Streamlining the claims underwriting process with an MVP integrating disparate data sources into a single system
Executive summary
Challenge: Claims underwriters spend too much time retrieving data from multiple systems and navigating an incoherent UX and information architecture. This prompted Hiscox to streamline their claims management process, minimising customer friction and strengthening their competitive advantage in the London Market.
Approach: We collaborate with Hiscox on an MVP that integrates data from multiple sources into one aggregated view. Our joint team builds an event-driven architecture, enhancing system’s flexibility and responsiveness. We align the tool with the claim handlers’ specific needs leveraging continuous UX consultancy.
Result: The MVP, nearing completion, has received positive feedback from claims handlers. It will enhance data accessibility, improve user experience and operational efficiency for claims underwriters,enabling future AI-driven developments, including data synthesis and process automation.
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About the client
Hiscox is a global specialist insurer, headquartered in Bermuda and listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE:HSX). Their ambition is to be a respected specialist insurer with a diverse portfolio by product and geography. They believe that building balance between catastrophe-exposed business and less volatile local specialty business gives the opportunities for profitable growth throughout the insurance cycle.
The Hiscox Group employs over 3,000 people in 14 countries, and has customers worldwide. Through the retail businesses in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia, they offer a range of specialist insurance products in commercial and personal lines. Internationally-traded, bigger-ticket business and reinsurance is underwritten through Hiscox London Market and Hiscox Re & ILS.
Business challenge
Customer satisfaction, along with the insurance company’s reputation and business growth, largely depend on how and how quickly claims are handled, making this process one of the carrier’s most critical functions. This is why claims underwriters must always make fast and accurate decisions.
However, each single claim requires a thorough review of numerous documents and vast volumes of data which is distributed across external London Market standard Electronic Claim File (ECF2) and Hiscox’s internal systems.
The organisation now relies heavily on Sequel Claims (Verisk’s off-the-shelf solution for seeing and actioning on ECF transactions), supported by multiple apps for communication, document management, and storing of policy and financial information.
A claims handler may need five to ten minutes to locate a single piece of information, and if the broker omits key details, such as the case reference number, this process can extend to 24 hours – an unacceptable delay from both Hiscox’s and their clients’ perspectives.
Moreover, due to incoherent UX and information architecture, claims underwriters occasionally encounter usability challenges, such as difficulty navigating between systems, leading to frustration.
To stay competitive in the London Market, Hiscox constantly searches for the best ways to improve claims management process, making handler’s work even faster, more accurate, and convenient.
This is why the organisation asked us to support them in developing of an MVP: a tool that would integrate data from multiple sources and make it accessible via one Digital Claim File, summarising all claims information in one aggregated view.
MVP for streamlined claims management process
Together with our client’s expert team, we are working on an MVP of a purpose-built solution, aggregating data from multiple sources and presenting it in one tool.
With the help from our software developers and a data engineer, Hiscox is enabling interoperability across previously disconnected systems. The development is streamlined by a Scrum Master who helps align the team around shared goals and vision, focusing solely on delivering the expected outcomes.
Thanks to our collaborative work, Hiscox’s claims underwriters will soon be able to search for information and documentation using one intuitive app. The internal system will also serve as a single source of truth for policy and financial data.
All that will reduce time that Hiscox’s claims handling teams spend on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on underwriting decisions, and achieve their business and financial goals faster and even more efficiently.
The MVP is going live by the end of the year, and the solution has already received positive feedback from test business users. It enables further enhancements, including implementation of AI tools for data synthesis, evidential reasoning, process automation, and future integrations with additional systems.
Event-driven architecture
Hiscox decided to take the opportunity to introduce event-driven architecture into this project.
Together, we implement this pioneering approach, where the system reacts to specific events as they occur, allowing for even more efficient, real-time responses, enhancing flexibility in the claims handling process.
UX consultancy and continuous discovery
To keep claims underwriters’ needs central to the development process, Hiscox engaged our UX designer.
This approach, driven by continuous discovery and rapid feedback loops with subject matter experts, provides meaningful insights and design strategies that enhance system usability and functionality.
Our thorough analysis of the existing systems and in-depth interviews with end users helped align the project even more with their expectations.
We also created a preliminary design system with essential UX/UI components and principles to support the team in delivering consistent, user-aligned solutions.
As the initial discovery phase received positive feedback from Hiscox’s stakeholders, our UX designer is working closely with Product Owner, Business Analysts, Development Team, and Subject Matter Experts to ensure that user perspectives correspond with every aspect of the MVP’s design.
Main benefits of our collaboration
- Collaborative development process and seamless system integration
- Foundations for future enhancements, including implementation of AI tools
- Early development of an MVP integrating data from multiple sources into a single platform
- Positive feedback on well-designed features, indicating strong alignment with claims handlers’ needs
- Streamlined access to critical data, reducing time spent navigating multiple systems
- UX design improvements driven by continuous user research, ensuring user-friendly system features
Technologies used in the project






