Forrester’s annual Customer Obsession Awards recognize organizations that place their customers at the center of their business strategy, operations, and leadership to accelerate growth, customer loyalty, and employee engagement. I’m pleased to announce that AIA won this year’s award in APAC, standing out among tough competition from diverse industry sectors across the region. 

A market leader in the APAC region (excluding Japan) based on life insurance premiums, AIA is the largest independent publicly listed Pan-Asian life insurance group. It operates in 18 markets across the region and serves over 40 million policyholders, offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance, and savings plans. AIA also provides employee benefits, credit life, and pension services to corporate clients. Our judges were impressed with the comprehensiveness and results of AIA’s customer obsession across such a vast and diversified organization.  

Leadership Commitment 

AIA’s EASE program — built around empathy, automation, simplicity, and engagement — reflects the leadership’s commitment to customer obsession. Sponsored at the highest levels, EASE integrates customer-centric KPIs into leadership and employee performance targets, ensuring accountability across the organization. Governance frameworks, including monthly market reviews and quarterly group updates, enable leaders to stay aligned and action oriented. To further embed customer-first thinking, AIA launched the aCXelerate program with London Business School, providing its leaders with the skills to drive customer obsession. 

Governance Balancing Oversight With Localized Execution 

The company’s hybrid governance model balances centralized oversight with localized execution, allowing countries to adapt to customer needs while maintaining strategic consistency. It has developed capabilities through centers of excellence and communities of practice focused on Agile, AI, data and analytics, and human-centered design. AIA implemented an enterprisewide customer feedback management system, collecting 905,000 responses across 15 markets in 2024 for key customer journeys. Real-time insights, AI-powered analytics, and 48-hour closed-loop processes enable swift action and informed decisions, including reopening claims when necessary. AIA’s approach has driven impactful solutions like 85% straight-through processing (STP) across 18 markets (as of December 2024), simplified underwriting rules, and AI-powered decision-making. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration  

Our judges keyed in on how well AIA has driven collaboration across the CX, marketing, digital, operations, and technology functions to benefit customers. Through its highly effective teamwork, AIA has implemented AI-driven underwriting and automation, enabling 99% of new business applications to be submitted digitally and improving claims settlement to a level of 80% within one day (as of December 2024). 

Harnessing Technology, Digital, and Analytics 

AIA has invested $800 million in its TDA (technology, digital, and analytics) initiative to create frictionless omnichannel experiences. Digitizing journeys across buy, serve, claim, and call processes has allowed it to deliver faster, more personalized interactions that adapt to customer preferences. From instant coverage and claim payouts to proactive communication during key life events, AIA has found that its approach drives satisfaction by empowering customers. 

Quantifiable Outcomes 

AIA was able to share impressive results (as of December 2024) from its customer obsession efforts: 

  • Ranked #1 in Net Promoter Score℠ in seven markets, with 98% customer satisfaction for contact centers. 
  • 85% STP across buy, service, and claims processes, with 95% digital submissions and 88% one-day turnaround rates. 
  • Recurring expense and claims efficiencies of over $180 million, +61% annualized new premium growth from digital leads, and 100% end-to-end digital distribution capabilities. 

To hear more about AIA’s inspiring work directly from Damien Mu, AIA Australia CEO, be sure to join us at Forrester’s CX Summit APAC in Sydney, Australia, on August 18, 2025.