Large Insurance Cooperative Moves to Low-Code Application Development with Mendix

Dutch Insurer TVM Helps Transport Companies Accelerate Damage Claims Process with ‘Bumper’ Low-Code Application

• Application developed with Mendix low-code platform helps more than 200 fleet managers process damage reports more quickly and efficiently
• Insights into patterns through data analysis should ensure a safer transport sector

BOSTON – June 8, 2021 – Mendix, a Siemens business and global leader in low-code application development for the enterprise, announced that TVM, a leading Dutch cooperative in the insurance industry specializing in logistics and transport, has developed an innovative application for streamlined damage registration. The new Bumper app is built on Mendix’s low-code platform and enables drivers to report accidents and vehicle damage easily and efficiently. Fleet managers at transportation companies get a clear overview of all damages, which they can immediately forward to the insurer, as needed. The new application built by TVM underscores the fact that leading insurance companies are increasingly adopting enterprise low-code from Mendix to build mission-critical ‘run the business’ applications.

The Bumper application enriches and analyzes the collected data, improving TVM’s insight into the damage patterns, enabling the insurer to proactively advise transport companies with the ultimate goal of creating a safer transport sector. With Bumper, TVM is demonstrating the role that innovative digital solutions can play in helping the industry better serve their customers, while also gaining valuable insights to improve their bottom line.

A cool, calm, and (data) collected app for accident reporting

When drivers get involved in an accident, they want to continue their journey as quickly as possible. Logically, one does not want to fill in a damage report, since it

entails lots of paperwork. Unfortunately, this often results in fleet managers receiving incomplete claim forms, photos via Whatsapp, or telephone reports, and registrations via Excel lists when damage information has been passed on to the insurance company. To digitalize this process, a multidisciplinary team at TVM was assembled to work on a solution.

“The starting points were that a damage report had to be ‘first time right’ and that the fleet manager would gain a better insight into the damage,” explains Thomas van Noort, head of business development at TVM.

Bumper consists of a mobile web application for drivers and a dashboard for fleet managers. In the event of a claim, a driver calls the fleet manager, who fills in the initial information and then sends the driver a link to the Bumper web environment. To keep the task requirements for a driver as low as possible, he or she does not have to log in separately. Certain data elements, such as vehicle information, will already be entered in the app. The damage report then arrives at the fleet manager, who can immediately forward the case to the insurer or handle it himself. The data about the claims that are not reported to the insurer — for example, because they are resolved in their own workshop — always remains in the possession of the fleet manager. Therefore, the impact of damage reports on services or premiums from the insurer are minimized.

Bumper was developed in six months by a team of three senior Mendix developers, a tester, a UX designer, and a product owner working together within the low-code platform from Mendix. Low-code is a visual development approach to application development that allows developers with different levels of experience to create applications for web and mobile, using drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic through a graphical user interface.

Continuous improvement

The application has been further optimized in three-week sprints. Added features include the ability to report one-sided and two-sided damage, and damage of work material or possessions of third parties. During the initial development process of Bumper, the primary focus was on ease of use.

“One of the most important lessons we followed during development was to constantly stay focused on usability. You can think of so many new things, but in the end you want to keep it simple so that you can be of real added value for the customer. Mendix’s low-code platform enables us to quickly process customer feedback and to continuously improve Bumper,” says Van Noort. “In the future, we would like to combine other data sources with information on damage registration, such as  weather conditions or the traffic situation. We also want to develop a benchmark tool so that fleet managers can learn from other members.”

What’s special about the development process is not only the speed, but also the major role that the members of TVM play in validating the product. Frank Woestenburg, corporate communication manager at TVM, says, “We are a cooperative insurer and have been supporting entrepreneurs in the transport sector since 1962. Compared to traditional insurers, TVM also acts as a representative of the industries’ interests. Last year for example, the firm returned ten million euros to Dutch members. TVM is also well known for its long-term focus on road safety by organizing safe driving campaigns, including the popular ‘Ridders van de Weg’ (Knights of the Road) and other ways to improve broad awareness for road safety. Bumper is certainly not a portal for TVM or a way to improve our internal processes, but really a tool to help our members gain more insight and reduce their risks.”

“TVM shows that, with low-code, you can do more than digitize existing processes,” says Rob Versluis, customer success manager at Mendix. “Bumper changes the way transport companies deal with damage reports and provides an analysis of an important cost item, without losing sight of usability for the drivers. By focusing on innovation, TVM proves that it’s more than a traditional insurer, but a real partner for its members.”

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