The Power of the pivot: Inside Aviva’s data-driven reinvention

Aviva’s Digital Leap: Unifying Customer Data for AI-Powered Personalization and Efficiency

Aviva, a company with over 300 years of history, faced significant challenges from customer data fragmented across numerous disparate systems. This complexity, stemming from historical acquisitions and mergers, resulted in varied data models and business processes that hindered their ability to modernize and deliver seamless digital experiences. The imperative was clear: unify customer data to build a robust foundation.

Reltio, specializing in data unification, partnered with Aviva to consolidate information from these diverse enterprise silos. Mr. Manish Sood, CEO and Founder of Reltio, explained that while industry contexts vary, the fundamental problem of data fragmentation is universal. The goal was to semantically reconcile this data, establishing a single “system of context” for a comprehensive, instantaneous customer view.

This unified data empowers Aviva’s call center agents and sales teams to deliver highly personalized experiences. It ensures customers feel understood and cared for, significantly reducing wait times and improving service quality by providing a complete customer story in one place. This transformation was crucial for enhancing customer satisfaction and engagement.

Mr. Maninder Kartik, CIO – Customer & Marketing at Aviva, highlighted that this data transformation was a large, top-down strategic program. It required close collaboration among customer and marketing teams, business P&L owners, and CIOs. The transition was meticulously managed to “change gears for a moving car,” ensuring continuous customer service without disruption.

Aviva’s strategy was deeply customer-centric, prioritizing initiatives that best served their clients. The journey began by establishing a single view of the customer, which became the central axis. Reltio’s advanced technology facilitated this through defining data models and survivorship rules, implemented progressively by starting small with core customer information and iteratively expanding.

Reltio’s platform creates a “system of context” that any AI model can seamlessly plug into, making data AI-ready for various consumption models. Aviva leverages AI for dual objectives: increasing top-line revenue and driving operational efficiencies. Reltio’s models enhance data quality, ensuring reliable “golden truths” about customers for trusted insights.

With trusted data, Aviva can personalize customer experiences, tailoring insurance products to different age groups and life events, such as new home purchases or retirement planning. AI helps identify the “next best action” for each customer. A significant outcome was a notable reduction in call center inquiries, allowing agents more quality time.

Both Aviva and Reltio are focused on leveraging this unified data to accelerate business decision-making and increase overall operational speed. Mr. Kartik concluded that centralizing customer data acts as a powerful catalyst, inspiring decision-makers to re-evaluate processes and shorten lead times. Data projects are fundamentally business programs, with data serving as the essential fuel for sustained growth.