Aviva and Co-operative Financial Services Finalists at Prestigious FST Awards

Transversal implementations shortlisted for 2010 Financial Sector Technology Award

Cambridge, UK, 26 March 2010: Aviva and Co-operative Financial Services have been recognized for their innovative Transversal self-service implementations at the prestigious Financial Sector Technology (FST) Awards 2010.

The awards, held last night at the Lancaster London Hotel, recognize excellence and innovation in the field of information technology within the UK financial sector. They are judged on how entrants’ strategic use of technology has delivered cost benefits, improved internal processes, enhanced customer service and helped future business success. 2010 marks the fourth year that Transversal implementations have won or been shortlisted for FST Awards.

Aviva was a finalist in the Best Use of IT in Insurance category for its advanced HR self-service solution, which uses Transversal’s Ask HR software to provide instant, consistent answers to HR queries covering areas such as holiday entitlement, maternity/paternity leave policies, redundancy and sickness absence for Aviva’s 23,500 UK staff around the clock. Ask HR now handles 69% of all HR enquiries, reducing telephone calls and allowing HR staff to focus on more complex queries.

Co-operative Financial Services was shortlisted for its Ask a Question online customer service solution in the Best Use of CRM Technology section of the awards. This Web self-service solution answers 98% of customer queries online. Over 17,000 people are now asking questions each week, receiving instant online service and reducing calls to the contact centre, freeing up agents to focus on more complex, time-intensive queries from customers.

Developed from research at the University of Cambridge, Transversal’s software is based on advanced natural language search and artificial intelligence technology. It is used by blue-chip organizations across the UK to improve customer service, answer employee queries and support contact centre staff.

"The FST Awards recognize the very best use of technology to drive the financial services industry forward," said Davin Yap, CEO, Transversal. "The success of our customers reflects the vital importance of advanced self-service technology to improve service levels and deliver differentiation for leaders such as Aviva and Co-operative Financial Services. This enables them to flourish and expand in fiercely competitive markets by delivering the right information at the right time."

Aviva is the world’s fifth largest insurance group, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. It is the largest insurance services provider in the UK, where it operates three main businesses: general insurance, life insurance and motoring organization the RAC. In June 2009 Norwich Union changed its name to become Aviva in the UK.

The Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) is part of The Co-operative Group, the UK's largest consumer co-operative. CFS is a group of businesses that includes The Co-operative Insurance and The Co-operative Bank, including smile and Britannia. It has 6 million customers across the whole spectrum of financial services.