Bangalore: PNB MetLife, one of India’s top life insurer recently launched conVRse, a first-of- its-kind virtual reality (VR) based customer services platform. conVRse is an experiential VR reality platform built in collaboration between MetLife’s Singapore based incubation hub LumenLab and PNB MetLife in India.
This is the first time VR platform has being used in the insurance industry to benefit customers directly through rich experience and experts, claimed insurer. It aimed to provide a unique interactive and personalise experience to customers using the VR headset.
Its part of MetLife’s digitalization theme, where the intrinsic belief is that digitalization is the way forward of doing business, added Das.
“India is the first country to embark on this digital journey and we are the leaders not only here but globally also to use this (VR) as a platform to do customer services,” claimed Das.
Once customer wears a VR headset, he/she will move into a 3D simulated virtual room and will interact face to face with an insurance expert in a virtual avatar called ‘Khushi’- which will then help the customer in fulfilling all its services needs.
The platform displays policy related information and engages the customers through visual assist elements using animations and 3D graphics.
“From business perspective, conVRse platform has two differentiating and driving factors -- one is moving away from linear transaction based interaction to something which is more engaging and fulfilling; and secondly, moving from commoditised interactions to personalized interactions,” Das explained how company is trying to do customer servicing in a different way through digital as a medium.
In simple terms, the platform is built in such a way that the virtual avatar interacts with the customers beyond the standard queries and disseminates more information that engages and offers more services to the customers.
For instance, while the avatar is addressing customer’s query on the policy’s premium and due date, simultaneously the user can also easily upload its new address proof just by clicking the document in phone camera and submit it directly to the platform in real time. That’s where the virtual tool makes customer interactions more engaging, fulfilling and personalise.
PNB MetLife's virtual assistant in an avatar named "Khushi"
“We have used standard frameworks on virtual reality to ensure that we rapid through our backend systems which take care of the personalised factor with an intermediary that is in the form an avatar,” Das shared insights on platform’s technology aspect.
The conVRse platform so far have been deployed at 15 branches across 10 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jammu, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Pune.
“We already are getting queries in triple digits on monthly basis. Currently, the medium of transaction is English but the proposition is built in such a way that it can be localise in regional languages like Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati and more, so the personalization element goes beyond the English language,” informed Das.
Subsequently, PNB MetLife is working towards providing its sales team with VR devices and set up conVRse zones at bank partner ATMs. Overall, PNB MetLife has over 3.6 million customers in India.
Going ahead, company also plans to leverage the conVRse platform in broader context to spread insurance awareness, drive experiential learning, share interactive product information and develop it into a sales platform.