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Redesigning Sayata’s quote renewal process for better retention
Website creation
Sayata’s Renewal Process Overhaul
Rebuilding Insurance Renewals from the Ground Up for Seamless Experience
In a Nutshell
Sayata, a platform streamlining insurance for SMBs, needed a major overhaul of its renewal process. The existing flow was cumbersome, frustrating users and impacting renewal rates, which fell below market standards. Recognizing this critical challenge, I was tasked with a complete recreation of the experience. This wasn't just a facelift; it was a user-centric redesign, incorporating new technologies and features for simple and streamlined yet professional and detailed flow. This case study dives into the transformation, showcasing how we aimed to reach and surpass industry standards and re-solidified Sayata's position as a leader in user-friendly insurance solutions.
The Company
Sayata empowers insurance professionals to streamline business coverage for their SMB clients. Our technology-driven marketplace platform connects brokers and agents, offering choice and efficiency. Through innovation and education, Sayata equips professionals for success in a dynamic market.
My Role
Wearing multiple hats as Lead Product Designer, I joined forces with the PM to drive a complete renewal revolution. From deep dives into user pain points to crafting intuitive flows, integrating innovative tech, creating  flows and designs, and guiding implementation, I spearheaded the transformation.
The Renewal Labyrinth: Unveiling User Pain Points
Sayata's existing insurance renewal process wasn't just an inconvenience; it confused users who didn’t knew how to navigate within it. It required going through a maze of forms, Multiple CTAs, and unclear instructions through a non linear process, all while facing data entry in multiple modals that were added as an afterthought and opaque communication. That's exactly the experience we encountered through user research, usability testing and data analysis.
What we discovered:
Unnecessary complexity
The process was burdened with non linear flow, redundant steps, unclear instructions, and hidden requirements, leading to confusion and errors in front of their applicants.
Flow rigidity
Current renewal process is rigid and does not accommodate various insurance carrier flows, causing users to miss out on renewal options.
Information blackout
Users felt left in the dark about their policy details, renewal options, and next steps, creating anxiety and mistrust.
Back and forward communication
Manual data entry not only slowed down the process but also increased the risk of errors and delays.
The impact? Plummeting user satisfaction, increased churn, and renewal rates falling below industry averages. It was clear: the labyrinth needed a complete overhaul.
From Friction to Efficiency: Tactics Used
Our strategy to enhance Sayata's renewal process involved integrating advanced technology, adopting a flexible design, and improving user interaction.
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Technology Empowered Efficiency: Automation and AI minimized manual efforts and offered personalized insights, speeding up the process and empowering users with informed decisions.
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Flexible Architecture for Customized Journeys: We moved away from a rigid framework to a system that adapts to user and insurer needs, streamlining the renewal experience with more clarity of the process.
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Refined User Interface Design: The platform was redesigned for clarity, with a split layout for process steps and quote details, making navigation intuitive and simplifying decision-making.
These steps were aimed at directly addressing the core issues, making the renewal process more efficient and user-friendly.
Flexible Flows for Every Renewal
Instead of a rigid, one-size-fits-all flow, we created tailored paths for different scenarios of each insurance carrier. Collaborating with insurance experts and partners, we mapped out unique renewal processes for various policy types. Modular components like data capture forms, conditional logic, and progress indicators ensured every step felt tailored.
Flow chart for API Based quotes with pre-filled presumptions for one of the carriers
Visualizing the Options:
To empower brokers with a clear understanding of available paths, we crafted visual guides. These were sent in advance to their email alongside the renewal notice, so the broker will log in with already a sense of understanding.
Visual indicators for different flows, appearing in emails the brokers are receiving
Wireframes for a Modular Process
The next step was translating created flows into user-friendly interfaces. Wireframes were created with multiple iterations, focusing on drafting out the main process to make it modular and adaptable, while maintaining consistency and intuitiveness.
Modular Tiles for Flexibility:
The design process involved creating a system of modular tiles that represented specific steps. These tiles could be easily combined, added, or removed to build unique interfaces for any future flow without starting from scratch. This modular approach ensured:
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Scalability:
‍We could accommodate new carriers and policy types without extensive redesign efforts.
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Consistency:
‍The look and feel remained consistent across all flows, fostering user familiarity.
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Efficiency:
‍Development time was significantly reduced, allowing for faster iteration and testing.
Early Validation:
To ensure our modular approach worked in practice, we conducted initial usability testing with internal insurance operations teams. Their feedback was invaluable in refining the tile structure, flow logic and overall layout.
Breathing Life into the Wireframes: Design Decisions and "Sayata Insights"
With the flexible flows and modular wireframes in place, the next step was to translate them into a visually appealing and user-friendly design. Here's how we approached it:
Building on Existing Foundations:
Leveraging existing design system components formed the core, ensuring consistency and familiarity for users. However, we also introduced subtle refinements to create a more polished and streamlined aesthetic. This laid the groundwork for future features, including the planned RSA platform (see RSA Case Study) and rebuilding features previously built hastily planned to be reconstructed with proper foundations, fostering a cohesive user experience across Sayata's offerings.
