TAL has announced a new three-year strategic agreement with Microsoft, to harnesses generative AI to enhance customer and employee experiences. The company is already a member of the Copilot for Microsoft 365 Early Access Program and is deploying new technologies including Azure OpenAI Service.

One use case is focused on streamlining insurance claims processing for customers and employees. Developed using Azure OpenAI Service, the ‘Claims Assist Knowledge Search’ is a search assistant for TAL’s Claims and Customer Service teams to tap into TAL’s knowledge bank and help them respond to customer queries faster.

The life insurer is also developing a solution which automates manual indexing of emails using a combination of AI and robotics to improve efficiency and accuracy.

Sajeewa Arachchillage, Head of Digital Engineering at TAL said, “At TAL, we are committed to leading the life insurance sector by integrating intelligence and automation into our core business to drive meaningful insights from our data.

“We are streamlining our processes with innovative technology to better serve our customers and support our people with relevant skills and capabilities to get them ready for an exciting future.”

The agreement includes a significant uplift in employee access to several Microsoft Copilot solutions, making TAL one of the first organisations in Australia to deploy Copilot at scale.

An additional 2,000 licenses for Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be rolled out following strong results in time savings and operational efficiencies from TAL’s participation in the Early Access Program that kicked off in October 2023.

The majority of TAL’s early access users found Copilot jump-starts the creative process and allows them to focus on more meaningful work^[1]. On average, users are reporting saving 1–2 hours per week on routine tasks, with some users saving up to 5–6 hours a week.

TAL was also the first life insurer to sign up for Microsoft’s Copilot for Security Early Access Program to test the ability for generative AI to enhance its cyber security capabilities.

^[1] Data based on a survey of TAL users conducted by TAL internally, November 2023 – February 2024.