Life Insurance, Insurance Technology

Empathy and Majesco Partner to Provide Innovative Tech to Benefit Life Insurance Carriers and Beneficiaries

Businesswire | June 01, 2023 | Read time : 05:00 min

Empathy and Majesco Partner to Provide Innovative Tech to Benefit

Majesco, a global leader of cloud insurance software solutions for insurance business transformation, today announced a new partnership with Empathy, the innovator behind the leading platform that helps families navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of loss. This partnership will provide life insurers with tech-powered services to aid them in delivering comprehensive bereavement support to beneficiaries.

Empathy’s recently published installment of its annual Cost of Dying Report sheds light on the financial and emotional demands of loss, finding that the average bereaved family spends close to $5,000 on all legal matters, yet under 15% of these families have access to life insurance or dedicated funds to settle the estate. The strain faced by bereaved families presents both a challenge and an opportunity for life insurance carriers, as they work with families struggling through these burdens every day. Insurance providers are in a unique position to go beyond a financial payout and act as a source of support, guidance, and information for grieving beneficiaries.

“If you want to build a relationship of trust and generational loyalty with beneficiaries, the first step is providing valuable support that acknowledges the nature and significance of the burden they face,” said Ron Gura, Co-Founder & CEO of Empathy. “Our experience has taught us that the burden of loss is both broad and deep, and life insurers can play a leading role in supporting bereaved families as they navigate emotional and logistical challenges. Partnering with industry leaders like Majesco further simplifies the implementation of our services with insurers of all sizes, meeting beneficiaries where they are. Together, we are transforming transactions into relationships and sticking around with families in the days, weeks, and months following their loss.”

Both Empathy and Majesco provide unique solutions for insurance companies seeking to better support their beneficiaries. Over 350 insurers, from startups to some of the world’s largest insurance companies, use Majesco’s SaaS solutions to anticipate what’s next and deliver customized experiences that customers rely on. Empathy’s bereavement care platform accentuates that support, ensuring that beneficiaries have access to comprehensive grief care and helping them wind down their loved one’s affairs with full administrative assistance.

“The life, annuity and health market is evolving in its understanding of ways in which insurance providers can improve operationally and create long-term value for beneficiaries especially during their most difficult and critical moments,” said Ray Law, SVP & GM of Products at Majesco. “As a company focused on delivering outstanding experiences for customers, we pride ourselves on selecting innovative partners like Empathy to maximize the support we are able to offer to the people we serve.”

About Empathy

Empathy is the comprehensive support system for loss, offering bereaved families holistic guidance and care for all of the administrative, emotional, legal, and financial challenges they face after their loved one passes away. Empathy's award-winning app and care team are trusted by leading employers and insurance carriers to support their employees and beneficiaries through life's greatest challenges, saving them time, money, and stress. Headquartered in New York and recognized as a Top Digital Health Company by CB Insights, as well as a Most Innovative Company by FastCompany, Empathy has raised $43 million in funding from leading investors including General Catalyst, Aleph VC, and Entrée Capital. To learn more about Empathy, visit us at empathy.com.

About Majesco

Majesco is the partner P&C and L&AH insurers choose to create and deliver outstanding experiences for customers. We combine our technology and insurance experience to anticipate what’s next, without losing sight of what’s important now. Over 330 insurers, from greenfields and startups to some of the world’s largest insurers, rely on Majesco’s SaaS platforms solutions of core, data, analytics, digital, and rich ecosystem of partners to create their next now.

As an industry leader, we don’t believe in managing risk by avoiding change. We embrace change, even cause it, to get and stay ahead of risk. With 825+ successful implementations we are uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a traditional insurance industry approach and a pure digital mindset. We give customers the confidence to decide, the products to perform, and the follow-through to execute.