The main renewal flow - the steps are laid out in the center, one step is opened at a time to not overwhelm the user, but they can see the next steps in order to reduce the communication to the applicant and ask for everything in a single go. In the right of the screen there are all of the relevant quote details - the important aspects are presented with comparison to the expiring quote, and additional details can be displayed by opening the relevant drawer. 
For different flows, like auto renewal, standard renewal, renewal expired and more, different steps can appear in the same layout, using the tile system. Also, there are variations on the steps within a flow depending on the carrier.
Spotlight Feature: Empowering Informed Decisions with Sayata Insights
Sayata Insights empowers brokers with valuable information to guide their clients through the renewal process without feeling intrusive or dictating their choices. Here's how we ensure its effectiveness:
Tailored Insights, Not Generic Sales Pitches:
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Six Insight Categories:
‍Sayata Insights delve into six key areas: Market Comparison, Coverage Optimization, Regulatory Impact, Risk Management, Performance Review, and Renewal Timeline.
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Auto-Generated and Tailored:
‍Each renewal quote triggers the automatic generation of short, concise insights specific to that particular policy, leveraging pre-existing templates and, later, potentially limitless options powered by LLMs.
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Focus on Relevance:
‍The system intelligently selects the most relevant insight to display on the main page, ensuring immediate access to the most valuable information.
Transparency and User Choice:
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Complementary Tool, Not a Replacement:
‍Sayata Insights emphasize that the broker's expertise remains paramount. The feature serves as a complementary tool, offering data-driven insights to support informed decision-making.
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Strategic Placement:
‍Positioned between the "remarket" button and the renewal quote details, Sayata Insights facilitates easy comparison and swift action if needed. It remains distinct from the quote details, avoiding any confusion between factual information and recommendations.
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Minimalist Design with Optional Exploration:
‍The initial view presents a concise overview, encouraging further exploration if desired. Users can choose to delve deeper for comprehensive insights across all six categories.
Adaptability for a Dynamic Market:
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Recognizing market fluctuations:
‍The design allows for easy disabling of the feature for maintenance or adjustments without disrupting the overall user experience, ensuring adaptability to the ever-changing insurance landscape.
Sayata Insights strike a balance between providing valuable information and respecting the broker's expertise. This user-centric approach empowers informed decision-making and fosters trust within the Sayata platform.
The place of the insights component. A single insight is presented to avoid overwhelming.
Examples of the 6 categories, the system auto picks the most relevant one to present.
After the brokers clicks to Explore Further, they are able to view all 6 insights together
Measuring the Impact
The redesigned renewal process aimed to address user pain points and drive positive business outcomes. Here's a snapshot of the achieved impact:
Renewal Rate Surge
Pre-redesign, cyber insurance renewals lagged at 62% (below the 69% industry average). Post-redesign, the rate increased to 76%, exceeding both the industry benchmark and our internal target of 75%.
Enhanced Remarketing
The redesign empowered brokers to re-market risks more effectively. The percentage of users choosing to re-market with Sayata after renewal increased by 12 points.
Reduced Support Burden
Streamlined processes and intuitive design led to a 34% decrease in support tickets related to renewals.
Scalability and Efficiency
The modular design facilitated not only the initial redesign but also the creation of 6 additional features, demonstrating its future-proof nature.
Improved User Experience
User interviews revealed a significant reduction in back-and-forth communication, leading to a more professional and efficient experience. Additionally, half of the users felt the new features helped them make informed decisions faster and better.
The redesigned renewal process delivered a clear success, improving key business metrics, user experience, and overall platform efficiency.
On insurance lines other than Cyber we had less success, due to technological limitations and the requirements of the insurance market, and future plans were made to improve those in later stages.
Key Learnings: A Roadmap for Future Success
The Sayata renewal redesign journey yielded valuable insights that will inform future design and development efforts.
‍Here are some key takeaways:
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Embrace Technology for Efficiency and Insights:
‍Leveraging automation, pre-population, and AI-powered features can streamline processes, reduce errors, and empower users with valuable data-driven insights, ultimately enhancing the user experience.
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Flexibility is the Future:
‍Building adaptable architectures that cater to diverse user needs and scenarios fosters scalability and ensures the longevity of design solutions. Modular components, like the ones used in the renewal process, enable efficient adaptation to future requirements without extensive overhauls.
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Collaboration is Key:
‍Effective collaboration between designers, product managers, insurance experts, and other stakeholders is essential for fostering a holistic understanding of the problem space and developing well-rounded solutions.
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Continuous Improvement is the Norm:
‍The Sayata renewal process redesign serves as a testament to the power of iteration. By actively measuring the impact of design decisions and incorporating user feedback, we can continuously refine and improve the user experience.
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Learning from Challenges Shapes the Future:
‍While the redesign achieved significant success on the cyber insurance line, limitations on other lines highlighted the need for further exploration and adaptation. This experience emphasizes the importance of learning from both successes and challenges to inform future improvements.
By embracing these learnings and fostering a culture of continuous iteration, we can ensure that Sayata's design and development efforts continue to deliver exceptional user experiences and drive business success.
Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to learn about this impactful project! 🫡
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