Prudential sells insurance through partners such as Itaú, XP and BTG, each with its own quoting system. As UX Researcher, design lead and interim PO, I worked with 14 teams in 5 countries to unify the five systems. Quote time went from 20 to about 4 minutes.
Situation
Selling an insurance policy meant opening each partner's quoting system, a different one for each, and a single quote took about 20 minutes.
Task
Make quoting faster for the people who sell, working as UX Researcher, design lead and interim PO on a global project with 14 teams.
Action
I listened to more than 20 salespeople at Prudential and its partners and defined the minimum data required by law. Together with the team, we unified five systems into one, with 7 rounds of testing and a phased launch.
Result
Quote time went from 20 to 4 minutes, 5 systems became 1, and the project won in the Americas and took bronze at the global award.
20 → 4 min
average quote time, before and after. Measured by the team.
5 → 1
Before, there were 5 quoting systems to maintain, one per partner. Now, a single API integration.
2 awards
international, in 2023
Insurer Innovation Awards (Americas, 2023) and International Customer Experience Awards (2023).
01 · The invitation
The salesperson opens the partner's system, quotes the client and only then moves on to the proposal, the form that becomes the contract. I was brought in to improve lead capture, and the bottleneck was clear: the quote took about 20 minutes, often with the client standing and waiting at the branch.
02 · The research
I spoke with more than 20 Prudential salespeople and with the partners' teams (Itaú, XP, BTG) to understand what each system really needed. Guiding question: what is the minimum the law requires to give a basic quote?
The idea was not to spend the client's time on endless questions before they knew the price. First, the approximate price. Then, calmly, the rest.
03 · How I worked
The project was led by the PM and the VP of Innovation in the US, with design in India, development in China and data in Singapore, all in English. I was in Brazil, where the product would launch: I took on UX Research and interim PO, running research and tests with the Brazilian audience while India designed the screens.
04 · Solution · The quote in 5 screens
Screen 1: the client list, with quote history to revisit.
Screen 2: the minimum data required by law, such as date of birth and sex.
Screen 3: the basic coverage, in simple fields.
Screen 4: the optional coverages, which can be edited in each plan.
Screen 5: two plans side by side to compare, with the option to download the plan.
20 → 4 min average quote time, measured by the team
1 · Client list
2 · Client details
3 · Basic coverage
4 · Optional coverages
5 · Compare plans05 · Phased launch
To reduce risk, we launched in three waves: 100 people, then 4,700, then 1,300. The second was larger at a partner's request, as they preferred to release it to everyone at once. Between waves, we collected feedback and fixed issues before widening access. With too many people to interview one by one, I sent structured forms and invited anyone who wanted to for a one-on-one conversation.
5 → 1 systems to maintain. A single API integration, the same for all partners.
How access was widened
100 people
First group, to reduce risk and start learning.
Feedback → fixes → wider access
4,700 people
Broad release at a partner's request, who preferred to open access to everyone at once.
Feedback → fixes → wider access
1,300 people
Third and final wave of the launch.
Structured form for everyone; one-on-one conversation for those who wanted one.
06 · Results
Throughout the project, I asked for a 1-to-5 score in interviews and tests, which let me track progress and confirm, round after round, whether the improvements were working. The small dip from April to May shows in the data and in the chart.
Prudential also published results for the Grow Sales platform as a whole, among partner agents: 80% monthly active usage and a 10% increase in market share. These are figures for the entire platform, not just the quote.
Source: Grow Sales results, published by Prudential when announcing the project.
07 · Recognition
Recognized in 2023 by two international awards: Americas winner at the Insurer Innovation Awards and bronze in Best Digital Transformation at the International Customer Experience Awards. The Chief Digital Officer who submitted the project thanked, on LinkedIn, the Grow and Fully teams, the partners and Prudential Brazil.
The Digital Insurer · Insurer Innovation Awards 2023 · Americas winner
International Customer Experience Awards 2023 · Bronze in Best Digital Transformation: Financial Services and Retail
08 · In parallel · Pre-issuance
During another project, the team realized that pre-issuance, what happens after the proposal is signed, needed to improve. I took the opportunity to the global VP of digital solutions, who gave the green light. As a remote UX Researcher, I mapped the process's 8 stages and its pain points between March and May.
With no visibility after signing, agents called repeatedly to ask for the status, and the people who were supposed to analyze cases spent the day on the phone. I recommended exposing the status via API, with data in the data lake, integrated into the systems agents already use, to gain operational efficiency and higher conversion. The analysis was well received; the project is planned as a next step.
Internal Prudential data, from the pre-issuance process analysis.
09 · Takeaways
I learned to bring research done in Brazil into the decisions of a global team.
Video
The training team recorded this video to teach partners how to use and get to know the platform.
In short
Quote time dropped to one fifth, five systems became one and the project won two awards. It was a project with 14 teams in five countries, where I ran the research and testing with the Brazilian audience.
Quote times measured by the team during the project. Awards: The Digital Insurer (Insurer Innovation Awards, Americas 2023) and International Customer Experience Awards 2023.
“Érick is a highly qualified UX Designer, a great leader and the best career mentor I've ever had. His empathy and attention bring out the best in each person he leads, always encouraging, challenging and kind.”
“Érick stands out at building a very positive relationship with stakeholders and users. He ran design processes, especially usability tests, with ease and professionalism, making everything more productive and conclusive.”
Contact
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