Customer retention via a platform for trade services – implemented simply and in a customer-oriented way
“MeinZuhause und ich” is a platform built entirely on AWS that connects Provinzial customers with a network of tradespeople. This is how the regional insurer is positioning itself as a point of contact for all matters relating to home ownership.
Provinzial Rheinland is a leading German insurance company. Based in Düsseldorf, the public insurer belongs to the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe and is active as a property, accident and personal insurer.
The project at a glance
- Fast time to market: It took only 9 weeks to complete the MVP.
- High scalability thanks to the Function-as-a-Service approach
- Excellent user experience
- 1,000 registered users shortly after the launch
Initial situation
Provinzial Rheinland is constantly developing new and modern concepts in order to meet the needs of its customers. Developments extend beyond the horizon of the insurance industry and offer customers added value that they would not expect from a traditional insurance company. The current project “MeinZuhause und ich” (My Home and I) positions the regional insurer as a point of contact for all matters relating to home ownership.
The “MeinZuhause und ich” platform has been online since October 2019, offering customers services for their own home – easily and in digital form. This platform gives customers direct access to Provinzial Rheinland's quality-approved network of regional tradespeople. There are currently people from seven different trades: painters, flooring, carpenters, sanitary/heating, roofers, tilers, and electricians.
Solution
'MeinZuhause und ich' is a two-sided platform built entirely on AWS (Amazon Web Services) that connects Provincial customers with a qualified network of tradespeople. Based on the "Fastlane" method developed by codecentric and UX&I, the basic assumptions were tested in a design sprint to develop a portable platform model with clear use cases. By taking a greenfield approach, i.e. one that is completely separate from the rest of the infrastructure, and making extensive use of AWS Amplify as a low-code environment, it was possible to integrate a wide range of cloud services such as CloudWatch, CloudFront, Lambda and AppSync in a short period of time. In nine weeks, a minimum viable product (MVP) was developed following the mob programming working model in order to conduct a test with real users on a tangible product. The platform could be transferred into productive operation only five months after the kickoff following an adjustment phase in which user feedback was incorporated and legal clarification was addressed.
Result
A new model from Provinzial to increase customer loyalty was tested in a way that was low-risk and customer-oriented, and enabled the application of modern development methods. The team's autonomous work and the extensive use of cloud services enabled the platform to meet its launch deadline after five months, so that the objectives set were largely achieved:
- With an MVP development time of nine weeks, the time-to-market was significantly less than the time span of classic projects.
- Additional business areas and businesses can also be implemented with manageable technical effort using a Functions-as-a-Service approach. AWS was used as the technical base to offer the possibility to handle exponential growth.
- The extensive testing phase, which was an integral part of the Fastlane program, ensured unfiltered feedback through direct discussions and tests with potential customers and tradespeople in order to create an excellent user experience.
- Customer retention as an overarching goal cannot be directly measured based on the current status of the project and proven as a success. With over 1000 registered users, the service has been successfully adopted and is binding customers more closely to the Provinzial ecosystem.
The platform was named “Brand Experience of the Year” at the German Brand Awards 
in June 2020.
Patric Fedlmaier
CEO, Provinzial Rheinland
“MeinZuhause und ich” was implemented as a lighthouse project for successful agile work in a cloud-native context. codecentric and UX&I were able to demonstrate that a significant acceleration in the development cycle can be achieved while maintaining a high level of quality using a targeted approach within the Fastlane program.
Patric Fedlmaier
CEO, Provinzial Rheinland
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