The Squirro Cognitive Search solution replaces Google Search Appliance as Helvetia Insurance overhauls its website search function, adding context and relevancy

Zurich, London, 12 June 2018 - Helvetia Insurance has replaced Google Search Appliance (GSA) with Squirro Cognitive Search, as it seeks to deliver better search results to its five million customers across Europe.

Helvetia is one of Europe’s largest insurance firms, providing an array of retail, corporate and re-insurance products to consumers and businesses all over the continent, and it receives around 150,000 searches every month across its seven web portals.

Google Search Appliance had reached the its end of lifecycle and Helvetia wanted a solution that allowed for a more cognitive approach to search, anticipating customers’ requirements and incorporating free text, context and relevancy when delivering results.

“We wanted our search function to be fast, accurate and to move away from traditional approaches to include context and intent,” said Michel Küng, Webmaster at Helvetia. “The way people use search has changed and it’s essential for us as a company to have a search function that meets those changing needs, delivering smarter and more relevant results to our customers.”

Squirro was approached by Helvetia to replace GSA, and in doing so had a brief to ensure full implementation within four weeks and to replicate the look and feel of the existing search function, while adding the free text search that was so important to Helvetia.

Squirro Cognitive Search is an enterprise search tool that uses cognitive computing to recognise context, relevancy, intent and interest to deliver markedly improved search results. Having already delivered a pilot project based on Squirro Cognitive Search in 2017 with highly successful results, Helvetia knew that Squirro’s platform could more than meet its requirements.

“Squirro Cognitive Search has delivered for us in every way that we needed it to,” added Armando Unholz, Head of Frontend Solutions - CMS. “It was up and running within the tight deadline we asked for and the free text search really builds on what we had previously. It makes searches better for our customers, so it is a better solution for us.”

The revamping of its website, including search functionality, is part of Helvetia’s 20.20 strategy, that promotes agility, innovation and customer centricity. Results are currently provided in the same way as GSA, but in future may include word clouds and other graphical representations, as well as changing the way results are sequenced.

“Helvetia’s commitment to using Squirro Cognitive Search shows the power of our search technology,” said Miguel Rodriguez, Vice President Customer Success & Consulting at Squirro. “Free text and more natural language will become increasingly important in search, as consumers and business users alike begin to demand results that better suit their purpose.”

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About Squirro
Squirro provides Augmented Intelligence solutions. Its unique technology marries Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and predictive analytics, empowering organizations to transform enterprise data into AI-driven insights. Organizations using Squirro take advantage of its ability to source leads and recommend the next best action in an automated way. Its real time 360 degree client cockpit provides a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the customer journey.

Squirro’s applications for Corporate Financial Services, Insurance and Manufacturing are successfully used by leading global organizations, such as ING, Investec, Helvetia, AXIS Re, Sony and Bühler. Founded in 2012, Squirro currently has offices in Zurich, London, Munich, New York, San Francisco and Singapore.

For more information, please visit: https://squirro.com/

About the Helvetia Group
In 160 years, the Helvetia Group has grown from a number of Swiss and foreign insurance companies into a successful international insurance group. Today, Helvetia has subsidiaries in its home market Switzerland as well as in the countries that make up the Europe market area: Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain. With its Specialty Markets market area, Helvetia is also present in France and in selected regions worldwide. Some of its investment and financing activities are managed through subsidiaries and fund companies in Luxembourg and Jersey. The Group is headquartered in St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Helvetia is active in the life and non-life business, and also offers customised specialty lines and reinsurance cover. Its business activities focus on retail customers as well as small and medium-sized companies and larger corporates. With some 6,600 employees, the company provides services to more than 5 million customers. With a business volume of CHF 8.64 billion, Helvetia generated underlying earnings of CHF 502.4 million in the 2017 financial year. The registered shares of Helvetia Holding are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol HELN.

For more information, please visit: https://www.helvetia.com

For further information:

Paul Allen / Rise PR
paul@risepr.co.uk / 07515 199 487

Geraldine Teboul – geraldine.teboul@squirro.com
+33 6 68 79 64 50