboards, with easy drill-down/filter options so they could explore any given area of interest in more detail.
The software engineers were clearly very knowledgeable. They understood our requirements and we felt we could trust their judgement, and that they had the experience to develop what we needed from scratch.
Given clients’ growing concerns about soaring medical insurance costs and rising interest in health and wellness, MAXIS GBN also wanted to create a new Wellness Intelligence Tool. Its aim was to help employers understand the potential impact of healthier behaviour among staff worldwide – not just in reducing medical insurance premiums and claims, but also other benefits including improving their attendance and performance at work.
MAXIS GBN’s existing web provider did not have the ability to develop the advanced, bespoke systems now needed.
Solution
MAXIS GBN discovered One Beyond, which appeared high in the online reviews and customer rankings for bespoke software development. During the interview process, the company stood out from other contenders.
“We chose One Beyond because they were the most engaged, and provided the most detailed technical proposal,” says Helga Viegas, MAXIS GBN’s Director of Digital & Innovation. “The software engineers were clearly very knowledgeable. They understood our requirements and we felt we could trust their judgement, and that they had the experience to develop what we needed from scratch.”
One Beyond built the new client portal and Wellness Intelligence Tool (WIT) using the latest Microsoft technologies. Across the new, transformed OneClient portal, interactive graphical dashboards show aggregated costs and claims, which clients can drill down into to see how product uptake, claims activity and costs compare between different countries. This enables employers to make more strategic decisions about insurance planning, and associated risk and cost management, on a global basis.
The WIT facility is an attractive, user-friendly interface to a complex calculation engine in the background. It allows clients to determine whether a proposed budget for wellness programmes is reasonable against potential savings and improved employee performance. An interactive map allows easy navigation between clients’ various offices/business entities around the world, to home in on or compare health and wellness improvements and associated results.
We will be looking to One Beyond as a continued partner in all of this...we have strong digital partners alongside us to deliver the innovative products we’re planning. One Beyond is an essential part of that picture. They are very collaborative and responsive. They have been engaged throughout.
Outcome
Formally launched in September 2019 to all 250+ of MAXIS GBN’s corporate clients, the redeveloped client portal is so far exceeding expectations, Helga says. The portal and tools are optimised for desktops, laptops and tablet devices, the primary means by which employers tend to access and interact with the reports.
“The feedback has been great,” Helga says. “Clients have really liked the demos when our sales teams have presented these in meetings, and client traffic has improved by more than 300% compared to the old portal. We set out to add genuine value for our clients, and that’s exactly what One Beyond have helped us to do.”
MAXIS GBN has been impressed with what One Beyond achieved. “We had quite a few sources of data, so One Beyond had to build an admin portal as well as the main client portal, which is what the user sees. We also had to put in place a single sign-on mechanism to allow access to several applications when clients log in. It wasn’t a straightforward task.” Helga explains.
As well as helping MAXIS GBN to attract new business to its global benefits network, the new digital tools provide a solid platform for the future: the basis for all sorts of new client dashboards, enhancing the value of the services provided by MAXIS GBN.
“We will be looking to One Beyond as a continued partner in all of this,” Helga concludes. “We may know our own market well, but we are not a software company so it’s essential we have strong digital partners alongside us to deliver the innovative products we’re planning. One Beyond is an essential part of that picture. They are very collaborative and responsive. They have been engaged throughout.”
