Case Study
Sun Life Financial: ROI and the Intelligent Automation journey
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Inefficient, error-prone business operations
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Automation delivers accurate data, intuitive interface
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Simplified operations training, improved client experience
“We’re saving about 33 minutes per case. We’re also saving about 91% on the complex and 99% on the standard cases.”
The Business Issue
Sun Life Financial, one of Canada’s largest public companies, is a life and health insurance leader also offering investment and financial management advice. The company operates in 26 different countries and has more than 100,000 advisors globally. In 2018, Sun Life paid about 16 billion dollars in claims through its insurance operations.
The company’s complex business operations process was prone to errors, requiring costly staff training to master an intricate system of screens. Given its size, diverse services, and global staff, Sun Life recognized that the direct expense of staff training was only a fraction of the real cost of unproductive practices.
Sun Life’s commitment to improving operational processes led it to choose Pega automation technology to drive new efficiencies.
The Solution
Pega’s proof of concept was built around a simple process in the contact center that required Robotic Desktop Automation. Pega’s technology proved out and was chosen to drive adoption of automation within journeys.
Sun Life drove adoption of Pega automations by engaging closely with staff. The company transformed its training model from memorizing a myriad of screens to a focus on understanding the process. It created a center of excellence (COE) to educate staff about Pega technology, how to think about the opportunities, and how to manage reuse across the organization.
The result? Twelve end-to-end production automations are now in place, covering 21 core systems. They are accessed by 1,600 users across nine business areas, with over two million transactions having been processed to date.
The Results
For Sun Life, the return on its investment in automation was meaningful and came quickly. The company’s automations are fully integrated into the organization's risk framework and controls. From them, the company has seen:
- Fewer errors, higher quality client transactions
- Group benefit plan escalations reduced to zero
- Program ROI at 100% in two and a half years
- Each new bot ROI at 100% within 18 months
- 80% of developer resources invested in new solutions; 20% in maintenance and, upgrades
The company has broadened its corporate investment in enterprise case management with Pega Intelligent Automation.
Related Resources
Quick Guide
Robotic process automation done right.
Video
Robotic Process Automation: A primer.
Insights
Automation Versus RPA: The Robot Wars.
Video
Beyond the ticket: Case management (or Journey-centric case management)