In 1934, MAIF (France) was established to disrupt the market and to share risk and build trust. This all happened during the advent of the telephone and the founders leveraged this technological advancement to help increase customer satisfaction. They had a strong collaborative focus, much like the start-ups of today.

Today, MAIF collaborates with start-ups to create something new. When MAIF was created, it was at a time when ownership was king. This has now shifted to insuring the shared kilometres that we travel, as opposed to just the car. This is a far more versatile, agile market as society is now built on sharing.

People now want to access a service only when they need it. Not only insurers are affected, as people eat more prepared food delivered by platforms, so refrigerators will get smaller and will be controlled by a tablet.  

When a MAIF member has an accident and is unable to use his car, the adviser already understands the usage needs of that customer, so can respond appropriately and in a timely way. Now insurers must create trust and reassurance by demonstrating this flexibility. It is all about the understanding customer experience.

Aspirations and needs will drive motor insurance, not technology. Long term loyalty is MAIF’s proposition, which means keeping the confidence of the members throughout the relationship.

The company attempts to continually reinvent its thinking. It searches for start-ups which need funding, and which have some shared DNA to help evolve and disrupt MAIF (for example, a car sharing platform for disabled drivers).

A key success factor is to change behaviours and stop looking down on start-ups. Meet them in the middle, integrate their behaviours and cultures, and then invest in them. Their members are using a variety of these platforms; MAIF cannot be out of step with its members.