Streamlining through Power Platform: how CG TECH helped a leading multinational insurance provider overhaul their workflows and processes

Home
Streamlining through Power Platform: how CG TECH helped a leading multinational insurance provider overhaul their workflows and processes

Client
Withheld

Industry
Insurance

Organisation Size
5,000+ employees

Country
Australia, South Africa

Technologies
Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint Online

Faced with the task of upgrading their SharePoint environment and wider digital processes, a prominent multinational insurance provider sought a partner who could offer more than just a generic solution. Not only did they need to be highly skilled, but able to adapt to changing needs and deliverables as required.

The result? A CG TECH built, highly customised and industry-focused SharePoint environment that modernised workflows through Power Platform and made business easier across global branches.

Bringing 2010 into 2023

The leading multinational insurance provider were looking to decommission their SharePoint 2010 environment while maintaining their current SharePoint Online platform. The current 2010 environment was no longer Microsoft supported, since 2015. Therefore, it posed a growing risk of failure, especially considering the all-important maintenance of critical forms and workflows that supported day-to-day operations.

CG TECH were engaged and initially proposed a thorough discovery process to assess the 2010 environment’s usage, followed by a detailed migration and eventual decommissioning plan. This analysis and plan then formed the basis of the brief for how the solutions was to be built.

Aspiring to new levels of efficiency and agility

Ultimately, the goal was to create a stable, secure, and highly efficient digital environment and workspace for the insurance company’s global workforce, including some operationally critical departments and their processes – such as Payroll. This involved rebuilding the workflows and forms in SharePoint Online with an objective to provide a tailor-made and simple to implement solution that modernised their SharePoint environment, improved processes, workflows, and data security.

CG TECH’s impact was transformative from day one. Their thorough and insightful approach brought fresh ideas to the table, and their expertise allowed us to set goals we hadn’t even considered, through a stable and future-proof solution. With their support and guidance, we had full confidence in achieving a new level of operational efficiency and agility. CG TECH’s involvement has been instrumental in our company’s ability to think big, setting us on the path towards best-in-class digital solutions.

Line of Business Manager at Multinational Insurance Company.

Unearthing ineffective and insufficient layers of processes

The insurance provider knew they could be operating more efficiently in an upgraded environment, however the layers of inefficiency became much clearer once work began. A thorough analysis of the SharePoint 2010 environment exposed security and data issues, as well as basic email functionality errors resulting in missing emails, and inconsistencies of templates across the apps. CG TECH assessed the usage and relevance of various sites and organised workshops to identify existing flaws, then ultimately created a migration and workflow improvement strategy.

Implementation

Primarily focusing on collaboration with the insurer’s WHS, Finance, and Global HR teams, the project was staged across two phases and focused on process improvements, automation, and wider use of Microsoft Online tools and integration of tailor-made Microsoft Forms. The initial remit of 30 forms was successfully reduced to 8, providing a lighter and smarter workflow process.

Key aspects of the project included:

Understanding the impact of critical processes: The implementation heavily focused on the payroll team, specifically a subdivision within the team, constituting around 80% of the workforce.
Identifying and overcoming unexpected challenges: The CG TECH team faced various obstacles due to the complexity of processes. They worked to discover the company objectives and goals, and gain insights into existing workflows.
Unbiased input: CG TECH were able to provide objectivity to the project which ultimately enabled agility and flexibility in making changes.
Streamlining approval processes: CG TECH identified and eliminated unnecessary approval processes that were causing complications and delays in the customer’s operations.
Increased convenience and security: SharePoint Online and MS Forms facilitate data collection at a convenient time and place, and with better data security – for instance, within HR when registering job interviewees.
Creation of custom Forms and Apps: Instead of standalone applications, CG TECH recommended custom forms and smaller apps to avoid over-complication of processes.

Challenges

The critical operational impact of the project meant CG TECH were sometimes met with initial resistance, combined with the complexity of legacy business processes which made it tricky to pinpoint areas for improvement. CG TECH worked to understand and improve past app and site iterations through previous developers and executive approvals, exposing residual versions with lower functionality and inadequate data protection. With persistence, CG TECH were able to demonstrate potential improvements and address security concerns, ultimately leading to higher adoption and a more successful implementation.

Outcomes and Benefits

CG TECH’s approach resulted in simplified and more robust processes across varying departments and regions, while also helping to reduce costs and improved ROI. Overall, the solution enabled automated workflows and forms within SharePoint, removal of paper processes, and a more secure digital environment.

Further outcomes and benefits included:

Streamlined automation: Time and cost savings through reduced manual work and improved efficiency.
Enhanced security: Addressing potential vulnerabilities and providing new recommendations ensures a healthy and secure environment where data is protected, not just hidden.
Return on Investment (ROI): CG TECH’s process quickly reduced the provider’s ROI timeline from two years to just six months.
Operational advancement: This project dealt, in large, with departments that are critical to the operation of the business – such as HR and Payroll. By tightening up their processes, the business can operate on a much higher level of efficiency and lower level of risk.
Established best practices: Maintaining industry best practices mitigates potential risk of data breaches and protects sensitive information – essential for upholding reputational, financial, and legal standards.
Seamless global operations: Optimised systems and streamlined processes enable smooth and efficient operations for all employees and even in the most data-critical departments, regardless of where they’re located.
Client focused approach: Constant collaboration and adherence to clients’ needs resulted in a solution that kept the insurance provider happy moving forward.

By implementing efficient processes and uncovering hidden issues through discovery sessions, CG TECH knows how to exceed expectations. Automation brings significant cost savings, while scalability across multiple operations and locations is a definite winner. With CG TECH as our partner, we can instil confidence in our prospects and customers, knowing that our systems are secure, efficient, and well-managed.

Company Director of Multi-National Insurance Provider

Looking to the future

For any business looking for a SharePoint expert who can futureproof your global digital workspace, we cannot recommend CG TECH enough. Working with CG TECH to enhance our digital environments and workflows was a game-changer. They introduced us to new processes and practices, showcasing how their work aligned with our goals. Adapting deliverables as needed, they managed communications and the migration effortlessly. Their expertise has ensured our base level functionalities and advanced workflows will ensure success well into the future.

Company Director of Multi-National Insurance Provider

Looking forward, CG TECH will continue bringing their expertise to app launches, propelling the insurance provider’s digital ecosystem with exponential innovation and growth.