When it comes to making decisions, whether in our personal lives or within businesses, data plays a pivotal role. In the context of Insurance, data is like the compass guiding Insurers through the complex landscape of risk assessment, pricing, and customer service.

By 2020, the world had over 64 zettabytes of stored data. But here’s the catch: collecting data is one thing; making sense of it is another. Tools like Tableau, Excel, and intelligent AI programs such as ChatGPT, can distill complex information into digestible percentages. Like an army of assistants, you can be instantly guided on absolute percentages from mere data points you might be looking at.

This is immensely helpful for the life cycle of an Insurance product and for Insurance companies in their decision-making. This includes:

1. Risk Assessment and Pricing:

• Insurance companies exist to protect us from unforeseen losses. Whether it’s insuring our homes, cars, or health, they use data to estimate the likelihood of specific events (like accidents or illnesses) occurring.
• Historical data, collected over years or even decades, helps Insurers understand patterns. For example, they analyse past car accidents to predict future ones.
• These probabilities inform premium rates. The higher the risk, the higher the premium. It’s a delicate balance: charging enough to cover potential losses while keeping premiums affordable for customers.

2. Data Sources:

• Insurers gather data from various sources: customer applications, claims history, external databases, and even emerging technologies like telematics (which tracks driving behaviour) or wearables (for health Insurance).
• The more accurate and diverse the data, the better Insurers can assess risk. Imagine a puzzle – the more pieces you have, the clearer the picture.

3. Models and Formulas:

• Behind the scenes, actuaries and data scientists work their magic. They create models that crunch numbers, simulate scenarios, and predict outcomes. These models consider factors like age, location, health conditions, and lifestyle. They’re like intricate recipes – only the insiders get to see the secret sauce.

4. Balancing Profit and Protection:

• Insurers aim to be profitable while fulfilling their promise to customers. Data helps strike this balance.
• If they charge too little, they risk financial instability. If they charge too much, customers may flee.
• It’s like walking a tightrope using data to find that sweet spot.

Beyond Insurance: Widening Horizons

You might say that the numbers are only for the mathematicians and actuaries. But they are only a window into the complex world of interpreting numbers and applying them to day-to-day work.

Take Reinsurance, for instance. Those who work in this industry deal with massive datasets. They investigate spotting trends and patterns. But it’s not just about the data, they’re also given beautiful insights onto the landscape of risk.

Companies, too, must explore their data. Digging for weaknesses, strengths, and hidden opportunities. External data like climate change trends or population demographics can reshape Insurance products. Imagine tailoring policies based on real-time weather data or urbanization rates?*

Companies are left with the task of not only exploring their own data for weaknesses and strengths but also external data to correlate and come up with strategies or new ways to increase their footprint and impact to the environment around them. According to an article written by Allison Arzeno in Forbes, entitled Why Leaders Must Prioritise Data Skills in 2024, “C-suite leaders already need to have a broad skill set ranging from financial acumen to communications skills and sales experience. But in 2024, I think a foundational understanding of data will become as central to C-suite roles as the ability to read a P&L statement.”

*Lloyds of London, the renowned Insurance market, has issued a warning to Insurers: “Despite annual natural catastrophe losses exceeding $100 billion within the sector, the true effects of climate change have not yet fully manifested in claims data. Urgent attention and investment in robust risk modelling are crucial as Insurers grapple with the evolving impact of climate-related events”. Ian Smith, Insurance Correspondent, Financial Times