If they go undetected, water damages can cause large amounts of damage leading to high insurance payouts. Kooperativa pojišťovna, a.s., Vienna Insurance Group the number one insurer in the Czech Republic and part of Vienna Insurance Group, wanted to use IoT technology to detect damages early on and reduce insurance payouts and thereby become a technology-leading insurance company.
Together with Develco Products and KOMIX, a Czech software development company specializing in IoT and cloud solutions, Kooperativa pojišťovna developed an insurtech solution that monitors water leakages, fires, and intruders and helps to prevent severe damages.
In order to save time and money, Kooperativa pojišťovna looked for white label partners for their solution instead of developing it themselves. This enabled them to focus on their core business and rely on experts in the IoT industry.
When choosing a hardware partner for their solution, Kooperativa pojišťovna was looking for a reliable and trusted supplier with high-quality white label products. Develco Products has been developing Zigbee-based hardware since 2007 and offers mature, secure, and reliable products that are ideal for InsurTech systems. Kooperativa pojišťovna also liked the Danish design and origin of the products.
The software for Kooperativa pojišťovna’s solution was developed by KOMIX Specialized in software solutions and digital transformation (focusing on custom enterprise SW development, cloud solutions, IoT, AI and RPA), KOMIX can draw on more than 30 years of experience.
I count three main benefits from the project. Firstly, there’s direct leverage to our core business of reducing claims. Secondly, that devices might help insurers understand occupancy in the home and how that relates back to claims. Thirdly, our marketing department loves the fact that our customers have interactions with Kooperativa pojištovna on a daily basis instead of just once a year when the invoice is paid. I am sure IoT is a game-changer for P&C Insurance industry.
Radek Starosta, Kooperativa pojišťovna, a.s., Vienna Insurance Group, Director of Property + Casualty Insurance Division
While the idea for the InsurTech solution originated in water detection, the final solution is able to do much more. The base kit includes a Squid.link gateway, a Water Leak Detector, a Smoke Alarm, and a Motion Sensor Mini. In addition to leakage detection, the system can thus also warn early about fires or intruders in the customers’ homes.
This way, Kooperativa pojišťovna’s customers will be notified of emergencies in their homes when they occur and can react quickly. This remarkably reduces insurance payouts for Kooperativa pojišťovna and strengthens the relationship with their customers as interactions with the brand are no longer limited to paying bills and reporting claims.
Thanks to the multiprotocol Squid.link gateway, the InsurTech solution is prepared for adding additional smart home services on top of the insurance offerings. The gateway also makes it possible to easily scale the solution.
The project results confirm what we believed to be the case. That P&C insurers are well-positioned to take advantage of IoT and smart home technology. Having devices that can predict potential problems before they cause damage or result in theft means that we could stop problems before they lead to claims.
Dušan Skoták, Kooperativa pojištovna, Vienna Insurance Group a.s., Project Manager