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Understanding the Impacts of Digital Transformation in the Service Industry: the Mutation of the Back-Office Function in the Insurance Sector

Author

Listed:
  • John Levesque
  • Cédric Dalmasso

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Sophie Hooge

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate how the digital transformation of the insurance sector has impacted its Back Office function, and how the evolution of the core Claims Administrator profession affects the larger service production process. Our work seeks to confront the established organizational design literature of customer interactionbased activities, with more recent literature on major contexts of service disruption, such as digital transformation and the Covid-19 pandemic. The study is founded on empirical data obtained from semi-structured interviews with Back Office practitioners from three large insurance firms based in France, which was analyzed using an inductive qualitative content methodology. The paper identifies three key results: 1) the multi-dimensional impacts of digital transformation have caused a paradigm shift for the professionals of the BO function; 2) the brutal and unforeseen nature of 2020 and 2021 nationwide Covid-19 lockdowns did not translate into specific transformations of the BO function but accelerate the pre-existing ones from digital transformation implementation (mainly, on resources and tools Management; training and structure); 3) the evolution of the BO function is marked by a shift towards a new dual customer interaction model that significantly transforms the insurance sector's service production process model.

Suggested Citation

  • John Levesque & Cédric Dalmasso & Sophie Hooge, 2022. "Understanding the Impacts of Digital Transformation in the Service Industry: the Mutation of the Back-Office Function in the Insurance Sector," Post-Print hal-04068150, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04068150
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://minesparis-psl.hal.science/hal-04068150
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    File URL: https://minesparis-psl.hal.science/hal-04068150/document
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Back office; Digital Transformation; Customer Interaction Model; Organizational Design; Insurance sector;
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