Virgin Money goes live on CDL Strata

Virgin Money has gone live on CDL's Strata solution, following the launch of the bank's partnership with Ageas Retail. Ageas administers Virgin Money's home and motor insurance on the Strata platform, enabling it to offer consumers access to its online self-service portal.

Ageas Retail serves 1.6 million customers and is one of the UK's leading intermediaries. Last year it announced a strategic deal with CDL, making Strata its preferred software platform for insurance administration.

One of the primary reasons for the deployment is to offer customers access to Strata's online self-service portal, which gives customers the option to manage their policies online, including performing renewals and mid-term adjustments. The CDL solution also enables Virgin Money to offer its customers competitive rates with the availability of its products on aggregator site, Compare the Market.

Ant Middle, CEO of Ageas Retail, said: "Digital experience and self-service functionality are key to ensuring a positive customer experience and we're delighted to have brought Virgin Money onto the Strata solution. This demonstrates our commitment to offering our customers the highest standard of service and competitive premiums on every channel."

CDL Commercial Director, Nigel Phillips, commented: "CDL Strata offers an intuitive multi-channel experience that will bring a range of benefits to Virgin Money customers. Typically, over 95% of customers sign up to the CDL self-service portal where it is offered, demonstrating the high demand among digital consumers for greater control over their own policies."

Rossborough Insurance launches responsive online services

Gallagher-owned Rossborough Insurance has launched a new 'quote and buy' online service for motor and household insurance, developed by CDL. The new service is expected to cement the group's dominant position in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Group Managing Director, Clive de la Cour, said: "Rossborough was established in Jersey nearly 80 years ago and our brand has a strong resonance with customers in the Channel Islands and also in the Isle of Man. The new website expands our clients' access to motor and home insurance around the clock, from mobile, as well as desktop devices. It gives Rossborough customers greater flexibility, and the feedback we have received so far has been overwhelmingly positive."

The CDL web solution features responsive design to automatically resize on mobile and tablet devices and includes electronic document production to enable an end-to-end online solution for consumers.

Rossborough has also taken advantage of CDL's Real Time Pricing facilities to give it dynamic pricing control in the online environment and enable it to compete for business on price comparison sites.

CDL Commercial Director, Nigel Phillips, commented: "We are delighted to be supporting Rossborough to expand its multi-channel strategy. The new online services will not only benefit consumers but increase Rossborough's efficiency and business acquisition opportunities going forwards."

CDL launches new elearning platform

CDL has launched its new elearning platform, an online Learning Management System to complement its existing in-person training solutions. The new elearning system makes it easier for contact centre agents to access CDL Strata training, and enables trainers to track the progress of new learners. In line with Strata's Continuous Delivery cycle, the learning platform updates every 6 weeks to reflect the latest software upgrades. Nigel Davies, Head of Professional Services, explains more.

CDL is committed to providing training services to ensure contact centre agents are competent and confident in using the Strata system. Good training is the key to retailers' overall efficiency, conversion rates and success in building better business.

Our elearning platform allows contact centre agents to access online training on Strata for the 'big four' policy types of private car, house, goods vehicle and motorcycle. Through this platform, CDL is now able to offer 'on demand' training to complement the current approach of 'training the trainers', providing a blended learning solution.

Another benefit to the new Learning Management System is that it is an interactive system. It provides learning in three stages - show me, guide me and test me. By tracking progress through the courses, it can be used by retailers to build an up-to-date picture of the training status and needs of all their employees. Also it's dynamically updated every six weeks, in line with our Strata Continuous Delivery cycles, so agents can get up-to date with the latest functionality as soon as it's available.

Strata elearning is provided under a licence basis and, although we're still in the early days, the initial response from customers has been extremely positive and we're confident that the elearning platform will prove a real asset to retailers moving forwards.

Please contact your relationship manager or email trainingrequests@cdl.co.uk for more information.

Viewpoint

At the start of 2015, CDL officially re-launched its commitment to the agile principles: a process involving significant reorganisation and a robust recruitment drive. The support of an agile coach, Ian Caroll, was enlisted as part of this process. Several months on, we ask Ian, who now ranks CDL among the top five companies practising agile in the North West, to report on how agile is being used at CDL to develop better software in a faster timeframe.

How do CDL's methods of software development compare to before the agile re-launch?

The changes that have taken place over the past few months are huge. While the average lifespan of a CDL release cycle was previously around nine months, now it's down to more like six weeks, meaning that value is being delivered to customers far more frequently. Furthermore, by involving and collaborating with customers in the development process, the end release is often more valuable itself.

What factors have contributed to this success?

The physical work environment that CDL's new office building, The Codeworks, provides is in many ways ideal. The division of space into bays for squads, whilst maintaining an open plan feel works really well, fostering a contained team environment whilst encouraging wider 'cross squad' collaboration. The amount of board space is another key advantage, as well as the desk arrangement, which allows for impromptu meetings and conversations to easily occur. Few companies have such a perfectly designed space. Enabling software developers to input into The Codeworks design process from the start was a real stroke of genius.

