Manulife Launches Insurance Benefits Voice Control with Alexa

Insurance can be tricky to manage sometimes, but Manulife is making it as simple as asking a question.

In an industry first, the Canadian insurance giant has launched the Manulife Benefits Skill for Amazon Alexa, allowing group benefits plan members to ask questions about tracking and remaining funds. Users with any Amazon Alexa-enabled device can use the skill when it launches this December.

“The days of expecting plan members to fill out forms or wait for a response on a quick balance check are over. Smartphones and other technologies have changed the way people do things,” said Donna Carbell, senior VP of Group Benefits at Manulife. “They want to interact when and where it’s convenient for them, so we’ve made it easier than ever for plan members to get the most out of their group benefits plan.”

Plan members will be able to ask Alexa to check vision care, dental care, and other medical account balances. All of the relevant information will be presented in a conversational manner.

These Alexa skills were developed through the Manulife innovations labs LOFT and RED Lab, in collaboration with business units across the company.

“Conversational artificial intelligence is becoming the fastest growing technology interaction method,” said Jim Stirtzinger, director of the RED Lab at Manulife. “If life is a juggling act, we’ve just given plan members an extra set of hands.”

This announcement is a step towards making insurance as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible for customers. Manulife wants to focus on innovative technologies that will let users reclaim their time and stop waiting around for answers to basic questions.

Manulife insurance integration is the latest in a slew of Alexa integrations that are coming to Canada.