Suncorp is a listed financial services company with $115 billion in assets and over 9 million customers across Australia and New Zealand. Suncorp offers insurance and banking products and services through some of Australia and New Zealand’s most recognised financial brands, which include Suncorp, AAMI, Apia, GIO, Shannons and Vero. Suncorp plays a key role in protecting the assets and livelihoods of its customers and their communities through home, motor, and commercial insurance and other specialty insurance products, as well as home and small business lending and transactional banking products.

Suncorp has focused on building futures and protecting what matters for over 100 years. Suncorp continues to evolve and ensure it remains relevant and competitive, and they have defined its strategic foundations, which guide the choices it makes today. One of those strategic pillars is People–enhancing skills and ways of working to reflect the changing needs of their business.

The Future of Learning program is a Consumer Insurance initiative managed and delivered by the Customer Service division. The Customer Service (CS) division supports customers across ten brands & 12 channels, with over 8.7 million sales and service interactions per year. CS plays a critical role in connecting customers with brands and products that create value for them and help resolve their more complex inquiries through their assisted channels. Customers are supported through inbound and outbound calls, email, chat, events, and multiple social media & online platforms.

Customer service employs a diverse and complex workforce increasingly working in flexible, part-time, geographically dispersed, and virtual environments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia, the business moved to deliver the existing face-to-face induction material virtually. The results for inductees highlighted that speed to competence was slow, and learners lacked connectivity with brands and the wider business teams.

The business understood that it needed to invest in redesigning its induction and training program to attract and retain great talent. Suncorp believed they needed an onboarding approach that was fit for purpose, catered to the workforce’s diverse needs, could be flexibly consumed, and supported higher speeds to competency.

The opportunity to invest in and redefine the induction and onboarding experience would not only help solve the immediate people experience needs and consequential business impacts but would also create a learning approach to support the business needs into the future. The business would need to evolve and grow in line with ever-changing customer needs, technical capability, advancements, and strategic business direction.

The program has delivered a comprehensive, multi-modal, blended induction experience that centres around capabilities and skills-based learning. This transformation has not only made the induction process more efficient but has also turned learners into independent thinkers, promoting higher levels of problem-solving skills and encouraging connections between information and experiences. These changes have delivered significant benefits within the business such as higher engagement, increased speed to competency and reduced turnover. Suncorp is excited to offer this enhanced learning experience to our potential recruits, which is a testament to our commitment to their growth and development.

Change is a constant in any business, so they know the Future of Learning will never be considered ‘done’. However, the foundational work has been completed to transform the new employee experience and set Suncorp’s learning approach up to support the business no matter how it evolves into the future.

For information about Suncorp, visit suncorp.com.au