Spotlight

It’s no secret that the global pandemic has upended everyone’s life. We know this anecdotally from our own experiences—more online shopping with curbside pickup orders, ordering takeout and delivery versus in-person dining, and changing media consumption. And let’s not forget remote working and learning. These experiences are more than simply anecdotal; McKinsey has written about the more specific effects of the pandemic on consumer behavior and needs. In short, they write: “behavior changes will reshape consumer decision journeys and companies will need to adapt fast.”

Spotlight

It’s no secret that the global pandemic has upended everyone’s life. We know this anecdotally from our own experiences—more online shopping with curbside pickup orders, ordering takeout and delivery versus in-person dining, and changing media consumption. And let’s not forget remote working and learning. These experiences are more than simply anecdotal; McKinsey has written about the more specific effects of the pandemic on consumer behavior and needs. In short, they write: “behavior changes will reshape consumer decision journeys and companies will need to adapt fast.”

Related News

Core Insurance, Workers Compensation

Zywave Expands API Capabilities, Empowers Insurance Organizations to Maximize Data-Driven Potential

PR Newswire | August 02, 2023

Zywave, an industry-leading provider of insurtech solutions, announced today the expansion of its API capabilities, which enable insurance organizations to further maximize their data-driven opportunities throughout the entire prospect-to-client journey. Through these multiple solutions, Zywave will provide users access to insightful, new data sets, empower organizations to optimize their technology workflows, and enable them to use their existing data in meaningful, new ways. Over the past few months, the insurtech provider released two new API products, including Lead Insights API, which provides access to a comprehensive database for lead generation; and Personal Lines Quoting API, a solution that brings quoting with carrier-direct pricing into an insurance organization's existing technology platform. "As insurance workflows have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, APIs have played an even more critical role in the industry, enabling seamless integration between various systems and platforms," said Jason Liu, Zywave's CEO. "At Zywave, our philosophy on open architecture emphasizes the importance of industry partnerships and collaboration, which has led to the development of new solutions that help insurance brokers, insurers, and service providers optimize their operations." Demonstrating its commitment to open architecture, Zywave is introducing several new API solutions that will further revolutionize the industry: Just released, Zywave's Lead Insights API will help users revolutionize their prospecting and sales processes, by providing access to the extensive customer data that powers Zywave's industry-leading lead generation solution. The miEdge dataset enables advanced company searches, identifies key contacts and offers critical insights into employer compliance data for millions of employers nationwide. Also new to market is Zywave's Personal Lines Quoting API, a one-stop shop for quoting auto coverage. With carrier-direct pricing from our over 200 insurer partners in all 50 states, the Personal Lines Quoting API helps our customers enhance their rating processes and maximize operational efficiency, all within their existing technology platforms. In addition to auto, home coverage will be added to the offering in the coming months. Available through Zywave's Sales Cloud, the Policy API enables key policy information to flow freely between critical technology platforms, such as customer relationship management systems, agency management systems, benefit admins, compliance systems, or carrier portals. The structured format of data the API is built upon allows users to create a single source of truth for their policy information between multiple systems, resulting in more streamlined processes and reduced errors. Released in January 2023, the Group Benefits Quoting API enables benefits brokers to quote medical and ancillary lines of coverage more efficiently, directly within their existing systems. Powered by carefully sourced carrier-direct pricing from over 500 benefits insurers, brokers can leverage Zywave's unrivaled dataset to quickly and accurately quote over 55,000 fully funded and level-funded medical, dental and vision plans with their existing census or enrollment data. Previously available, the Content API pushes Zywave's industry-leading content directly into our customers' client portals. It includes over 10,000 pieces of attorney-backed content created by our team of industry experts, on topics including compliance, risk management, human resources, wellness, and more. The forthcoming Benchmark Analysis API delivers the data insurers and commercial brokers need to enhance their benchmarking and loss analysis capabilities. Powered by Zywave's Loss Insight dataset, the Benchmark Analysis API includes Cyber, D&O, EPLI, and Casualty loss data on over one million high-severity losses, valued at more than $10 trillion. With Zywave's extensive portfolio of API solutions, its customers will increase efficiency, optimize their workflows, and drive strategic growth. As API technology and API-enabled partners increasingly become key insurtech investments, Zywave will continue to lead the market with a philosophy of open architecture and a focus on strategic data partnerships. To learn more about Zywave's industry-leading solutions, visit www.zywave.com. About Zywave Zywave leads the insurtech industry, fueling business growth for its partners with cloud-based sales management, client delivery, content and analytics solutions. Zywave's all-in-one platform provides customizable, user-friendly options that enable insurance professionals to build a unique solution to fit their specific growth goals—their own Modern RevOps Machine. More than 15,000 insurers, agencies and brokerages worldwide—including all of the top 100 U.S. insurance brokerages—use Zywave solutions to enhance client services, achieve business growth and promote greater health, wellness, risk management and safety. Additional information can be found at www.zywave.com.

