Launched in 2015, the SilverBridge internal innovation competition Awesome Projects has given employees the freedom to come up with new ideas without any limitations and develop them, fuelling innovation within the organisation. Sune Ueckermann, Operations Manager at SilverBridge, says the gaming theme of the 2019 edition improved overall participation in the initiative.
“Awesome Projects 2019 kicked off in October last year as a Multiplayer Edition that required teams to consist of technical and non-technical members. The thinking behind this was to illustrate to our employees that understanding the business problem and developing a solution were as important as the functionality developed to deliver the idea,” she says.
Each team was also given a sponsor for their project. The goal of this was for the sponsor to become a brand advocate to assist the team by selling their idea and value to the audience and judges. The benefit for the sponsor would be that if the project was to be implemented, that person would get significant value out of it.
This year saw Awesome Projects divided into internal and external categories.
The internal category spoke to ideas in solving problems that the company experienced either by enhancing or introducing new ‘out-of-the-box’ processes that could contribute to the overall SilverBridge experience.
The external category focused on those ideas that could potentially be introduced into the market, where they will actively be used by customers.
“Even though Awesome Projects started off as an internal innovation competition, it has evolved to drive the solution-driven culture within the organisation,” she says.
The SilverBridge project line-up for the Awesome Projects 2019 Multiplayer Edition was as follows:
Internal category
Project Name |
Idea |
Predator |
Remove all unnecessary data from our support databases to reduce the size and enable faster and more cost-effective support. |
SnapPay (1st Place) |
Make cashless transactions between SilverBridge employees user-friendly. |
Out and About |
A centralised, accessible, and user friendly travel app that will simplify the booking and authorisation process within SilverBridge. |
DTO App (1st Place) |
Submitting leave should be easy. The idea is creating one platform or app that will simplify the entire DTO (Discretionary Time Off) process. |
Vumela (1st Place) |
Digitising and automating the internal approval and capturing process of internal payments. |
Understanding our clients |
To provide a consolidated view of the variety of useful and valuable client-related data sets. |
Alien |
To provide a “one-stop shop”. This removes the need for experts and multiple systems. |
Colour-coded Exergy |
Graphically show the user what type of environment they are connected to (live or test). |
External category
Project |
Idea |
MyCheese (2nd Place) |
An app that makes it easy to record and prove ownership of insurable items. This list can easily be sent to your short-term insurer irrespective of whether you work with a broker or go direct. |
Comm-Talk |
Creates a platform where instant messages or chats will provide a quick turnaround time. |
Awesome Views |
Some user tasks require multiple unnecessary steps to get the information. This solution reduces the number of steps/clicks required to perform tasks by showing it on one screen. |
Exergy Lite |
To replace Excel as primary base/tool for policy administration for small businesses. |
Clientonomy |
Creating a platform where the client can log issues effortlessly at the time when the issue occurs. |
Dr Robotnik (3rd Place) |
Automates the deployment process of all systems and services to ensure all elements of deployment are implemented correctly. |
Fraud (1st Place) |
A solution that will ensure that client’s meet their obligation in terms of FICA in real-time. For example, if someone was identified via pre-screening to possibly be on the UN 1267 list, that person is verified within a specific SLA. |
SONIC |
Clients often have trouble with deployment. The idea behind this solution is to automate the deployment process. |
About SilverBridge
SilverBridge has over 20 years’ experience as a leading provider of insurance software solutions in the African financial services industry. Our footprint extends to 13 African countries. SilverBridge has introduced an enhanced service offering allowing financial services companies the opportunity to respond quickly to changing markets. With customers throughout Africa, SilverBridge has the knowledge, experience, and technology to help its clients do better business.
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