Abhishek Kumar is an AI product leader at NY Life.
The phone rings during lunch. A policyholder has a question about a claim. The call center agent pulls up the file, asks for verification, puts the caller on hold and begins searching for answers. Ten minutes later, the caller is still waiting.
This scene plays out thousands of times every day across the life insurance industry. It is expensive, slow for customers and frustrating for agents. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that, but the bigger story is not simply replacing people with software. It is about redesigning how insurers deliver service and deciding when technology should act versus when humans should step in.
The Call Center Problem
Life insurers have invested heavily in call center operations for decades, from large support centers to extensive training and quality assurance. According to Deloitte, insurance call center interactions typically cost between $5 and $15 each, often exceeding the value of routine requests.
