Delvag gains employee buy-in for digitalization

“We wanted to get everyone on board and remove any reservations from the start. We succeeded at this!” states René Schmalen, Head of Claims at Delvag, speaking about the introduction of the new ECM system. How did the insurance expert for the Lufthansa Group accomplish this? With a sophisticated change management concept and an ECM solution that is embraced by employees because it lessens their workload.

Delvag settles 4,000 claims a year. Until recently, the majority of these were filed manually and on paper, although the insurance provider was already running its own insurance application and in-house document management system (DMS). But if the employees don’t like using the system, this is a big problem. That was also the story at Delvag. The old DMS lacked important search and sorting functions. It had no electronic files that bundle documents in a business context. There was no way to archive in an audit-proof way. So employees printed out documents, edited them on paper, and filed them in paper folders. This only caused new problems: documents existed in duplicate, digitally and on paper, and searching through thousands of printouts became increasingly difficult. “The old DMS was not flexible enough to structure complex cases,” recalls René Schmalen, “and there was no electronic approval process. This meant that if we needed a signature, we had to do it by hand and scan the document or store it in a paper file.” The increasing volume of business could hardly be managed this old way. So Delvag sought a new solution that better supports business processes and makes work easier for employees – and they found it with Doxis.

Cross-departmental workflows for settlements and approvals, digital signatures, conveniently searchable electronic claims and customer files: All these ECM solutions significantly changed the way Delvag works. This is also noticeable in terms of space: René Schmalen works today at a smaller desk – because he needs less space without paper. "I really appreciate the ability to work digitally: I can get the information I need even better, quickly provide approvals and when talking to customers, I don't need to run to the filing cabinet or ask a colleague for information. This is a significant improvement over the old paper solution." All employees should benefit from these advantages. For this reason, it was important for Delvag to get rid of any reservations or fears and help its employees prepare for the new digital way of working. To achieve this goal, Delvag implemented a change management program that facilitated the transition for employees.

Before the roll-out of Doxis, employees, particularly key users, learned about the new ECM features through on-site training. They became important go-to persons for their colleagues, and were able to explain the new way of working in person and answer any questions. Additionally, Delvag uses video tutorials that are available to all employees. This blended learning approach enables employees to educate themselves as they see fit, and quickly learn at any time (for example, from the home office) about the features that will help them. Even after the roll-out, the insurance provider continues to hold regular interactive workshops. “The workshops give employees the opportunity to discover new functions that make their work day easier,” says René Schmalen. “The new ECM is more modern and efficient, faster, and our employees enjoy their daily work.”

To further boost the acceptance of the ECM system, René Schmalen and his team developed a campaign with a logo, jingle and promotional video that demonstrated in a humorous way the advantages of paper-free work. The employees who were most involved in the ECM roll-out were able to share their passion for the new way of working; their enthusiasm for digitalization quickly spread to the entire company. The campaign – designed by employees for employees – was the perfect way, according to René Schmalen, to promote identification with Doxis: “We wanted to get everyone on board and remove any reservations from the start. We succeeded at this!”