AIA Insurance has stepped up the game for the entire industry by moving away from offering just insurance products to providing comprehensive propositions that help people in their health and wellness. Driven by the company’s purpose of helping people live healthier, longer, better lives, AIA’s mission is to provide an entire eco-system of wellness solutions that support people and become a partner in not only providing financial security but by helping them live better lives. AIA Sri Lanka’s Assistant General Manager of Marketing, Shevanthie De Alwis discusses how AIA’s purpose led proposition is a game-changer that has never been witnessed before in the Sri Lankan Insurance market.
According to her, AIA has market leading products in the pensions, health and traditional protection categories. Each product has unique customer benefits and some innovative features. However, AIA believes that its customers should be healthy and live long to enjoy the fruits of their savings and this is where AIA’s promise of helping people live “healthier, longer, better lives” comes alive. She points out that the company turns this brand promise into action by creating opportunities for their customers to be the healthiest versions of themselves. From offering convenient medical solutions to consultations with wellness specialists to online fitness classes, AIA has partnered with pioneering platforms to offer customers unique services and experiences.
Shevanthie notes that AIA invests significant time and resources to research and develop relevant propositions for Sri Lankan customers. For instance, insights gained from surveys and research such as AIA’s ‘Healthiest Workplace Survey and the Healthy Living Index’. She points out that these gave valuable insights into the health and wellbeing habits of Sri Lankans, while also learning that Sri Lankans understand the value of healthy living but aren’t proactively doing anything about it! In essence they are not eating as healthily as they should be, not exercising as much as they should be and aren’t getting sufficient sleep, just to mention a few. They needed a nudge to get moving along their wellness journey and AIA is there to give them that much needed nudge.
On the topic of nutrition, she elaborated, “Sri Lankans are not eating as nutritiously as they should be. This is because most people don’t understand what constitutes suitable nutrition, for instance an over consumption of carbs, oil, sugar and salt affects them. As a result, AIA devised a variety of methods to provide its customers with the appropriate knowledge and tools to support them on their journey towards better nutrition and a healthier self.”
She further pointed out that AIA were pioneers in introducing telemedicine services in Sri Lanka’s life insurance industry and are constantly pushing boundaries and breaking barriers to provide a new generation of insurance that is relevant for the world we live in today. “Our health and wellness solutions have set a trend for the whole industry and has transformed the way the company does business. We were the first insurer to offer telemedicine services even before the pandemic, having partnered with Sri Lanka’s pioneer telemedicine provider oDoc. We then augmented the offer further with another industry first by providing customers FREE access to Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) registered wellness specialists via the oDoc app. To help customers stay fit in the post-pandemic world, we partnered Fitzky to offer our customers an unparalleled online fitness experience and we will continue to expand our eco-system to offer our customers more and more opportunities to be healthier.”
AIA’s health and wellness products and propositions are one of the most comprehensive and dynamic offerings in the industry and AIA stands out as a clear pioneer in this space. Shevanthie claims that by placing customers at the core of product and proposition development, AIA constantly seeks customer and agent perspectives, to understand new trends quicker and implement innovative solutions to improve the customers financial security and health. As a result, they continue to change and evolve as the customer’s needs change, leading the industry in new directions.
She says the company’s brand promise is not an easy promise to keep, however, AIA is committed to maintaining its customer focus and dedication, ensuring that customers have the best possible life insurance experience, and receive the correct product for their life stage. AIA’s total health and wellness concept is more modern, dynamic, and relevant to today’s society. It is all about ‘living life’ and embracing it, and as they were the first to implement this approach, Shevanthie refers to it as a “game-changer” in the industry.