09.04.2026

Author: Jessica Wick

From bottlenecks to flow: fixing digital processes for insurers

Many insurers have invested heavily in core systems, customer portals, and mobile applications — and yet, core processes remain slow, fragmented, and more expensive than they should be. In our previous blog post, we listed the 8 challenges many insurers still face. But understanding the problem is only the first step. The real question is: how do insurers actually fix it?

5 improvements for digital processes

The most advanced systems often sit at the end of the process, highly optimized and highly automated. Everything that happens before that remains inconsistent, manual, and fragmented. As a result, even the best systems are forced to operate on poor input. Fixing this requires a shift in perspective: Not “how do we improve each step?” but “how do we design a process that works end-to-end from the start?”

Organizations that successfully eliminate these bottlenecks don’t just digitize existing steps. They redesign how information flows through the entire process.

Five principles consistently emerge:

1. Start where the process actually starts

The biggest improvements don’t happen in the backend; they happen at the first point of interaction. Instead of asking customers to download forms, send emails, or upload scans, leading insurers capture information in a structured, guided way from the beginning.

Digital forms adapt dynamically to the situation. Only relevant questions are shown. Required information is clearly defined. This has a simple but powerful effect: if the input is structured, everything that follows becomes faster, more reliable, and easier to automate.

2. Replace documents with structured interactions

Many “digital” processes are still built around documents, just in electronic form. PDFs are downloaded, filled out, signed, and sent back. It is paper logic in a digital wrapper.

High-performing organizations move away from documents as the core unit of interaction. Instead, they design processes around structured data capture. Information is entered directly into the system, not extracted from documents afterward. This eliminates one of the biggest hidden cost drivers: manual interpretation and data transfer.

3. Integrate signatures into the process

Signatures are often treated as a final step, the action that happens after everything else is complete. This is where many processes break. If a signature requires printing, scanning, or separate tools, the entire workflow reverts to manual handling.

In fully digital processes, signatures are embedded directly into the interaction. Customers can review and sign within the same guided flow in which they provide information. No separate tool, no channel switch, no interruption. Swisscom Sign embeds legally binding electronic signatures directly into the customer interaction. This removes one of the last major barriers to true end-to-end digitalization.

4. Orchestrate communication instead of reacting

In fragmented processes, communication becomes reactive. Missing information triggers emails. Clarifications lead to phone calls. Follow-ups create long back-and-forth loops.

In optimized processes, communication is built into the workflow. Customers are guided step by step. Requests for additional information are triggered automatically. Status updates are transparent and consistent across channels. Instead of “ping-pong” communication, the process becomes a structured dialogue.

5. Design for systems, not just for screens

Many digital initiatives focus on improving the user interface. But a better front end alone does not solve the problem. What matters is how information flows into operational systems.

When data is captured in a structured way from the start, it can be transferred directly into core systems, whether for claims, underwriting, or policy management. This enables faster validation, reduces manual intervention, and unlocks real automation. It also creates something more valuable: scalability. Once the process is designed correctly, it can be reused across multiple use cases without rebuilding it from scratch.

What this looks like in practice

Consider a typical claims scenario involving multiple parties, such as a medical treatment abroad. Traditionally, this process involves forms, emails, scanned documents, and repeated follow-ups. Information arrives in fragments, and internal teams spend significant time validating and transferring data.

In a fully digital setup, the same process starts with a guided interaction. Customers provide structured information step by step. Supporting documents are uploaded directly within the process. Additional input from third parties is integrated seamlessly.

Because the data is captured digitally from the outset, it flows directly into internal systems. Validation becomes faster, communication more targeted, and processing times significantly shorter. The difference is not incremental, it is structural.

Closing the gap

The challenges discussed in our previous blog post are not isolated issues. They are symptoms of a deeper design problem. The solution is not to patch individual steps, but to rethink how processes are built from the ground up.

By focusing on structured data capture, integrated signatures, and seamless process orchestration, insurers can close the gap between customer interaction and operational systems. What looks like a small improvement at the start of the process becomes a multiplier across the entire value chain.

Would you like to learn more about Swisscom Sign?

Want to go deeper?

What these principles look like in detail and how insurers are implementing them in practice, is explored in the full Swisscom Sign whitepaper on eliminating media discontinuities.

Download the Swisscom Sign whitepaper to see how insurers are implementing end-to-end digital processes today.

Customer success stories

Customer success stories

From bottlenecks to flow: fixing digital processes for insurers

5 improvements for digital processes

1. Start where the process actually starts

2. Replace documents with structured interactions

3. Integrate signatures into the process

4. Orchestrate communication instead of reacting

5. Design for systems, not just for screens

What this looks like in practice

Closing the gap

Want to go deeper?

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