To modernize its business while building on its Pan-Asian heritage of caring service, AIA Group turned to Microsoft Office 365. Employees enjoy enhanced mobility and ubiquitous access to data while improving customer service. To stay ahead of the competition, AIA employees use Office 365 for seamless collaboration across 18 markets. Additionally, AIA uses Microsoft Azure to host various systems and manage fluctuating traffic.<\/p>\n
The view from the headquarters of AIA Group, located in one of Hong Kong\u2019s tallest skyscrapers, is spectacular\u2014literally and figuratively. Since its successful IPO in 2010, AIA has been in transformation mode, focused on introducing customers to a new way of working that matches their expectations for efficient service. The company has also launched new mobile apps, aimed to help consumers improve their health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurance industry in Asia is a great place to be,\u201d says Sim Preston, Group Chief Operations Officer at AIA Group. \u201cOverall population growth, a rising middle income, and a strong family ethic are all beneficial to our business\u2014providing long-term protection, savings, and products to families across Asia Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, instead of sitting back and enjoying its prospects, AIA is investing in technology solutions such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365 to help empower the business. AIA is improving the speed and agility of some of its systems by hosting them in the Azure cloud computing environment. Office 365 cloud-based business services support a new modern workplace that helps drive connected teamwork among employees and AIA partners to boost customer service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re reorienting from a distribution focus toward revolutionizing customer experience,\u201d says Preston. \u201cFor example, through our Accelerator program, we work with startups to learn about the latest trends in digital health and may incorporate them into our products and services. To drive productive collaboration with these companies, we decided to use Office 365.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOffice 365 amplifies our competitive strengths through a workplace transformation that empowers employees. Connected teamwork across 18 Asian markets drives efficiency and caring customer service.\u201d Sim Preston AIA Group Group Chief Operations Officer<\/p>\n
AIA conducts business in 18 markets across Asia Pacific. \u201cWe want to collaborate better across this multicultural scenario, empowering local employees to access the information they need to serve customers in different markets. At the same time, we must strive for operational efficiencies,\u201d says Bob Crozier, Social Network Lead for AIA Group. \u201cToday, we use Office 365 to work more effectively across all the markets we serve. For example, I\u2019m a lot more productive using Delve to quickly find the emails and information I\u2019m working on, organized around my interests, colleagues, and projects.\u201d Delve, part of Office 365, sends users personalized information based on what they\u2019re working on and what\u2019s trending around them.<\/p>\n
The company worked with Microsoft Services Consulting to migrate to Office 365. \u201cMicrosoft Consulting Services provided the technical support, expertise, and assistance that we needed, which was a real advantage to us,\u201d says Andrew Anker, Head of Infrastructure Services and Technology Risk at AIA Group. \u201cThey were very committed to making sure we got the best out of the product set.\u201d<\/p>\n
After launching Office 365, more than 2,300 groups and 14,000 employees began using the company\u2019s social network, dubbed \u201cWave,\u201d to share ideas and best practices. \u201cMicrosoft Services also provided excellent support for a successful Yammer launch. We migrated more than 300 gigabytes of content from Jive, our previous solution, in fewer than 10 weeks,\u201d says Crozier. \u201cThe language translation capability in Yammer is fantastic. Our employees no longer miss the nuances in a conversation because of language barriers, which improves the quality of information and ideas that we exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, team members use Yammer to announce enhancements to the company actuarial software and share best practices with their colleagues, raising the overall knowledge capital of the company. And onboarding the yearly influx of actuarial interns is a much smoother process now that they use Wave to get answers and ramp up quickly\u2014a win for the interns and AIA in terms of immediate productivity gains. Marketing teams in different countries spark new ideas by showcasing their best campaigns on Microsoft SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. And the PR and marketing teams use Skype for Business Online meetings to broadcast product-launch details to marketing managers in various markets across Asia.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving the ability to send someone a link they can use to join a meeting is pretty slick. I can share my screen to present with PowerPoint and quickly invite others to join the call,\u201d says Crozier. \u201cTraditionally, collaborating among 18 markets required travel in order to get everyone on the same page, but now it can happen at the drop of a hat. Office 365 is changing our cultural work experience, not to mention saving us time.\u201d<\/p>\n
For AIA, the link between collaboration and innovation is a key business benefit of Office 365. The company is staying ahead of industry trends, brainstorming new product ideas, and streamlining business processes. Recently, AIA employees used Wave to exchange ideas on the company\u2019s new science-backed wellness program\u2014AIA Vitality. They provided immediate feedback so the product team could enhance features before launch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a multifaceted success story,\u201d says Crozier. \u201cPeople got to know each other better and now work more productively as a team. Employees posted blogs internally and on social media to drive brand awareness externally. And we now have a new process for future product development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, AIA employees are empowered to work efficiently when and where they choose. Thanks to Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, AIA employees can download Office on up to 15 devices of their choice, with more secure, mobile access to their applications, documents, and settings. \u201cOn the road, I hook up to my phone\u2019s hotspot and go through my emails, forward documents to colleagues, and respond to my notifications on Yammer,\u201d says Crozier. \u201cI travel all through Asia with my phone and my iPad and work as productively as if I\u2019m sitting in my office. The entire AIA leadership team does the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legal team can quickly access important corporate documents stored on SharePoint Online. And members of the marketing team regularly view and edit documents accessed from SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business to quickly sign off on marketing campaigns, even if team members are out of the office.<\/p>\n
AIA is also enhancing mobility for employees who can be at the right place at the right time to attend to customers. \u201cWe are The Real Life Company and Office 365 helps us deliver on that promise,\u201d says Preston. \u201dThe more efficiently we can work on the road, the more we can help our customers with immediate, personal attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that a mobile-first focus permeates the company, AIA is attracting top talent who expect the flexibility of cloud-based computing. \u201cWith Office 365, we have enhanced all work environments\u2014in the office on a desktop, at the airport on a laptop, or in a taxi on a mobile device\u2014through a consistent experience across all devices,\u201d says Anker. \u201cAnd the interoperable programs are so intuitive that they require little to no training, boosting adoption and productivity.\u201c<\/p>\n
AIA is enjoying all the benefits of its cloud-based business productivity solution with built-in security and continuous compliance, while simplifying in-house IT functions. \u201cInformation security is of paramount importance to every financial institution,\u201d says Preston. \u201cWe appreciate the transparency of Office 365,\u201d adds Anker. \u201cSecurity features like Rights Management Services in Microsoft Exchange Online and the data loss protection components of the solution made us comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only been 14 months since AIA subscribed to Office 365, however, significant changes to the workplace have already enhanced the company\u2019s future road map. \u201cOffice 365 amplifies our competitive strengths through a workplace transformation that empowers employees,\u201d concludes Preston. \u201cConnected teamwork across 18 Asian markets drives efficiency and caring customer service. We\u2019re looking forward to building more business based on these improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n