The RCCAQ met with Antoine Leblanc, senior manager of Groupe Lepelco, the brokerage firm that won the 2021 Technology Award of Distinction. In this interview, Mr. Leblanc takes a detailed look back on the project that made his firm the 2021 winner. He also shares with us the challenges they encountered along the way and the new process’s impact on the industry, in addition to a few words of advice for firms wishing to make the digital transition!

 

 

To begin with, please tell us a little bit about your firm.

“Lepelco is a family-owned business, founded over 65 years ago, and is transitioning to the fourth generation of shareholders. Today, the firm has around 75 employees and continues to expand”, said Mr. Leblanc.

Can you briefly describe the project you put forward as a candidate for the Technology Award of Distinction?

“To be perfectly honest, we didn’t reinvent the wheel. Our main goal was to really go paper-free in our firm. We currently use no paper internally and we practically no longer receive any. Everything is digital. That said, however, way too much paper is still circulating between our insurers and our clients.”

Why did you decide to take the plunge into this high-tech transformation? What was the trigger for it?

“There are several underlying reasons. First of all, from an ecological and environmental perspective, we wanted to be a responsible firm in terms of how we treat our beloved planet. We also wanted to reduce our paper and stamp costs. The third reason was to cut our processing times because digital basically means instantaneous! Our communication speed has significantly improved and clients now expect that. I’d say that those are the three main reasons why we moved forward with this project.”

What was the first order of business?

“If you want to have paper-free communication, the only option is to go electronic. So we started by analyzing our data and sorting through the email addresses of clients we already had in our system. We soon realized that only two-thirds of them had an email address on file. For the remainder, our brokers and administrative assistants really worked hard to gather the other email addresses, one at a time over the space of several months,” said Mr. Leblanc.

“The second step was to create a client/broker space where our clients could access their documents when, where and how they want. Either via our website or on their mobile app. And for this portion, we simply rolled out the tools provided by Applied EPIC, our IT partner. We didn’t invent or develop anything. We simply utilized an existing system and embedded it in our operations,” added Mr. Leblanc.

How was that idea received by your in-house team?

“There was some resistance, which is quite normal. Human beings are naturally reluctant to change. Plus it was right at the beginning of the pandemic, so there were lots of adjustments to make concerning the work context. This project actually ended up adding to the existing workload. However, once the goal, vision, project benefits and efficiency gains had been explained to the employees, they all set out on the adventure, and I thank them for that. Trust me, Lepelco is headed in the right direction!”

What kind of human resources were needed to achieve the goal?

“The whole firm pitched in. There are 75 people here, and everyone took part and played a role in carrying out the project and making it a success. But we’re a long way from being done. Although we’ve covered 95% of the emails and 50% of the roll-out of the broker/client space, the biggest part is yet to come. In other words, getting all the insurers to stop sending out paper-based insurance documents,” said Mr. Leblanc.

What are your main challenges? How did you tackle them?

“The main challenge was to include our day-to-day operations in this project without losing any agility. What we didn’t want to do was present the project as ‘a little something on the side’, otherwise people wouldn’t have gotten involved. So the project had to be placed right at the heart of our business operations and our EPIC system. In addition, Chantal Caissie, our technology coordinator, did an exceptional job. Not only in terms of preparing the roll-out but also in collaborating so closely with Applied to quickly rectify all the little bugs we encountered at the start.”

What are the advantages of the system?

“As I mentioned previously, the system makes it possible to have instant and personalized communications, to have a positive impact on the environment, to boost efficiency and to reduce various costs while making documents available in real time and at all times for our clients. When they need a document or a piece of information, they consult their client space directly without even talking to us. They love that!”

What is the impact of this solution on your community and on the industry as a whole? In the short term? Medium term? Long term?

“First of all, thank you to the RCCAQ for giving us this award. More and more people are curious and have been calling us to find out more. We are a very traditional industry, even though we’re also regarded as essential. When things are going well financially, you don’t always see the need to innovate. All too often when things are going badly, you begin to react and in so doing, you start innovating,” noted Mr. Leblanc. “I encourage all firms and all insurers to make the digital transition and to adopt a visionary and strategic approach for the future. The best way to prepare for the future is to create it yourself!”

If you could do things all over again, what would you do differently?

“When you’re talking about a client space, you also have to talk about your clients’ preferences. In other words, you should ask them whether they’ll still want paper in the future or if they want to go 100% digital. We only started asking that question and taking it into account properly when things were already underway, so we could use that information intelligently in the future. If we had to do it again, we’d conduct that survey right at the beginning of the project.”

What might prompt you to set about developing a high-tech solution?

“We’re doing that already, so we don’t need any incentives to develop high-tech solutions. It’s really in our DNA. We’re also working on a few other things at the moment. We are very much attuned to what the world’s fintechs are saying. We only want value-added things for our valued clients.”

What advice would you give a firm that wanted to move forward with developing a high-tech solution? Or with implementing a technology, like you did?

“I would tell them to take action right away. Don’t be scared, even if things look daunting. The prospect always seems disproportionate to what the project is like in reality. Sometimes our brain tends to amplify things. But once you’ve begun, you soon realize that it’s not so bad. The essential thing is to begin working on the project and not to hesitate to bring in outside expert help if needed.”

What prompted you to apply for the 2021 Technology Award of Distinction?

“We thought we had a pretty good chance of winning (laughter)! Plus it’s the fourth award we’ve won this year. It’s the second technology award after the Insurance Canada Technology Award. Seriously, though, the process of applying was quite straightforward and we had an interesting story to tell, so we simply took a chance! It would be great if our story ends up inspiring, motivating or encouraging other people. If Lepelco can help the brokerage sector to progress and evolve more quickly, that’s a good thing!”

 

 

What are the current or anticipated benefits for Lepelco since it was named the contest winner?

“We spoke with a number of industry colleagues who were curious and wanted to find out more. By the way, we also attend events in the CEGEPs, primarily so we can promote the broker profession. During the most recent presentation, I set the trophy down on the desk right in front of the students!”

What’s next for Lepelco? Any other projects?

“We’re going to keep on convincing our people to sign up for the client space because we won’t stop until we’ve achieved our goal. It’s the most effective way to eliminate paper flows between our clients and the insurers. We’re also working on other technology projects with a view to making efficiency gains. With over 50 brokers, an efficiency gain of only 2% is the equivalent of hiring one new person. That’s definitely significant in the current context!”

Any concluding message to encourage people who might still be reluctant to embrace the digital transition?

“Get some outside help if you don’t know where to start! You can’t ignore the transition because digital technology will help you to make operational efficiency gains. Plus your clients expect nothing less. So go for it! Never forget the famous words of one of my partners: ‘Talk the talk, but then be sure to walk the walk.’”