Following the exciting GenAI capabilities and initiatives that Manulife displayed at the recent Investor Day, Manulife today announced a significant leap in implementing its Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to transform business processes and elevate customer service with new capabilities across Asia, including the integration of GenAI with the agent experience in Singapore.
With the integration of capabilities and tools ranging from optimized contact centre technology, a Sales Agent Enablement tool, and leveraging GenAI for underwriting, Manulife is placed at the forefront of GenAI adoption within the insurance industry.
“GenAI is accelerating our transformation, driving growth, and highlighting innovative opportunities to drive efficiency across our organization,” said Karen Leggett, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife. “Our market-leading progress in deploying and scaling multiple global use cases are resulting in deeper customer engagement and satisfaction. The significant investments we’ve made in cloud, data capabilities, and talent are enabling our speed, efficiency, and innovation to lead in the GenAI space.”
Enhancing Customer Interactions with AI in our Contact Centres
Manulife’s commitment to AI extends to customer service, where GenAI is being utilized in contact centres to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of client interactions. The technology automates call summaries, performs daily trend analysis, and manages complex contract lookup within seconds, enabling servicing colleagues to provide faster, more precise responses. The first rollout in Asia will take place in Singapore by the end of the year.
Transforming Sales and Underwriting in Singapore
Manulife is also making waves with the launch of two GenAI initiatives in Singapore that are transforming the way our Manulife agents and underwriters operate, setting new benchmarks for the industry.

Sales Agent Enablement Tool: This innovative tool equips agents with deep insights into customer preferences and needs, significantly enhancing the personalization of customer interactions. Based on a customer’s last 12-months of engagement, life stage and needs, and recent news, the Sales Enablement tool leverages a combination of traditional AI, automation, and GenAI to generate engagement ideas unique to each customer. Launched to a pilot group in May and extended to over 2,000 agents in Singapore in July, and planned expansion to Japan later this year, Manulife is enabling agents to have more effective needs-based conversations and create stronger, more personalized customer experiences.  

In the first two weeks of launch, about 68% of pilot agents had already used the new GenAI capabilities to engage with customers. A total of 12 enhancements are planned for the remainder of the year. The success of this Singapore-developed tool is paving the way for rollout in other global markets.

Underwriting Assistant: The Underwriting Assistant leverages GenAI to streamline the underwriting process by automating the analysis and summarization of documents. With the assistance of our GenAI-powered Underwriting Assistant, Manulife can significantly expedite this process from a 5-day window, down to a target process window of 3-days. This new tool is slated to launch in October 2024.

This automation not only accelerates processing times for our customers, but also improves accuracy in decision-making, further simplifying the underwriting process and freeing up underwriters to focus on more complex cases.

“The launch of these AI-driven tools in Singapore will significantly improve customer interactions by providing faster, more accurate, and personalized service. By automating routine tasks in underwriting and streamlining customer support through AI, we are furthering our commitment to delivering exceptional value to our customers and colleagues alike,” said Mark Czajkowski, Chief Analytics Officer, Asia and Chief Marketing Officer, Singapore.
Looking to the Future: Expanding AI Capabilities
Manulife recently published its Responsible AI Principles, empowering the company to deliver impactful solutions for its customers, colleagues, and society. As AI continues to advance, Manulife will evolve its principles in line with the maturing industry as new or updated regulations emerge.
These GenAI capabilities are just the beginning of a broader strategy for Manulife to revolutionize business operations and customer service in the journey to digital, customer leadership. Manulife is continuously refining these tools to better support our sales force, enhance our operations, and benefit our colleagues, customers, and shareholders.
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Mergermarket, an ION Analytics service, held its 20th annual British Private Equity Awards at The Brewery in London on 01 October 2024 recognizing the year’s best funds, standout exits, and advisors. The winners were announced live at the ceremony, attended by over 300 guests.
To determine this year’s winners, an independent judging process combined the insights of industry veterans with internal expertise and Mergermarket’s data and intelligence, ensuring a rigorous selection process from over 100 submissions.
“The British Private Equity Awards honor innovation and excellence within the private equity community,” said Rachel Lewis, Head of Auctions and Chair of the Judging Panel at Mergermarket.
“They recognize the industry’s successes in returning capital to their investors. During the judging period, the exit value in the UK doubled to GBP 20 billion from the year before. This occurred despite a grueling market and showcased these firms’ remarkable flexibility in adapting to market conditions. We are thrilled to recognize the best funds and advisors working in the UK and present awards to 19 firms that excelled this year.”
The winners are:

Category

Winner

Commercial due diligence provider of the year

GRAPH Strategy

Corporate financier of the year

Houlihan Lokey

Debt adviser of the year

Clearwater

ESG deal of the year

ABL Health (Foresight Group)

Financial due diligence provider of the year

Grant Thornton

Fundraising of the year

Bowmark Capital Partners VII (Bowmark Partners)

Impact investor of the year

Apax

Law firm of the year – structuring

Kirkland & Ellis

Law firm of the year – transactions

Goodwin

Lender of the year

HSBC

M&A insurance broker of the year

Aon

Mid-market buyout house of the year

Inflexion

Mid-market exit of the year

Perspective (CBPE)

Placement agent of the year

Rede Partners

Secondaries adviser of the year

Evercore

Secondaries investor of the year

Coller Capital

Small buyout exit of the year

Agilio Software (August Equity)

Small buyout house of the year

Foresight Group

Specialist due diligence provider of the year

GK Strategy

The post Mergermarket announces 2024 British Private Equity Awards winners appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.

 
The Channel Company, a global provider of news, insights, strategy, events, and marketing services for the information technology industry, today announced the launch of CRN Asia, delivering industry-leading breaking news, analysis, and market research to IT channel professionals across Asia.
An extension of The Channel Company’s trusted flagship CRN brand portfolio, CRN Asia provides independent and in-depth coverage of fast-evolving IT channel technologies, trends, and strategies for solution providers of every size across the region.
“We are committed to being an indispensable resource for IT channel solution providers in Asia,” said Matt Yorke, CEO of The Channel Company. “With CRN Asia, solution providers have daily access to the necessary knowledge they need to make rapid decisions and stay competitive in the dynamic IT channel marketplace in Asia and across the world.”
“The launch of CRN Asia extends the leading-edge news, trusted analysis, and in-demand events of CRN to a truly global audience,” said Alan Loader, Global SVP, Media, The Channel Company. “The daily articles, interviews, and opinion pieces will empower solution providers in Asia to navigate the complex and evolving channel landscape and drive business growth.”
CRN Asia’s experienced team of journalists delivers the essential news and intelligence providers need to solve technology challenges, explore new opportunities, and make strategic decisions to drive success for their customers and their organizations.
Visit CRN Asia to explore expert, independent channel coverage that supports your business.
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