Read More

Risk Management, Intellectual Property

SPG Strengthens Wealth Management Offering with Acquisition of Assets of AgencyONE

PRnewswire | July 24, 2023

Specialty Program Group LLC, (SPG), one of the most successful and fastest-growing specialty platforms, announced that it has acquired the assets of Agency Two Insurance Marketing Group, LLC (d/b/a AgencyONE), a nationally renowned Brokerage General Agency (BGA) specializing in empowering financial advisors to deliver responsible wealth and risk management solutions through insurance – Life, Annuities, Disability, and Long Term Care. AgencyONE has established itself as a trusted partner to a select group of independent insurance advisors and wealth managers nationwide who focus on planning and implementing financial strategies using insurance-based solutions designed to help secure their clients' families and businesses. By offering full-service, highly personalized back-office support, AgencyONE enables advisors to prioritize the client experience while delivering tailored solutions for financial security and wealth transition. By acquiring AgencyONE's operations, SPG builds upon its acquisition of the assets of Brokers' Service Marketing Group II LLC, now operating as a division of SPG (BSMG) and expands its life and annuity distribution network.The AgencyONE team, lead by principals Dennis C. Bartos, Gonzalo M. Garcia and Cathy Neifeld will join SPG. "We're thrilled to join forces with AgencyONE - as we continue to build out a national BGA network of like-minded, leading firms - something truly unique in the life and annuity distribution space," said Jason Lea, CEO of BSMG and head of SPG's Life & Annuity strategy. Lea added that "Gonzalo and his team at AgencyONE are recognized industry leaders and innovators in the advanced markets and underwriting space. I'm excited to get to work with the AgencyONE team to build our shared vision for a differentiated life and annuity platform." According to Garcia, "Over the past four years, AgencyONE has explored several partnership opportunities without finding a firm that met our business objectives or values. SPG's recent acquisition of Jason's team at BSMG caught our attention. This move allowed SPG an entrée into the wholesale distribution of life, long-term care, and disability insurance, as well as annuities. My partners and I recognized that SPG aligns perfectly with our business objectives and commitment to serving our advisors' advanced planning and underwriting needs. We are very confident about the future success of this partnership and the growth and expansion it will offer AgencyONE. We are excited to be a part of the SPG Team." By combining the strengths of BSMG and AgencyONE, financial advisors will benefit from expanded resources, advanced planning techniques, and enhanced access to insurance-based solutions. About AgencyONE AgencyONE is a Brokerage General Agency (BGA) partnership with long-term industry experience. They are dedicated to collaborating with and empowering financial advisors to deliver responsible and holistic wealth and risk management solutions using insurance-based planning and high-level carrier relationships. By providing full-service back-office support including customized advanced planning strategies and case design, highly skilled medical underwriting, and personalized case management, AgencyONE enables advisors to focus on delivering extraordinary client experiences while ensuring financial security and orderly wealth transition. For more information, visit agencyone.net About Brokers' Service Marketing Group (BSMG) For over 50 years, the BSMG operations have delivered uncompromising support and service to top producers in Life, Annuity, and Long-Term Care Insurance. BSMG maintains a long-standing and well-earned reputation for excellence in providing exceptional guidance to financial service professionals and financial institutions. For more information, please visit bsmg.net About Specialty Program Group Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG) is a leading specialty platform headquartered in Chicago, IL, with a diverse portfolio of specialty insurance operations spanning underwriting management, digital solutions, wholesale and specialty retail brokerage, and insurance services. SPG has a track record of scaling industry leading businesses by providing access to business resources, technology and process efficiency, capital and investment, deep carrier relationships, and a broad distribution network. Visit specialtyprogramgroup.com to learn more about how SPG can help you scale your specialty business.

