As part of exercising their leadership skills and marshalling available resources, the RCCAQ/IBAC teams have called on the services of various technology experts, including Yvan Foster and Khadija Essaied of the firm Sphere AI. The goal is to play a part in evaluating new digital developments while promoting use of the new chatbot among our member firms. To achieve its goal of real-time connectivity, IBAC (Insurance Brokers Association of Canada) recently appointed Tom Reid to the role of Broker Connectivity Lead.
Rolling out the chatbot and embracing the digital transformation
The chatbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that uses natural language processing to allow brokers to ask insurance-related questions in real time. The goals are to automate work procedures, thereby saving time while improving access to information. To facilitate the project roll-out, the RCCAQ has brought onboard the experts at Sphere AI, which seeks to guide companies during their digital transformation, in particular by using AI.
Yvan Foster, president and co-founder of Sphere AI, specializes in assisting companies wishing to develop AI projects. His mandate will be to support the RCCAQ's strategic use of data and potentially AI, while keeping an eye out for related technologies that could help achieve the RCCAQ's digital transformation objectives. Mr. Foster began work on September 21, coinciding with the most recent meeting of the RCCAQ's technology committee.
To ensure an efficient roll-out of the chatbot's various phases, Khadija Essaied, a specialist in natural language processing and chatbots, is busy gathering comments from the RCCAQ's user members, analyzing their needs and providing follow-up during the ongoing evolution of this digital solution.
Reminder: free training, worth 2 PDUs, to develop your chatbot knowledge!
On October 13 from 9AM-11AM, Bertrand Rouault, the RCCAQ's director of business development and mastermind of the project, will be leading the training activity "Chatbots: learning and training tools".
By the end of the session, participants will be fully up to date on this technological innovation for the insurance industry. The following topics will be discussed:
- What is artificial intelligence?
- The key issue that led to the development of the project
- What is a chatbot?
- The key advantages of this technology
- A chatbot demonstration
Would you like to learn more? Please register now for the virtual training activity on October 13. Another session is scheduled for the spring. Both sessions are available free of charge to RCCAQ members. Be sure to take advantage of this special offer!
IBAC appoints Tom Reid to the role of Broker Connectivity Lead
The need to make connectivity tools available has been intensified by the pandemic. As a result, IBAC appointed Tom Reid as its Broker Connectivity Lead, in which role he will be spearheading the data exchange project. In particular, this initiative is designed to make brokers more efficient while reducing their operating costs and providing digital capabilities that meet consumers' expectations.
Having spent over 15 years in the insurance sector, including leadership positions with a major insurance company and with a supplier of IT products and services geared towards brokers, Tom will certainly be able to put his experience to good use. He also worked as a certified broker and served on the board of the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta (IBAA). Tom is an enthusiastic proponent of high-tech solutions for brokers.
The RCCAQ is proud to play a leadership role in rallying stakeholders around transformative projects at the provincial and national levels, in addition to offering tools aimed at enhancing brokers' performance. We'd love to hear what you have to say! Please feel free to share your comments or suggestions with us.
