Aviva Risk Management Solutions is piloting tablet-based SOLAR PlayBook App, which enables Aviva's 120 risk advisers to process technical risk information about commercial premises on site. The bespoke risk assessment application lets Aviva's risk assessment team replace pen and paper assessment processes with Blackberry PlayBooks pre-loaded with SOLAR PlayBook, removing the need for the adviser to return to their desk before assessments can be processed, according to an Aviva statement.

Aviva embarked on the pilot as a way to introduce inefficiency into the risk assessment process, according to the statement. The company's requirements included the applications ability to operate on Aviva's tablet of choice, the Blackberry PlayBook; to work off-line in commercial properties where online connectivity is not always available; to accommodate the entire assessment process end-to-end and allow images to be embedded in the report. It also needed to be attractive to risk assessors accustomed to using paper-based reporting methods and easy to use to encourage its adoption, Aviva says.

Aviva vetted several solution providers before selecting London-based companies Formicary Collaboration Group, a provider of real-time team collaboration solutions, and Float to provide the content processing and user interface elements of the app respectively. Formicary and Float worked with Aviva's risk advisers to understand their level of IT competency; how they conduct surveys and interact with customers; and identify areas where improvements could be made, according to Aviva.

Aviva says that SOLAR PLayBook makes the process of recording survey data easy through a layout that is intuitive to navigate and complete. Forms consisting of text entry, selectable options and sliders are used to enter the core data, and there are additional options to make free-form notes and take photos that can be embedded in the final report to underwriters, the Aviva statement says.

"Of the solution providers we considered, Formicary and Float were the only ones with Blackberry PlayBook expertise," comments Paul Heybourne, senior project manager, Aviva. "Additionally, the two companies have proven expertise working together on other similar projects. By taking the time to understand how our assessors operate, Formicary and Float have created an app which doesn't just meet the original IT specification but which will positively impact the bottom line of Aviva's risk assessment business. It brings improved workload management to our advisers, faster resolution times to our customers and higher caliber reporting for our underwriters. Additionally, the sophistication of the app is raising our customers' perception of Aviva, helping strengthen our positioning as a market leading, innovative company."