Read More

Core Insurance, Risk Management

Annex Risk Selects Socotra Connected Core for Streamlined Policy Administration, Setting a New Standard in High Risk Homeowners Insurance

Businesswire | July 28, 2023

Socotra, the leading provider of modern, cloud-based solutions for technology-driven insurers, today announced that high-risk homeowners provider Annex Risk is processing business with Socotra. Annex Risk has successfully implemented the true cloud-native insurance policy core platform, Socotra Connected Core, and is now live, offering a digitally-forward approach to close critical coverage gaps in coastal Texas, Florida, and the Eastern Seaboard. Annex Risk’s innovative platform combines algorithmic underwriting and capacity, empowering retail agents to quote and bind high-risk homeowners insurance in less than 2 minutes. “Technology is core to our business, not an enabler - we needed the most modern, continuously improving policy administration system we could find. No-code/low-code platforms were less compelling to us than Socotra’s flexible, API-centric solution,” said Annex Risk Co-Founder Charlie Sido. "Socotra's API-driven platform allows us to configure the entire policy lifecycle natively, while also seamlessly integrating with external solutions for payments, e-signatures and inspections. This flexibility ensures our ability to adapt and scale as the business evolves, while also providing a foundation for future innovation.” Socotra's cloud-based architecture allows Annex Risk to eliminate significant operational overhead and leverage Socotra's ongoing investments in the platform. This partnership has expedited Annex Risk’s market entry, enabling them to sell their complex product in four states within six months. As a technology startup, Annex appreciates the capital-efficient and self-sufficient nature of Socotra's implementation, allowing them to maintain control and agility while minimizing reliance on third-party consultants. "We are thrilled to have Annex Risk join our ecosystem of innovative insurance providers," said Dan Woods, CEO of Socotra. "By leveraging Socotra Connected Core, Annex Risk can offer their retail partners a streamlined and digitized experience that sets them apart in the market. Additionally, Socotra's modern underpinnings will future-proof Annex Risk's investment as they continue to grow and evolve their business." Socotra offers a game-changing alternative to legacy underwriting systems that rely on emails, PDFs and proprietary tools, resulting in quote times that could stretch into days. With Socotra's powerful capabilities, Annex Risk can deliver an instant quote and bind experience, aligning with retail insurance agents’ expectations and setting a new standard in the industry. About Annex Annex is a leading provider of homeowners insurance for properties with significant natural catastrophe exposure. Through its partnership with over two thousand retail agents, Annex focuses on closing critical coverage gaps in coastal areas from Texas up the Eastern Seaboard. Annex's sophisticated algorithmic underwriting and capacity enable retail agents to quote and bind high-risk homeowners insurance in less than 2 minutes. With a technology-driven approach, Annex leverages innovative solutions to deliver an exceptional customer experience. About Socotra Socotra provides insurance companies with the flexible modern core platform and ecosystem they need to adapt, innovate, and grow their business. By leveraging solutions such as Socotra CorePlus and Socotra Connected Core, insurers can streamline policy administration, enhance digital experiences, and deliver products to market faster. Socotra provides open APIs, a product-agnostic data model, and out-of-the-box capabilities to manage the entire policy lifecycle, making insurance innovation faster, easier, and more affordable.

Read More