Sell faster – control centrally: How to strike a balance between product focus and sales orientation

Sales orientation and product focus in rate, quote and application processes

In the modern insurance world, companies face a key challenge: How can sales-oriented rate, quote and application processes be designed without losing sight of product focus? The answer lies in a clear separation of product logic and sales technology – and in centralised product control via a product engine that can be easily and quickly integrated into existing and new user interfaces.

Product focus as a basis

The basis for efficient rate, quote and application processes is a central product engine that manages all relevant product information – from pricing logic and calculation rules to coverage modules and text modules.

This central instance ensures that all sales channels (broker portal, direct sales, field service app or comparison calculator) have access to identical product information. Changes to products therefore only need to be maintained once centrally and are then consistently available across all channels.

Sales orientation through flexible integration

To ensure that product information is not only technically correct but also presented in a sales-oriented manner, it makes sense to integrate it technically into the respective user interfaces.

As part of pre-integration into the user interfaces, standardised interfaces, widgets and logic can be provided, allowing the central product logic to be seamlessly integrated into existing or new sales front ends.

This allows for:

• the individual design of the user interface in the corporate design of the respective channel,
• the addition of specific consulting or cross-selling elements,
• and at the same time the maintenance of product consistency across all channels.

This allows sales to rely on flexible, modern user experiences, while a stable, uniform product base works in the background.

Reduced maintenance effort through centralised control

A key advantage of the architecture is its low maintenance requirements.

Product changes – such as new tariffs, modified calculation parameters or regulatory adjustments – only need to be made once in the product engine.

Thanks to pre-integration, these changes are automatically delivered to all front ends without the need for separate adjustments or tests in each channel.

This leads to:

• less duplication of work in IT and in the specialist department,
• lower risk of errors due to manual transfers,
• and significantly lower operating costs over the life cycle of a product.

Shortened time to market

Another strategic advantage is the massive acceleration of time to market. New products or tariff variants can be configured centrally and activated immediately in all connected sales systems. Since the front ends automatically access the latest product data via pre-integration, the usual time-consuming synchronisation between the specialist department, IT and external sales partners is no longer necessary.

Especially in highly competitive markets – such as the automotive or commercial sectors – this agility can give you a decisive edge.

Conclusion

The combination of a central product engine and integration into the rate, quote and application process creates an ideal balance between product focus and sales orientation.

While the product engine ensures consistency of content and ease of maintenance, pre-integration enables flexible, sales-oriented presentation across a wide range of channels.

The result: Lower maintenance costs, a faster time to market, and a consistent customer experience – from the first click to the conclusion of the contract.