Helvetia further enhances its chatbot Clara and goes live with new GPT technology

After a seven-month trial, Helvetia has successfully concluded its experiment using ChatGPT to power its digital assistant Clara. The company is now going a step further and launching Clara as a standard service based on GPT-4. The technology significantly increases the quality of the chatbot responses and gives Helvetia customers in Switzerland access to a unique service that is easy, uncomplicated, and enables them to ask questions about insurance and pensions around the clock.

23.11.2023 | Media releases

Helvetia continues to set standards in innovation and customer experience with its digital assistant Clara. The pilot project was launched in spring 2023 and provides an easy way for customers to ask questions and describe issues via the Helvetia website. Now that the trial period is over, Clara is going live with immediate effect as a standard service powered by the latest generative AI technology. Jan Kundert, Head Customer and Market Management and Member of the Executive Management of Helvetia Switzerland: "We're delighted that our ChatGPT project has been well received by our customers. Our focus moving forward will be on tailoring what is now Helvetia's key self-service channel even better to user requirements."

International pioneering role
Following the successful completion of the test phase, Clara is now going live as a standard service incorporating the latest generative AI technology, further optimizing response quality compared to the previous version. Helvetia thus offers its customers in Switzerland a service that is unique in the insurance sector, providing simple and uncomplicated answers to questions about insurance and pensions around the clock, thereby also playing a pioneering role internationally. It remains exploratory in nature, with users contributing to the learning process. Thanks to user feedback, Clara is constantly being developed further. Customer service can be accessed in German, French, Italian, English and various other languages.

Helvetia's key self-service channel
Customers can easily ask a question or describe an issue via the digital assistant Clara. The service is designed to be low-threshold and can be accessed without registration. User numbers since the launch of the trial in spring 2023 show it has been well received. Helvetia predicts it will have handled over 150,000 chats by the end of this year – almost double the figure for last year. In just a short period of time, Clara has thus become Helvetia's key self-service channel. The chatbot is the perfect addition to the existing customer service offering.

Trust is essential
Trust plays a key role in the relationship between insurers and their customers. This is true whether customer services are offered via conventional or digital channels. Although there are currently still no binding regulations for the industry, Helvetia has decided to go live with its chatbot powered by the latest GPT technology.

Helvetia is aware of the resulting responsibility and only uses artificial intelligence within a controlled framework. The data is managed and processed in accordance with the highest security standards and the new Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG), which came into force on 1 September 2023. For example, users are informed that Clara may also provide incorrect answers because these are generated by artificial intelligence. As Clara only uses verified sources when answering customer questions, the risk of incorrect information is low, but Helvetia recommends contacting the customer advisory service or using alternative contact options if anything is unclear. Users can also rate Clara's answers and thus help improve the service.

For Jan Kundert, this enhancement of the chatbot is a milestone on the way to achieving the company's strategy ambitions: "As part of the helvetia 20.25 strategy, Helvetia wants to set new standards in customer convenience and customer access. The chatbot solution we are now offering gives customers 24/7 access, which is what many of them have asked us for."

AI already well established at Helvetia
Helvetia has been using artificial intelligence for several years already in areas such as claims processing, identification of fraud, underwriting and marketing. The company actively involves its employees in AI-adoption; for example in the development of self-learning models. Helvetia believes that using artificial intelligence expertly and transparently is crucial in the development of current and future insurance models.

The latest version of Clara can be tested at www.helvetia.ch/ask-clara.

The symbol image below can be downloaded in higher resolution by clicking on the preview. The image was generated using Midjourney AI. Source: Helvetia

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About Helvetia Group

Helvetia Group, with its headquarters in St. Gallen, has grown since 1858 to become a successful insurance group with over 12,000 employees and more than 7 million customers. It has been enabling its customers to seize opportunities and minimise risks for all that time – Helvetia is there for them when it matters. Helvetia is the best partner and is present everywhere that protection needs arise, with insurance, pension and investment solutions from a single source as well as simple products and processes. The insurance group knows the business, from mobile phone insurance and insurance cover for the Gotthard Base Tunnel to the long-term investment of customer assets. Helvetia develops and opens up new business models with enthusiasm and drives forward its own business in a powerful and future-oriented manner. It acts with foresight and responsibility in everything it does: for the benefit of its shareholders, customers and employees as well as its partners, society and the environment.
Helvetia is the leading all-lines insurer in Switzerland. In the Europe segment comprising Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain, the company has firmly rooted market positions for generating above-average growth. In the Specialty Markets segment, Helvetia offers tailored special insurance and reinsurance cover worldwide. With a business volume of CHF 10.7 billion, Helvetia generated IFRS net income after tax of CHF 480.2 million in the 2022 financial year under IFRS 17/9. The shares of Helvetia Holding AG are traded on SIX Swiss Exchange.

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