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Digital-insight in the heart of Paris unny morning on January 27 will become for me one of the most memorable in this year. This day in Paris I got acquainted with digital-team of one of the largest world insurance groups and assets management groups which serves 103 mln clients in 59 countries in which 157K employees, and by the way, which celebrated recently its 30th anniversary. Numerous divisions — from traditional life/P&C insurance business units to art-insurance division and travel agencies, from in-house digital-agency to innovative labs and business incubators are parts of AXA. Today the Group sets new ambitious goals, among which - digitaltransformation of business in all AXA operation countries. The digital-team consisting of 10 people who are a heart of digital ideas and transformations and whose task
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includes of these ideas delivery to the local markets should cope with this task. Whereas local markets should adapt these ready for implementation idea to their markets specifics and realities. In one day in AXA headquarter, located in the heart of Paris near the Champs Elysée, I was taken in the “holy of holies” of new digital-world of AXA that is building right now. We spoke about digital strategy and its components; about new AXA Group values, including HR- and talentmanagement policy; with interest discussed innovative business-units including Seed Factory, in-house AXA Digital Agency, Data innovation lab and AXA lab in Silicon Valley; I knew a lot of interesting about Digital Agent and Digital Employee profile. Overwhelmingly, this one day was extremely interesting, inspiring, innovative and very sincere.
Kate Shcheglova, special report from Paris
The geography of AXA Groups operating activities has regional specifics and subordination. Ukraine is included into structure of the Central Eastern European region (CEE) and is presented as a subsidiary of the Group — IC «AXA Insurance». In the CEE-region, Ukrainian business takes the third place on circulation, after Poland (the first place) and Czech Republic/ Slovakia (the second place). Interesting that, the French group is present in a number of markets not under the AXA brand, which serves premium clients and substantial consumers. Therefore, the Ukrainian company, working under key «big AXA»-brand, can be regarded as a premium- business unit.
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«Strengthening of AXA digital-expertise — strategic goal and challenge…»
Maciej Marszalek the head of digital-team of CEE-region, told about challenges of digital-transformations in AXA Group and perspectives of the future changes By what such large-scale business transformations in Group are caused right now? In nowadays everyone is related to digital-revolution. Among our potential clients youth appears more and more, and we understand that digitaltransformation in all AXA global Group is about to happen.
Maybutne magazine: Maciej, you have headed the AXA digital-team in the region of CEE quite recently. What is your mission? MACIEJ MARSZALEK: I work only a few months in AXA Group and I am responsible for digital-transformations in the region of CEE where Ukraine takes the third place in business development after Poland and Czech Republic/ Slovakia. Each of these countries has their own specifics, a certain level of development and maturity of the market, and of course unique product priorities. Poland as the most mature market is mostly aimed on life, pension insurance, investment products, and motor insurance. In Czech Republic/ Slovakia life and pension insurance is developed (occupies the most part of business) and P&C insurance (a smaller part of business). In Ukraine «AXA Insurance» develops mainly risk insurance, without focusing on life insurance and endowments. At this moment, we have digitaltransformations in Group, and I am responsible for a digitalization of all region of CEE. As we see, each country has its own country and market specifics, which differs from structure of business in other regions of CEE. Respectively, each market has its own unique digital-requirements connected both with a grocery, and with development of online infrastructure in this or that local market.
By whom and how digital-ideas are developed and what powers digital-teams have? Digital-team, is responsible for digitaltransformations in all Group, and consists of more than 10 people. Thus, we try to transfer responsibility and operational management to local staff as much as possible. This is what differs us from other international groups. The mission of global digital-team — is to develop innovations and to adjust their distribution on places. We build something like interaction bridges with local businesses; and pass them the best practices. However, we listen to local features and we allow local management to make independent decisions, taking into account country specifics.
