AIA INSURANCE

AT THE FOREFRONT OF PURPOSE LED CUSTOMER DELIGHT 

No. 1 life insurer for customer excellence in Sri Lanka

Q: As a leading insurer in Sri Lanka, how does AIA define customer excellence in today’s rapidly evolving financial services industry?

Chathuri Munaweera (CM): Customer expectations in insurance are evolving rapidly with the sector moving well beyond basic satisfaction toward true delight. There is no universal solution anymore. Customers expect personalisation, convenience, transparency and seamless journeys throughout their interactions. 

While technology is a key driver reshaping the industry, it cannot deliver excellence on its own. True customer centricity comes from combining digital capabilities with empathy and insight to design meaningful offerings and processes. 

At AIA, using technology to create frictionless experiences is standard practice but the real value lies in using data to generate actionable insights that enable hyper personalised propositions, ecosystems and services. 

And at its core, life insurance remains a relationship driven business built on trust. Therefore, we invest heavily in training and empowering our people including sales professionals. This commitment is reflected in AIA being the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) No. 1 in Sri Lanka and globally.

Sasith Bambaradeniya (SB): Empathy and respect are central to building genuine, lasting connections with customers. By understanding their needs and emotions, AIA fosters more meaningful conversations and timely, responsive interactions – ensuring customers feel supported when it matters most. 

Today’s customers expect insurers not only to protect them from risks but also help prevent or reduce the same – whether they are related to health, assets or financial wellbeing. 

This shift from the traditional ‘you die, we pay’ model to a proactive, purpose led approach is embodied in AIA’s brand promise of helping people live healthier, longer and better lives, which remains the core of our strategy for delivering customer delight.

Q: How can the purpose of an organisation fuel its drive towards customer excellence?

CM: An organisation’s purpose defines why it exists and must carry genuine meaning, not simply function as a slogan. This guides the company’s commitment to making a measurable, positive impact on all stakeholders – including policyholders – by encouraging healthier behaviours, reducing risks and supporting communities. 

Purpose is also increasingly important to consumers, who expect insurers to integrate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles into their propositions and reward healthy lifestyles. 

Bain & Company’s 2023 survey shows over 80 percent of global respondents want ESG embedded in insurance offerings and 59 percent want life insurers to support healthy living. This reinforces AIA’s belief in purpose led innovation and meaningful community engagement as essential drivers of customer excellence.

SB: Purpose must be lived, not merely communicated. Insurers must translate purpose into offerings that create real customer value and foster deeper relationships. AIA’s purpose of helping people live healthier, longer and better lives is rooted in driving long-term behavioural change. This approach underpins group level initiatives such as AIA One Billion, which aims to positively engage a billion people by 2030. 

Insights showing that many people feel becoming healthy is difficult inspired Rethink Healthy, a movement making health and wellbeing accessible and realistic. This initiative has already engaged over 200 million people across Asia. 

In Sri Lanka, AIA has launched impactful community initiatives including the AIA Healthiest Schools programme, the long running Poson safety programme, higher education scholarships and support for the Sri Lanka Cancer Society (SLCS). These efforts reinforce healthy habits and address real community needs. 

“Most Loved Insurer and No. 1 in customer excellence – all demonstrating the power of purpose in shaping customer delight”

Customers increasingly choose AIA not only for its products but what it stands for. We lead Sri Lanka in net promoter score (NPS), report record levels of purpose association and achieved 25.4 percent growth from 2023 to 2024. AIA was recognised as the country’s Most Loved Insurer and is No. 1 in customer excellence – all demonstrating the power of purpose in shaping customer delight.

Q: Can you share a few recent milestones achieved by your organisation in the realm of customer excellence? 

CM: AIA has made significant strides in digital innovation to enhance customer experience, leveraging world-class technology and security from AIA Group. 

The company introduced multiple convenient payment gateways and became the first insurer in the sector to launch a fully automated interactive voice response (IVR) system, enabling customers to access policy information quickly and easily. 

AIA also pioneered enterprise grade remote digital signatures and digitalised policy issuance and underwriting, providing greater speed and convenience. 

Continuing this momentum, AIA has launched the AIA NOVA transformation project – a strategic initiative aimed at elevating operations, people development and customer experience. NOVA strengthens technological leadership, boosts operational efficiency, and ensures the organisation and its customers are future ready.

SB: AIA’s focus is on evolving from a simple payer to a true partner in customers’ wellbeing. Beyond insurance products, AIA offers a holistic wellness ecosystem including telemedicine, gyms, dental care, optometry services, clean water solutions and spa treatments – supporting customers’ physical and financial wellbeing. 

These efforts have resulted in AIA being ranked No. 1 in NPS for both customers and distribution, and being named the Most Loved Insurer in the Corporate Brands category, reflecting strong customer trust and advocacy.

• Telephone 2310310
• Website www.aialife.com.lk