But it's not just about the building. It's also about attitude. The flexible, innovative approach that defines CDL, works really well in terms of agile. Whenever something has been identified as not being conducive to agile practices, or where a potential improvement could be made; then it's quickly raised and addressed. This flexibility and the willingness to experiment and trial is key to the whole model. Agile is about constant adaptation and searching for better ways of working; delivering more value to customers faster, without cutting corners.

What challenges does CDL still face?

One of the biggest challenges will be preventing the agile message from becoming diluted as the company continues in its expansion. This can be easily prevented however by maintaining the agile principles of constant self-assessment, analysis and adaptation, as a way of ensuring best practice is always upheld - something that CDL already does well (as reflected in the decision to self-initiate a 're-launch'). The main thing is to remember that the end goal is not to become an agile company, but an efficient company. Agile is simply a tool for achieving this goal, and needs to be constantly tweaked and revised to make sure that it's serving its purpose well.

How important is it for a company like CDL to be agile, and how do you see the agile methodology developing in the future?

Agile is now at the point of becoming almost mainstream, and is certainly widely practised across the industry. Eventually I envisage the term disappearing as it simply becomes the norm.

I know that CDL has a goal of 'out-developing' its competitors, 'helping customers win through technology' and, ultimately, 'powering insurance transactions in every home and business by 2024'. Streamlining development cycles and shortening them to release more value more frequently, puts the company in an extremely strong position to achieve and maintain this aim. For any modern software company with ambition, agile is essential.

AXA releases new Residential Let scheme

Scheme Code:
   V2

Company Code:
   WE

AXA has introduced a new Residential Let product for landlords who want a simple, no-frills competitive Landlords policy without compromising on quality of cover.

AXA recognises that every customer is different and so are their needs. That's why they have a clearly defined product range that offers the right level of cover at the right price. With this in mind, customers can now take advantage of their latest Personal Intermediary product, AXA Residential Let.

Designed to sit alongside AXA's existing landlords policy, Buy to Let, which provides more comprehensive cover, AXA has launched Residential Let to reflect the need for broader, more tailored cover, ranging from entry level to feature rich enhanced protection. The new product offering is designed to provide key cover for customers who want a more straightforward, simple product with lower levels of features and benefits but who still want the reassurance of AXA's quality service and an award-winning claims experience.

Key features

Landlord's buildings cover

  • Attractive cover for loss and/or damage to buildings of up to the buildings sum insured level of £1,000,000
  • Cover for rent or alternative accommodation up to £200,000 while the home cannot be lived in because of loss or damage covered in the policy
  • Property owner's liability insurance of up to £2,000,000
  • Accidental damage to pipes and cables providing services to the building included as standard up to the buildings sum insured
  • Cover of up to £500 for replacement of locks to external doors following loss or theft of keys
  • Cover up to £5,000 for carpets, curtains and unattached cookers, washing machines, dishwashers, tumble driers and or fridge freezers

Landlord's contents cover

  • Cover for loss or damage to Landlord's contents up to the contents sum insured
  • Public liability cover of up to £2,000,000

Additional covers

  • Accidental damage cover up to the contents and buildings sum insured
  • Theft or attempted theft loss or damage by tenants up to £5,000
  • Malicious damage by tenants up to £5,000

Start trading today

To make doing business with AXA even easier, they've already activated AXA Residential Let for you, so why not get a quote today? Please just make sure you add 'AXA Residential Let' Scheme Code V2/Company Code WE to your Select List to ensure you receive a quote.

To find out more information about AXA Residential Let and other products in the suite, visit AXA's broker facing website www.axaconnect.co.uk. Should you have any queries regarding activation, please contact AXA's electronic trading team on electronic.trading@axa-insurance.co.uk or 0330 024 6884.

60 Second Interview

For this latest edition of the 60 second interview, we catch up with Pat Swords, Underwriting Director at Sabre Insurance. As he prepares to retire from a long career in insurance, he shares with us how he first got into the industry and provides a few clues as to how he might spend his leisure time...

Name: Patrick Swords

Title: Underwriting Director at Sabre Insurance

How did you get into insurance?
I decided that using a theodolite was far too complicated and so chose the easier option of a career in insurance.

What you love about it?
The opportunity to meet lots of interesting people and being blessed to have worked in a highly successful business for most of my career.

What you hate about it?
Nothing really — apart from a sense of frustration that such a large industry seems somewhat slow to embrace change.

Best professional achievement?
Joining the Sabre board in 2002.

Biggest challenge facing the sector?
Keeping pace with and embracing the advances in technology.

Biggest opportunity?
Using technology to provide better products and services for customers, and enhance business processes.

Which gadget could you not live without?
My iPod, which holds all my music.

Football team?
I'm a big Tottenham fan, but my real team is Shamrock Rovers.

Desert island discs?

  • Any Led Zeppelin
  • Hard Nose The Highway (Van Morrison)
  • Holland (The Beach Boys)

Biggest vice?
Playing too much bad golf.

How do you unwind at weekends?
Playing bad golf. I've also been a member of The National Trust for 25 years, so spend quite a bit of time at the organisation's various different properties as well.