Columbia Insurance Group (Columbia), a mutual insurance company specializing in comprehensive property and casualty insurance for small and mid-sized businesses, and Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) announce a new partnership.
Columbia selected Guidewire InsuranceSuite as their next technological platform to ensure they are serving customers to the best of their ability. Soon Guidewire will power Columbia’s core business, simplify its IT operations and help deliver additional value to agents, policyholders and employees.
It is an essential move to meet the changing market demands, according to Columbia Vice President and Chief Information Officer Lisa Wharton.
“We selected Guidewire because we needed to modernize our technology platform to meet our long-term business strategy needs,” she said. “Guidewire is the leading insurance software provider in the world. It is ahead of others in functionality, focus on research and development, and support, just to name a few.”
Columbia plans to implement InsuranceSuite on Guidewire Cloud for all lines of business in each of the states where it operates individually. Guidewire PartnerConnect Consulting Global Premier member PwC will aid in the project’s implementation.
According to PwC Global Guidewire Practice Leader Imran Ilyas, they are pleased to help guide Columbia’s technological transformation.
“In today's dynamic and ever-changing business environment, cloud transformation has become an essential requirement rather than a luxury,” Ilyas said. “We remain dedicated to providing Columbia with unmatched expertise and support as they embark on this transformative project.”
Wharton agreed. “Guidewire’s approach to cloud transformation made it an easy next choice. The automation, real-time processing and ability to take advantage of emerging technologies will position us to better compete with bigger insurers.”
Guidewire Chief Sales Officer David Laker said Guidewire is happy to partner on this newest chapter in Columbia’s journey to serve customers well. “We are pleased Columbia has chosen Guidewire to serve as the technology foundation to continue its mission of building enduring relationships with its customers by providing exceptional service and value,” he said.
Wharton said this new partnership helps ensure Columbia’s trusted, superior customer service will continue for generations to come.
“It is truly a monumental time for Columbia, and Guidewire is a key part of that plan. It offers a new, innovative approach enabling smaller insurers to implement emerging technologies in a more economical and expedient fashion,” she said. “We are confident in our plan to deliver a state-of-the-art system that will provide a better experience with less transactional friction, higher efficiency and improved speed to market.”
Columbia also selected Guidewire Canvas, Guidewire Compare, Guidewire Explore, Guidewire HazardHub and Guidewire Predict to embed insights—and the data behind those insights—directly into policy and claims workflows. Additionally, the company selected SmartCOMM™ from Smart Communications for customer communications management. Guidewire is a reseller of Smart Communications, a Guidewire PartnerConnect Solution member.
About Columbia Insurance Group
Insuring peace of mind since 1889, Columbia Insurance Group specializes in providing comprehensive property and casualty insurance protection to small and mid-sized businesses. Thanks to a dedication to exceptional service, partnership with incredible independent agents and a commitment to continuous improvement, today CIG serves policy holders in 14 states with regional offices in Columbia (headquarters), Atlanta, Austin and Omaha. For more information, please visit http://www.colinsgrp.com.
About PwC
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 152 countries with over 327,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.