How long ago digital-transformations in AXA Group has started and with what it started? It is a quite recent trend, which has started two years ago. Then in the company, the global assessment of the future of the Group has been carried out and the digital-perspective was revealed, we defined it as a strategic. Thus, it became clear that it is quite a breakthrough perspective, and the Group is not ready for it. Therefore, it has been decided to strengthen this direction, and in 2013, the global programme of digital-transformation in AXA Group with big budget and term of realisation up to 2020 was developed. The programme is aimed at digitaltransformations in all directions of business on a global scale and is aimed to become if not «super-digital», then digital-grounded». We realise that by 2020, digital-business won’t become key at the global level of Group, however we must feel freely in the conditions of a universal digitalisation. We aim to prepare infrastructure that in the company would work the digital-focused staff, that is capable of generating a digital-know-how.
Among our potential clients youth appears more and more, and we understand that digitaltransformation is about to happen
We began implementation of the programme in France with formation of digital-team about a year ago and we call any division which is carrying out expertis in the company - digital-family. This division is in fact the brain/research center in digital-strategy realisation. This team develops the main digital-ideas. Then we choose the country where implementation of concrete idea is actual, and in such local market happens pilot implementation of the project, its working off, and then global implementation of an idea itself, if it has shown good result. Therefore, the central office in Paris is a hub for development of digital-strategy? Certainly. Thus, regional SEO are involved in realisation of digitalstrategy. Strengthening of digitalexpertise in all countries of AXA operation activity — is a strategic task and at the same time a challenge, after all a digitalisation is not a strength for many business units in world structure of Group. One of the tasks of central digital-family is to convince the importance of digitalisation on places. At the moment, at the central office we have certain practices and a portfolio of digital-solutions which would be able to bring fast results to local businesses. As for more serious digital-solutions demanding time for implementation, we will gradually launch them. How do you adapt sellers for digitalrealities? We develop various services, including those on the website of the company which allow «not digital-sellers» to be ready to meet with the digital-oriented clients. This and applications on iPad that simplify the work of agents, and the special section on the website for agents which gives basic digitalknowledge. Very often agents — are the self-employed persons with their small offices that have their own websites (as a rule they are simple, as they are not strongly digitaladvanced). What do we do for them in this regard? We prepare templates of the sites, which they can easily adapt for their business. We also help them to open their fan page on Facebook, to adjust online communications with clients and even to integrate these communications with mobile devices, receiving notices of the demands in online on the smartphone. In a word, we have prepared the whole package of digital-solutions for sellers and we can safely tell that today our agent — is more than iPad.
Comfortable schedule The working day in AXA headquarters in Paris has no accurateregulated beginning. So, the personnel is not obliged «to be on the dot» at 9.00 on a workplace. According to the stories of the office staff, everyone can choose the working schedule acceptable for him-/herself and begin work at comfortable interval from 9.00 till 10.30. My «Meeting day» in AXA headquarter in Paris began at 10.00, however I was on place already at 9.30. I passed away a spare half-hour with the staff of the office in the dining room with a cup of morning coffee. It was noticeable that the staff begins with pleasure the working day with corporate tea/coffee-drinking in the company of colleagues. So, coming back to a working schedule, the main condition is that the working day of the employee should not exceed the hours stipulated by the contract, being it seven or eight-hour working day. The admissible number of working hours is controlled by throughput system and if employee break the schedule (passes
lunch break or overwork), during passing card control and scanning he will see the red indicator on the sensor of throughput system. It is the signal “to pay attention to the violation of working schedule”. Knowing not by rumors about high social security of employees in France, I wasn’t surprised at all by this feature of working schedule control. And, as self-evident, duration of a lunch break which can reach two hours was apprehended. As a rule, lunch takes about an hour from employees and about forty minuteshour takes networking with colleagues in cafeteria of head office down the avenue Matignon where AXA employees treated with fragrant tea/coffee free of charge. It is possible to have here a bite at ridiculous prices (about 8 euros for a decent lunch at its real cost of 15-20 euros). The AXA staff pays only part of the cost with individual corporate cards, on which money are put as a deposit, and then the necessary sum is charged in a non-cash form. Loyal corporate programmes and the pleasant atmosphere promote that in head office cafeteria in lunchtime numerous AXA employees «hang out», discussing working affairs in the informal atmosphere. One more interesting detail about the working schedule — opportunity to take one working day in a week as a remote work at home. Moreover, the employee is free to choose any day on his discretion, previously having agreed it with colleagues from department. But such flexible schedule has a few limitations: it cannot be used by customer service employees and personal assistants.
