Overview
Suncorp Group is an ASX-listed Trans–Tasman insurance company, with a heritage dating back more than 100 years, Suncorp provides insurance products and services through some of Australia and New Zealand’s most recognisable brands.
GIO is one of those brands and has supported Australians since 1927. We provide insurance products for retail and commercial customers, with our dedicated teams living our purpose of building futures and protecting what matters every day, including assisting people in returning to life after a workplace or motor vehicle accident.
We’re proud to be Australia’s largest personal injury insurer and operate across all private Workers Compensation schemes and support the NSW Government as a claims agent.
Every year, our Personal Injury teams manage 19,000 claims and 4.8 million active policies nationally.
We place our customer at the heart of everything we do, focusing on creating a best in class claims experience centred around compassion, care and empathy. Through reducing red tape, using technology to facilitate early recovery intervention, and utilising digital adoption solutions to speed up processes, we make the recovery journey easier for all our stakeholders so they can get back to doing the things they love sooner.
Supernova Award Category
Next Generation Customer Experience
The Problem
In a highly regulated environment, we faced the challenge of freeing up frontline staff from time-consuming administrative tasks to focus on higher-value work and engaging with clients. One major inefficiency was the manual generation of mandatory claims correspondence, which required multiple systems and repetitive data entry. This process significantly reduced the time claims advisors could spend supporting customers in their recovery, creating unnecessary red tape and administrative burden.
The Solution
Using performance data, customer insights, and team feedback, we found that manual correspondence was error-prone, time-consuming, and pulling focus from customer care. With costly core system changes off the table, and teams suffering change fatigue and apprehension around using new digital systems, we turned to WalkMe.
With WalkMe, we’ve developed a robust digital adoption strategy and in-app solutions, which we’ve “personified” and named Postie Pat.
Seamlessly integrated into daily workflows, Pat acts as smart “virtual assistant”, automates manual tasks and serves as a digital teammate, bridging the gap between user action and process delivery – ultimately leading to a better customer experience.
The results
In just the first month, Pat increased the number of acceptance letters routed through our operational administration partnering channels from an average of 17.5 to 90—a more than fivefold increase.
This immediate impact underscored the effectiveness of combining WalkMe’s capabilities with our broader automation and digital strategy.
Efficiency gains and reclaimed time are not the only benefits that Pat has delivered- through Pat we have been able to demonstrate the advantages of digital adoption to our teams, and in turn they have embraced innovation as something exciting that they can own and be a part of.
Pat (and her trusty in-app presence) is viewed by our staff as a valued member of the team and has become an integral part of how we work. By auto-assigning claims correspondence to the appropriate operational partners, Pat takes on the administrative lift—allowing our people to redirect their energy toward more meaningful, human-centred customer interactions.
Our digital adoption strategy, initially centred around Pat, has been a catalyst for cultural and operational transformation, delivering measurable benefits for customers, employees, teams, and leadership alike.
Metrics
The impact has been both immediate and expansive. Prior to Pat’s introduction, just 2.8% of customer letters were being partnered out, resulting in a modest 25 hours of capacity release. Today, thanks to Pat’s automation, that figure has grown to 14%—unlocking over 300 hours of team capacity, equivalent to four full-time employees. For leadership, this has been a clear demonstration of Return on Investment on our digital tools, aligning directly with our goals of greater efficiency, improved service delivery, and smarter workforce utilisation.
In addition to capacity release, Pat’s has not only boosted operational efficiency but has also strengthened our alignment with strategic goals. Increased capacity has allowed frontline teams to focus more on personalised, human-centered interactions.
The result? A 28% uplift in customer Net Promoter Scores, driven by more timely and "human” service.
The incredible results don’t stop there- For employees, we have also seen quite a shift- Claims advisors are no longer bogged down by repetitive tasks—they’re spending more time with customers, engaging in complex casework, and making proactive calls to customers. This has led to a tangible rise in morale, with staff engagement scores increasing by three basis points. What’s more, Pat has ignited a sense of shared ownership in our digital journey. Teams now actively contribute ideas for how Pat can further support their work.
What began as a solution to free up time has evolved into a core part of how we meet strategic goals around service excellence, employee empowerment, and innovation.
The Technology
WalkMe
Disruptive Factor
When we first launched our digital adoption solutions, our teams viewed it as just another change, they had to manage. Recognising the potential for increased utilisation and engagement, we sought ways to actively involve them in the creation process and reached out to our staff for suggestions on naming our virtual assistant.
This initiative sparked excitement, enthusiasm and ownership, with our people actively connecting with us to provide feedback and generate ideas on what Pat and her virtual friends could help with next to make their day easier, and spend more time engaging with our customers.
Shining Moment
The implementation of WalkMe has been nothing short of transformative on our innovation journey. While the measurable business benefits like capacity gains and improved customer outcomes have been significant, what makes us most proud is the cultural shift it has ignited within our teams.
Pat, our first virtual assistant, has become more than a clever solution to a capacity problem, she is a symbol of what’s possible when technology and people are brought together with purpose.
Pat was the spark that ignited our broader digital adoption strategy, helping us reimagine how technology can empower rather than overwhelm. She opened the door for our frontline teams to experience digital tools in a new light: not as something imposed upon them, but as something built with them, for them.
That shift from scepticism to enthusiasm is what truly sets this success apart. We’ve seen our people go from viewing digital initiatives as static and complex, to embracing them as dynamic, intuitive, and even fun. Pat’s personality has resonated so strongly that team members refer to her like a colleague. It’s not unusual to hear questions like, “What’s Pat working on next?” or “How’s Pat doing today?”
Her presence has humanised our technology in a way that has bridged the gap between innovation and engagement.
What fills us with the most pride is seeing that engagement translate into proactive ownership. Staff now regularly bring forward ideas for new ways WalkMe could streamline their work or enhance their experience. These contributions are met not only with enthusiasm, but with action when their ideas are brought to life, it reinforces the sense that they’re shaping the tools they use. That kind of empowerment and engagement is invaluable.
For example, with the help of our frontline teams, we have expanded our WalkMe strategy and solutions to include two new characters to serve business needs.
Walter acts as a virtual training facilitator - Increasing the speed to competency for new starters by providing on-screen guidance, hands-on training, navigation tips and practical experience. Gone are the days of learning through learnt processes, Walter teaches our staff national consistent best in class claims management whilst delivering over 5hrs of capacity release every round of onboarding.
Prudence, our quality assurance assistant, uplifts compliance adherence and mitigates errors using pro-active in-app tips and automated walkthroughs. We've already seen a 20% uplift in compliance thanks to Prue's proactive support.
And through feedback from our staff, we were able to add an interactive Knowledge menu that allows quick and easy access to our most read articles, procedures and tools. This has resulted in an 80% uplift in usage of these tools in just six months and ensures that they have the information and knowledge they need to provide best in class claims services to our customers.