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Colonnade Insurance speeds up the underwriting process with Dynamics 365 for Sales

Colonnade Case Study

For a multinational insurance business, the ability to make better-informed decisions and sell efficiently is key to growth. Colonnade Insurance wanted to get ahead of the industry and boost their capabilities to serve more customers. Using Dynamics 365 for Sales to standardize their operations, they have simplified and sped up their underwriting process and improved collaboration across the organization.

Colonnade Insurance is a Luxembourg-based business operating in commercial and consumer insurance, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. Currently, Colonnade has offices in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania, and cooperates with insurance brokers and agencies on providing insurance solutions.

Strategizing for sustainable growth

Colonnade partnered with Netwise to support their objectives through a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales customization.

As the company grew, its teams built multiple systems for managing data and processes. To support further expansion and help all countries operate more effectively, Colonnade decided to implement one CRM platform serving all 6 branch offices. The main goals of this initiative were to:

create a large, modern commercial business underwriting workbench solution,
gain a 360° customer view, shared and consistent across the organization
connect the platform with important business administration solutions,
simplify collaboration between countries, and
speed up the underwriting process while improving service quality,
enable faster decision-making.

Redefining sales with standardized CRM processes

Our partnership has been ongoing since June 2023. To ensure all countries work on the same data and processes, we needed to standardize processes and features across the company.

The process was iterative, starting with systems in three countries after the first 6 months. Once the processes were implemented and tested, we rolled them out to the rest of the organization. Currently, the platform serves 230 users, supporting multiple activities and allowing employees to gain the necessary insights and information to work efficiently.

Improving data quality and data enrichment

The key challenge was standardizing data across different branches and their local systems. Information had to be unified and centralized to provide a complete customer view across the business.

Our teams worked on integrating data from across regions into a single Azure-based database, where records are de-duplicated. Integration with the Dun & Bradstreet system allows for data enrichment with important or missing information on clients and brokers. The processed data is then sent to Dynamics 365 to be used by the sales teams.

Cleaning and unifying data is not an easy task, but through smooth collaboration, we overcame the hurdles easily.

From the Delivery Team, testing, front desk administration, operations, and underwriting, everyone’s contributions have been critical in navigating initial challenges. Users’ feedback ensures that CRM becomes a more effective and efficient tool with each update.

Lucia Lackova, Officer of Operations Department at Colonnade

Flexible system, visible results

We have simplified the entire process of business insurance underwriting using Dynamics 365 Sales functionalities and Power Automate. Netwise experts have created a custom sales process in Dynamics that reflects the specifics of Colonnade’s business. This included defining consistent process stages and terminology across the organization.

This platform has the potential to become the primary workspace for underwriters. Throughout the process, multiple integrations and automations equip underwriters and sales colleagues with a complete customer view and all the necessary information they need to generate the appropriate policy.

Marek Vöröš, Head of Commercial Insurance Department at Colonnade

Data enrichment through third-party systems

The underwriting process begins with an email inquiry. CRM’s native integration with Microsoft Outlook allows inquiries to be automatically added and processed in the CRM. The system then creates the relevant client and broker records with automated sanction screening functionality supported by a specialized vendor. This functionality saves a significant amount of time for underwriters and operations teams, enabling faster and more accurate quote and policy building.

Drawing upon the CRM’s features, Colonnade and Netwise teams have sped up multiple stages of the underwriting process and saved time across departments on creating the relevant quotes for customers.

Netwise guiding us through the process made our cooperation much easier. They not only delivered on our requirements but also advised us on how to approach things – what should come first, how to structure the process, etc. They are also open to supporting us beyond the project scope – that kind of flexibility is rare on the market. They act like true partners,

Aleksandra Makuszewska, Project Manager at Colonnade

Seamless integration with the rating tool

Data entered by underwriters and support teams within large commercial businesses is smoothly transmitted from the new underwriting workbench, Dynamics 365, into a custom-built rating tool. This solution processes all collected information and returns results essential for the quoting process.

This integration allows underwriters to work more efficiently within a single platform, leading to an increase in quote generation and supporting business growth. A single source of customer data also enables teams to provide relevant offers in less time and thus provide better service.

László Szlobodnyik, Commercial Transformation Technology Product Owner at Colonnade.

Simplified prioritization with 360 insights

Final insurance policies are generated and managed in Colonnade’s insurance policy booking system. All information regarding signed policies, e.g. changes, claim processing, renewals, endorsements, and any other amendments during the policy period, is fed back to the CRM system to provide accurate and up-to-date information on customer status. This makes it easier for sellers to anticipate and prepare renewals, rewrites, or amendments to policies.

Reports on sales processes allow Colonnade to monitor their efforts in real time. The CRM also feeds data to Power BI, enabling a full view of company performance, sales and policies statuses regionally and business-wide. With this information, sales colleagues can perform deeper analyses of their activities, such as identifying areas of opportunity, and make strategic decisions more easily. Other employees can also review customer data quickly to prioritize their activities.

The change has been transformational. Every day, we see the benefits of having a centralized and consistent platform. It’s brought a sense of order to how we use data and communicate.

Ádám Kalina, Colonnade’s Deputy Commercial Director and Chief Underwriting Officer in Hungary

Speeding up operations through automation

The centralized source of customer information makes it easier for Colonnade’s teams to cooperate across the different regions. They can review specific cases and make decisions based on consistent and up-to-date information.

The system, though largely automated, incorporates the required checks for document uploads or data entry, which ensures important information is correct and reduces error rates. The company plans to introduce more custom functionalities, involving the use of AI and intelligent automation, to make it even easier for users to work more effectively.

Colonnade’s new CRM has already made significant changes to how Colonnade operates, allowing its employees to become more efficient and exceed their clients’ expectations. As Ádám Kalina noted, CRM is already a game-changer, but the journey doesn’t stop here. We’ll keep clarifying and harmonizing how we use it to make our processes even more efficient and our decisions smarter.

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