9 March 2012

Aviva Risk Management Solutions is piloting a mobile solution for its 120 risk advisors based on BlackBerry Playbook tablet computers, which have already been selected as its portable device of choice.

The advisors make technical risk assessments of commercial premises across the UK, and the new system will enable them to process the information on site, improving their productivity.

The PlayBooks are being pre-loaded with a bespoke risk assessment application, which has been developed by Formicary Collaboration Group, a provider of real-time team collaboration solutions, and Float, which describes itself as a digital ideas company.

Aviva stipulated that the system should be able to work offline in commercial properties where online connectivity was not always available. It also had to accommodate the entire assessment, and had to allow images to be embedded in reports to underwriters, and to be attractive to risk assessors accustomed to using paper-based reporting methods.

Forms consisting of text entry, selectable options and sliders are used to enter the core data. There are additional options to make freeform notes and take photos.

According to senior project manager Paul Heybourne: "The solution brings improved workload management to our advisers, faster resolution times to our customers and higher-calibre reporting for our underwriters."

The trials are being run over the winter, and a full roll-out is due to follow in 2012.

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