Legal issues? DAS UK provides Alexa users with answers

DAS UK Group has become the world’s first legal expenses insurer to launch an innovative new Alexa skill for the Amazon Echo. DAS customers and the general public will be able to ask a variety of questions regarding legal expenses insurance and a range of common legal issues such as disputes with neighbours, employment tribunals and redundancy.

By adding voice interaction to its services, DAS UK is set to take advantage of a technology that is rapidly becoming consumers’ preferred method of communication in an evermore digitised age. A recent survey* of more than 5,000 consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany revealed that nearly a quarter of respondents would rather use a voice assistant than a website, a figure that is actually expected to rise to 40% in the next three years. The real appeal of voice interaction lies in its application as a ‘virtual concierge’ – easy to use, minimal effort, real time answers with the ability to initiate tasks.

The new DAS Alexa skill will provide a question and answer structure that will be regularly updated based on popular legal themes and emerging trends such as cyber insurance. The technology will be available to anyone in the UK who has an Amazon Echo and will be free to download from the Amazon store.

The launch of the Alexa skill is also a continuation of DAS’s award-winning 2017 Customer Understanding Project that analysed the trends and behaviours of thousands of brokers and consumers. James Henderson, Managing Director Insurance UK & Ireland, DAS UK Group, said: “We have undertaken a great deal of work to understand our customers’ needs and the launch of the Alexa skill is a direct result of that. Amazon's Echo products are highly popular and the Alexa app is one of the most downloaded.”

We’re always looking for innovative Solutions

As more and more people rely on a virtual assistant to help with their daily lives, DAS UK wanted to take this important step to help improve people’s understanding of legal expenses insurance and the benefits it offers. It is vital for the Legal Expense Specialist to be at the forefront of technical innovations that will digitise the business and provide them with opportunities to reach potentially vast new audiences. James Henderson: “As a company we have begun a process of constant innovation and we have a number of other exciting developments planned for the coming year.”

Kevin Neal, Head of Strategy & Innovation, DAS UK Group, added: “We’re always looking for innovative solutions that benefit our business partners and their customers. Alexa is our first foray into the world of smart voice assistants, and it will be interesting to see how customers use this tool to help understand their cover and how it might be of use to them.”
DAS UK will be developing further content as they learn more about how customers interact with Alexa and the type of information they’re looking for. In particular, they’ll be educating both brokers and consumers about the emerging cyber insurance market which is set to be a major area for growth in 2018.

* January 2018 – Capgemini Digital Transformation Institute “Conversational Commerce: Why Consumers Are Embracing Voice Assistants in Their Lives”