How Swiss Re rethought CRM and transformed it into an intelligent engagement hub

Many companies talk about transformation, while Swiss Re Corporate Solutions (CorSo) has achieved it. The chapter titled “Swiss Re Corporate Solutions: Transforming a Traditional CRM System into a Customer Engagement Management (CEM) Solution” effectively illustrates the process of replacing a traditional CRM system with a platform that is data-driven, process-oriented, and strategically effective.

What I took away from the chapter:

• True transformation begins not with a new tool but with the decision to use CRM as the central control for all customer interactions.
  
  
• CorSo replaced its CRM system with an internal, service-based CEM architecture that is context-based and cross-system. The architecture is directly integrated into specialist applications.
  
  
• The focus has shifted from “entering data” to “working with data”. The aim was to create a data-driven organization with a consistent customer profile as the foundation.
  
  
• The implementation is excellent, utilizing interaction data (such as emails, calendars, and meeting notes) to create relationship graphs and recommendation logic, representing a new level of network intelligence.
  
  
• This is not just a theoretical example from the lab; it is backed up by concrete use cases, including better meeting preparation, more targeted marketing, and more relevant feedback management.

My conclusion: This chapter is a prime example of intelligent CRM development, rooted in practice and designed for practical application. Anyone seeking to rethink, connect, and effectively utilize CRM in order to enhance customer proximity, will find valuable insights here. CorSo is doing what many companies are still only planning to achieve.

🔗 To the book on Springer

This blog post is based on the chapter „Swiss Re Corporate Solutions: Transforming a Traditional CRM System into a Customer Engagement Management (CEM) Solution“ by Tobias Mäder from the book "CRM Goes Digital – Design and Use of Digital Customer Interface in Marketing, Sales and Service," published in 2024 by Springer Gabler Publishing House.