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New AMRAE Survey Explores RMIS’ Global Market Trends

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Recently, the Association for the Management of Risk And Insurance of Enterprise (AMRAE) and EY jointly released the 11th edition of the RMIS Panorama, offering an in-depth look at the organizations and professionals who are using risk management information systems (RMIS), how well they have adapted, and guidance for those seeking their first or newest framework.

After surveying 570 risk managers and 36 vendors from more than 30 countries, Panorama’s authors note the top reported benefits from RMIS were the ability to spend more time analyzing (and not collecting) data, harmonizing practices and reducing silos. Of those who have adopted these systems, 47% are in the industry and services sector, followed by 31% in banking and insurance and 12% in the public sector.

Some other key takeaways from the report include:

  • 54% of risk managers already use an RMIS and report a 71% satisfaction rate.
  • Though a majority of risk managers said they wish to keep RMIS costs at less than €300,000, last year marked the first increase for RMIS budgets totaling more than €1 million (approximately $1.12 million). This trend was largely driven by activity in North America, and a 2% increase is projected for 2019.
  • Ease-of-use is still the main criteria for selecting an RMIS tool. The market is seeing an increasing demand for “ergonomic and advanced reporting” within the solution.    

According to the report (which can be found here in both English and French), there has been a 60% year-over-year increase in RFP solicitations for RMIS from the international risk management community since 2013. Francois Beaume, AMRAE vice president and VP of risks and insurance at Sonepar, said he expects the trend to continue and noted that the report can serve as impartial guidance to help risk professionals find the right RMIS vendor and system for their organization.

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The report also offers insight on best practices around the RMIS lifecycle from the original requirement design phase to the change management program following implementation.

“Our approach is based on two critical pillars – objectivity and neutrality,” Beaume explained. “As an increasing number of risk professionals seek their first or new RMIS models, they may need help selecting or even adapting them to their own methodologies.”

Panorama also explores the most requested RMIS modules, which range from risk mapping and incidents management to audit. Internal control and audit garnered high satisfaction rates among professionals, both exceeded 80% in cumulatively “meeting” or “exceeding” expectations.

Additionally, the report includes testimonials from six global risk managers on their experiences with RMIS.

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 For example, according to Susan Hiteshew, a RIMS board member and senior director of insurance for the Americas at Marriott International, RMIS systems provide a “one-stop shop for data aggregation, reporting and analysis” that “builds a single source of truth when making decisions.”

To fellow risk managers starting the process, Hiteshew advised, “Rather than reproducing work within the system, companies undergoing an implementation must begin with the end in mind and work backward to build and validate processes to realize the full RMIS value. This helps minimize the execution risk that can materialize and offset the system’s advertised value proposition.

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Francois Beaume was recently a featured guest on RIMScast to discuss the Panorama‘s findings and international market trends. Download the free podcast episode here. 

Ernst & Young CRO Survey Highlights Expanding Authority, Top Challenges for 2014

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Ernst & Young has released its new 2014 insurance CRO survey, “Increasing authority and higher organizational profiles,” highlighting top trends and challenges reported by chief risk officers and senior risk executives from more than 20 top American insurance companies. Top themes in this year’s results were the expansion of CRO authority, the challenge of managing the “tsunamis” of effects stemming from new domestic and international regulation, and shifts in CRO focus from survival to effectiveness. Those surveyed also reported that they are spending more time with the board and senior business leaders, and that they are becoming involved in more types of business issues. ERM was also a top accomplishment and key priority for risk managers looking ahead to 2014 challenges.

Some particularly interesting responses to the new study include:

What was your most important accomplishment over the past year?

EY Question 1 Graph

To which will you devote significantly more attention in the next 12 months, compared with the last 12?

EY Question 2

How do you know your risk function is creating value?

EY Question 4

Other than the four main risk categories (credit, market, insurance and operational risks), what risk management areas are you responsible for?

EY Question 10

What is your access to the board?

EY Question 11

Click here for the full report.