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We learn to generate ideas «out of the box» Olga Kravchenko, Global Head of International Mobility and CEMI at AXA Group
Maybutne magazine: Olga, what HR challenges are actual for AXA Group and the CEE-region today in terms of digital transformation? OLGA KRAVCHENKO: As this is new, simply there is no expertise in the market generally and in our company in particular. Therefore, the focus from HR position aims on development of digital-skills at all levels of the company. Different skills are necessary for different categories — from technical skills (e.g. online customer service, lead generation, the Big data analysis etc.) to leadership skills (work in the test and learn schedule, teams’ remote control, implementation of innovative culture and so forth). In addition, general awareness of AXA staff on current digital transformations is very important — everyone should speak one “digital language” regardless of levels and age census. From the HR point of view how difficult a process of transition to «digital-rails» could be? Transition of business on digitalenvironment can be not so simple as it is transformational process. It means changing of the status quo, resistance and uncertainty within transition process. We, undoubtedly, look at the HR tools, which can help with it. First of all it is communication and information programmes, and also the shortterm stimulating initiatives (so called quick wins). In general AXA digital strategy (in Ukraine, CEE-region and around the world) consists of several key directions one of which is HR. What digital-initiatives of “big AXA” you are planning to develop in Ukraine? How it will be coordinated with HR-strategy? In 2015, we plan to implement the initiative, similar to Seed factory (AXA innovative division in France near Paris that develops of new ideas. — Author) for the staff of the company. A main objective — successful implementation of short and medium-term projects on improvement, idea of which arose in the company at any level. Aim of HR thus is: to develop culture of sharing of ideas at all levels of the company; to teach to generate ideas out of the box; to allocate the budget for realisation of the best ideas; to encourage innovative approaches with benefit for business.
Digital-technologies and innovations worth of €800 million AXA group makes emphasis on introduction of digital-technologies, «clever» management of Big data, and innovations. For the last three years, the Group has invested €800 million in these three main directions. The Group makes emphasis on creation of innovative business units, which would be responsible for development of non-standard decisions and based on talent-management. Today, in AXA Group some innovative business units have been created, which are directly connected with digital strategy:
AXA (in-house) Digital Agency (France) — is aimed at production of customer-oriented products. Marketing is its part, as well as - technical and design teams which are engaged in development of promo-campaigns, in a launch of programmes, which are capable to raise an involvement of clients into insurance business and customer loyalty. For example, the agency has developed the mobile application for drivers named AXA Drive, aimed to decrease of driving risks. 600K drivers in 19 countries have become users of this application.
developers from 100 countries and 200 universities). The formulated task, which developers for reward of $30 thousand have to solve, concerned creation of the mathematical model that allows predicting behavior of the driver on the basis of a database, received through sensor indicators installed in the driver’s car. In addition, the business division held the first hackathon of developers from different fields to whom was given the task of searching the decision on improvement of client experience with AXA. 30 teams took part in competition. A prise in €10K awarded the winner who offered the application in form of a gamification. AXA Lab (Silicon Valley) — actually is an office-incubator, which has partnership with many leading
companies of the world, including of the Silicon Valley start-ups. On the basis of this business-unit for the staff of AXA lectures, workshops, trainings with world-class speakers (e.g. Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder) are arranged for the purpose of digitalculture development. In addition, it should be noted that since May 2014 in Group the crowdsourcing Start-in programme was launched, which motivates the staff of the Group to share innovative ideas in the most various directions of business. From the moment of the start of the programme, more than 150 ideas were received and more than 108 business units shares with that ideas.
Data Innovation Lab (France) — the center of expertise aiming on transformation of knowledge into the business value. About 30 people occupy the lab and there is a perspective of staff growth to 50 people. The lab is engaged in Big data analysis. For example, in December 2014 the center realised an initiative in partnership with the world Kaggle platform (unites