Robert McIsaac

Increased direct interaction with consumers has renewed interest in using digital data to personalize experiences and improve customer journeys.

The situation is changing rapidly, testing organization capacity and operational planning.

While WWI-era tactical fortifications were testaments to early 20th-century technology, it is not a paragon of smart investing. The designers assumed technology would never move forward.

The processes and structures which have been effective in building capacity in the past won’t be able to address the market today.

Creating a sense of having a stake in the outcome of the organization is one of the roots for innovative thinking.

Gains are especially being made near UC Berkeley, one of the major research universities in the Bay Area.

For carriers looking to position themselves to succeed in the future, it can be a challenge to promote innovative thinking.

The idea that products that were relevant to Baby Boomers have staying power into the third decade of the 21st century seems implausible.

While carriers may not be able to replicate the exact science, they should understand that organizational and cultural shifts can both attract the right talent and encourage the emergence of internal ideas.

Retraining efforts are becoming popular because it's easier to teach tech knowledge to industry experts than vice versa.

For insurers, thinking of the network of capabilities available in specific geographical areas can provide tangible advantages when it comes to delivering on the promise of major technological advances.

Being situationally aware and open to possibilities become the foundation for a world where successes breed future successes.

A recent study finds younger agents feel good about job security and their future economic prospects.

The majority of carriers have perfected looking at the world from the inside out, which may be fine in an era of limited change, but it is exactly the wrong response in a period of dynamic activity and shifting expectations.

Some carriers have recognized the challenge associated with attracting key talent to smaller markets and have taken the offensive to open satellite facilities that are in locations closer to where “the action” is.

Whether dealing with the end consumer or agents, insurers must be prepared to meet diverse standards for digital interaction.

As analytics and mobility become higher priorities, a new challenge will emerge: how to find and retain the best talent.

While many aging, generally mainframe-based systems, remain capable of supporting basic policy processing and accounting functions, the costs associated with enhancing them are becoming increasingly problematic.

When bad or unexpected or unusual things happen, the computer gives up control and hands it back to the now woefully unprepared occupant.

Documentation on aging systems often is akin to tribal knowledge, and the potential for things to go bump in the night increases as these environments face generational transition.