The Biggest Risks and Opportunities Ahead

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For the remainder of 2013 we are likely to see pricing pressure and cost cutting, along with innovation in products, services, operations and rapid-growth market demand. These are the top risks and opportunities, respectively, as presented by Ernst & Young’s lastest study, Business Pulse: Exploring the Dual Perspectives of the Top 10 Risks and Opportunities in 2013 and Beyond.

The top three risks for the remainder of 2013 and projected for 2015:

  • Pricing pressure — Ernst & Young reports that the strength of low-cost competition and online shopping has intensified the battle for market share and that “brand-driven price premiums have become difficult and expensive to maintain.” Other factors include regulatory actions and its effects on profitability; worsening terms of trade for goods; and high wages and benefits in mature economies.
  • Cost cutting and profit pressure — Companies have cut just about all they can since the 2008 global economic crisis. This puts firms under extreme pressure to continue cutting without damaging company performance. “These pressures have intesified in recent years, reflecting the narrower margin that firms can absorb and still remain operations,” the report states.
  • Market risks — Commodity price volatility, interest and exchange rates, and equity risk are all market risks influencing cost cutting and profit pressures.
The Top 10 Risks

The top three opportunities for 2013 and beyond:

  • Innovation in products, services and operations
  • Emerging market demand growth
  • Investing in process, tools and training to achieve greater productivity

Top 10 Opportunities

What are some emerging challenges that firms may face in the future? Ernst & Young points to the following specific and possible events:

  1. The U.S. enters a deflationary trap
  2. Deep recession in the Eurozone
  3. The end of rapid growth in the BRICS
  4. A full-scale interstate war in the Middle East
  5. Cyber conflict that disrupts infrastructure and business operations

Q&A With David Hollander, Ernst & Young’s Global Insurance Advisory Leader

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On the heels of Ernst & Young’s recently released 2012 Global Consumer Insurance Survey, I spoke with David Hollander, Ernst & Young’s global insurance advisory leader, to ask a few questions the report brought up.

The report states that, in regards to younger P/C consumers, the brand can command a higher premium. Do you find this surprising and why?

DH: Initially, yes. We thought many of the millennials would be active in price competitive shopping and that price would be dominant. However, when considering the findings, we realized that this segment is accustomed to massive ad campaigns focusing on the importance of brand across all industries and the finding became less of a surprise.

What do you see for the future of online P/C business? Will it eventually be completely online or will customers always demand face time?

DH: There are many products within the P/C spectrum. Many of those products will fit and move more quickly to a web-based sales mechanism. For some products, we do see a continued shift to more “direct to company” or “aggregator” usage over the next five to 10 years. However, in no way will consumer interaction be completely web based. Companies will counteract by bundling products prompting consumers to seek more info from a live person. Also, in our study, consumers resoundingly stated that when it comes to servicing, especially when making a claim or purchase they want personal interaction.

The report states that a mere 31% of P/C consumers in Brazil are satisfied with their claims experience, as compared to 71% in the U.S. and 68% in Mexico. Why do you think there is such a vast difference?

DH: The difference in Brazil can be attributed to several factors. While in the Americas the top three measures insurers can take to improve the claims experience were: Dealt with my claim more quickly (33%), provided a better level of communication with me during the claims process (32%) and provided a more personal service (23%).

In Brazil, the same top three measures were noted, but all were mentioned by more than 40% of the customers. For instance, more than 50% of the customers expect quicker service.

Additionally, as a response to the low interest rate environment in Brazil, some insurers directed their focus on efficiency gains. One of the steps some Brazilian insurers took was to tighten their negotiations with claims services providers resulting in a reduced quality of claims servicing to customers.

In your opinion, what was the most surprising finding of the Global Consumer Consumer Insurance Survey 2012?

DH: Actually, we found three. The first being the favorable position of the insurance industry overall as a trusted provider of insurance and other investment products. The second being the degree to which consumers desire to purchase multiple products from the same product provider. And the third is the degree to which the insurance industry is behind others in rewarding loyal customers and conducting customer retention programs.