How Bowtie Life Insurance delights customers on WhatsApp

Bowtie is the first authorized virtual insurance company in Hong Kong under the Insurance Authority to provide a fully digital insurance experience through innovative technology and medical expertise. They are driving change in the industry by transforming traditional sales practices, simplifying enrollment and claim procedures, and making everything possible online without a middleman.

Customer engagement challenges in the digital insurance industry

In need of multiple teams on instant messaging channels  to support customers online and build trust

Initially, Bowtie encountered the misconception that going digital eliminates the human touch. Although purchasing and managing policies online is straightforward, many customers still seek personalized support, both before making a purchase and during the claim process. To address this, Bowtie had to introduce instant communication channels beyond traditional web, email, and SMS. These new channels are needed to facilitate collaboration, enabling agents from various departments to work together to provide quick, personalized online support.

Slowing sales due to low response rates to insurance application follow-up questions

Bowtie always conducts comprehensive "Know Your Customer" (KYC) processes—a mandatory procedure for identifying and verifying a new customer's identity. Sometimes, the personal information and medical history provided by the customers during the online application may be incomplete or require further clarification. Consequently, Bowtie needs to actively follow up with new applicants to complete the underwriting process. Regrettably, the response rates to emails and SMS were low, slowing down the policy issuance.

Direct integration with WhatsApp demands substantial resources

Integrating WhatsApp directly into Bowtie's system looked like a great way to combine digital speed with personal customer service. However, The regulatory landscape for digital insurance is intricate. Establishing a system capable of securely handling sensitive insurance communications, maintaining privacy standards, and being user-friendly demanded a level of technical expertise and resources that presented a considerable challenge for Bowtie.

SleekFlow’s solution for the digital insurance company

As an official Meta partner offering WhatsApp automations and compliance with ISO 27001 certification, SleekFlow emerged as the perfect solution for Bowtie's needs. They have implemented SleekFlow's solution across two WhatsApp API accounts for their direct-to-customers and enterprise solutions respectively, covering various stages of the insurance lifecycle, from pre-sales to support.

1. Acquiring leads faster with automated website-to-WhatsApp connections

Bowtie's strategy includes publishing blogs that mix education and entertainment, engaging readers who might then want more information on insurance. To quickly convert these interested readers into leads, Bowtie introduces a seamless process: offering free promo codes directly via WhatsApp. By clicking a "Claim Now" button on the website, visitors are taken to WhatsApp to get their quote, efficiently increasing subscriptions to Bowtie's WhatsApp channel and opting them into promotional communications.

2. Capturing lead information with chatbots and helping them together as a team

At Bowtie, over 15 team members from customer support, underwriting, claims, and product teams use SleekFlow to interact with potential customers. To streamline this process, Bowtie uses the visual Flow Builder to create chatbots that first collect information and then help users explore their service options. Then, the chatbot hands off the conversation to the customer service agent best equipped to provide targeted assistance for the customer's inquiries.

When the agents require specialist advice, SleekFlow enables a smooth transition as they can easily add other team members as collaborators and address complex inquiries together, ensuring customers receive comprehensive and accurate information.

Having many agents work on one case makes things smooth and lets customers feel cared for by a team, without having to repeat their issue to different agents.

Gabriel Kung

Chief Commercial Officer, Bowtie Life Insurance

3. Re-engaging leads with personalized broadcast messages

Insurance buyers are cautious and typically take their time before making a decision. To re-engage them, Bowtie uses automation to group cold leads in a broadcast list. After that,  they can send interactive messages to offer help in selecting the right insurance policies and navigating any obstacles.

4. Automating follow-up messages for applications and tracking records via CRM integration

Bowtie also uses SleekFlow's Flow Builder to connect WhatsApp with their CRM, automating follow-ups on insurance applications. Whether a health questionnaire lacks medical records or a customer's identity document requires verification, SleekFlow triggers automated messages. These messages prompt customers to address pending items by replying or clicking a unique link, directing them to complete their application on the Bowtie portal. This setup simplifies the process for customers to provide the necessary information and speeds up application completion.

After obtaining their insurance policy, customers are required to pay their premiums regularly. If a payment doesn’t go through, Bowtie also sends automated messages to offer help.

By integrating SleekFlow with their CRM, Bowtie ensures all WhatsApp conversations are backed up, allowing easy access to customer communication records within their systems to meet regulatory obligations.

I would definitely recommend SleekFlow to fintech and financial services companies because it's great for handling daily customer inquiries, KYC processes, and application follow-ups.

Gabriel Kung

Chief Commercial Officer, Bowtie Life Insurance

Getting more happy customers with 23% higher response rates

After using SleekFlow, Bowtie noticed that 50% of people who got promo codes through their web-to-WhatsApp campaign turned into customers, highlighting the power of personalized messaging. Also, they experienced a 23% higher response rate to health questionnaire follow-ups compared to using email and SMS, which made the application process faster.

Using SleekFlow has made our customers happier and saved both us and them time in managing the tedious aspects of insurance policies.

Gabriel Kung

Chief Commercial Officer, Bowtie Life Insurance

About Bowtie Life Insurance Company

Bowtie is a licensed life insurance company and Hong Kong’s very first virtual insurer. Built with modern technology and medical expertise, Bowtie’s powerful platform offers customers medical insurance plans under the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) and other real insurance products instantly and directly. By eliminating paper, commissions and intermediaries, Bowtie’s mission is to enable a new generation of consumers to access real insurance protection and take control of life protection decisions for themselves. Bowtie is backed with over HKD 400 million from Mitsui & Co., Ltd, Sun Life Hong Kong Limited and other leading international investors.