Singapore Insurer’s AI handles Over 20% of Email Enquiries

Int’l Insurance Desk: Singlife has stepped up its use of artificial intelligence to manage a growing share of customer emails and ease the load on its service teams.

The insurer’s General Insurance Email Agent, built with Salesforce, now handles more than 20% of the enquiries that arrive by email. The system reviews each message in real time, works out its nature and urgency, and routes it to the right place. Simple requests can receive an instant reply from the AI, while more complex or sensitive matters are passed to human agents.

The approach proved useful earlier this year when email volumes rose. Singlife said it was able to keep service standards steady and close most enquiries within two days. Alongside the email agent, the company continues to rely on Buddy, an AI tool introduced last year that sits with customer service staff and supplies real-time answers. Since its introduction Buddy has cut average handling time by 30% and shortened the training period for new recruits by 50%, bringing onboarding down from four weeks to two.

Looking ahead, Singlife intends to turn Buddy into a customer-facing digital agent. Policyholders would then be able to check policy details and complete routine self-service tasks directly through digital channels without always needing to speak to a person. The dual use of AI for both automated replies and staff support forms part of the insurer’s broader effort to improve response times while keeping complex cases under human oversight.