Chris Du Bois, senior vice president, Allianz Life
Chris Du Bois is leading digital strategy and execution for Allianz Life with his promotion to senior vice president, chief digital officer at the Minneapolis-based annuity and life insurance provider.
In his newly created role, Du Bois is responsible for managing and augmenting the digital channels, including e-mail, mobile service, apps, websites and social media, for Allianz Life's online content, products and services.
"Practically everything we do needs to have a digital angle to it so the customer has a choice," said Du Bois, who recently added the marketing analytics and customer relationship management team to his responsibilities.
"We're looking at the first 365 days of a relationship with our company," Du Bois said. "We find that's what generates the most call volume, the most questions. So we're looking at adding a lot of online service capabilities … so that we can do a better job of proactively serving those folks."
Adopting new technology, however, is a challenge in a heavily regulated industry, Du Bois said. "That doesn't mean we can't be progressive and aggressive but we've got to be smart in how we leverage the technology," he said.
Du Bois had led the digital experience management team since he joined Allianz Life in 2010. His previous experience includes roles at Ameriprise Financial, Prudential Financial, Oppenheimer & Co. and MetLife. He has a degree in German studies from Dickinson College.
Q: How does your digital strategy benefit customers?
A: We've got people who still want paper. We have people who prefer to interact with somebody face-to-face or on the phone. … More and more there are certain circumstances where people want to go straight to the source of truth and get it done and that's where digital can play.
Q: How do you approach adopting new technology?
A: We'll be selectively entrepreneurial. In some cases we want to work with the regulators. Sometimes the customers are out in front saying, "I want this," and we as providers with regulators have to make sure we're adjusting how we go to market over time and doing it in a compliant fashion, obviously.
Q: What role is marketing analytics playing in your work?
A: The catchphrase is "from 'Mad Men' to 'Math Men.' " [There's] that age of the amazing creative, which still exists. But now that is on equal footing with the analytical side. We're trying to use the science of marketing campaign management and analysis to do a better job of measuring [and] making sure content we're creating is really resonating with the customer.
Todd Nelson
