"We have experienced zero system failures since going live. As the business unit, we highly value this exceptional stability."
These are the words of Mr. Suzuki from Sompo Direct Insurance Inc. For years, the company had recognized the need to optimize its automobile insurance quote form but was held back by the barriers of system constraints. To finally break this deadlock, they chose the conversational EFO (Entry Form Optimization) tool, "BOTCHAN EFO."
Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Imai reflect on the journey to achieving statistically significant results through persistent collaboration with the customer success team, all while navigating the stringent security requirements unique to the financial industry.
Company Profile: The Direct Non-Life Insurance Business of the Sompo Group, Striving to Be a "One-of-a-Kind Insurance Company"
Sompo Direct Insurance Inc. is the insurance company responsible for the direct non-life insurance business within the Sompo Group. In 2011, the company launched its flagship product, "Otona no Jidosha Hoken" (Automobile Insurance for Adults). Since then, it has been striving to become a "one-of-a-kind insurance company" that every customer can select with complete confidence and satisfaction.
Official Service Website: https://www.sompo-direct.co.jp/otona/
Speaker Profiles: The Duo Driving Innovation Forward Through Strategic Decision-Making and On-Site Execution
Mr. Masataka SuzukiAssistant Manager, Promotion Group, Marketing Department, Sompo Direct Insurance Inc.
After serving as a call center manager in the insurance industry and as a Salesforce engineer at an IT firm, Mr. Suzuki assumed his current position in October 2022. He is currently responsible for developing digital promotion strategies for the company’s flagship product, “Otona no Jidosha Hoken.”
Mr. Hiroki ImaiAssistant Manager, Promotion Group, Marketing Department, Sompo Direct Insurance Inc.
After starting his career at a full-service advertising agency as a new graduate and later working at LINE and Demae-can, Mr. Imai joined the company in 2021. He is broadly involved in everything from developing awareness strategies to creative production aimed at increasing sales for “Otona no Jidosha Hoken.”
(From left) Mr. Imai, Mr. Suzuki
Challenges and Background Prior to Implementation: A Dual-Layered Issue Involving "High Drop-Off Rates Due to Dense Input Fields" and the "System Modification Barrier"
Obtaining an automobile insurance quote has a structural characteristic in that the number of required input fields is significantly higher than for other insurance products.
Mr. Suzuki: "With life or medical insurance, a quote can be generated with just basic information like age, gender, and desired coverage. However, automobile insurance involves a high number of variables, such as vehicle details, accident-free discount grades, driver eligibility ranges, and the purpose of use, bringing the total to roughly 20 input items. We have long recognized that users drop off during the process of entering this much information. It was a constant challenge that we were losing potential customers even after driving traffic to our site through advertising expenditures."
On the other hand, optimizing the input form itself proved to be no easy task. Mr. Imai explains the structural background behind this challenge.
Mr. Imai: "In the financial industry, security requirements surrounding systems that handle customer information are exceptionally stringent. Regarding the input form on the quotation page, we were fully aware of the areas that needed improvement. However, the hurdle for system modifications was extremely high, and to be perfectly honest, we were unable to initiate the process. When we evaluated 'BOTCHAN EFO,' the fact that we could enhance usability without altering our existing core architecture made it stand out as a highly practical solution to our problem."
While the situation persisted where "the problems that needed improvement were clearly visible yet completely out of reach," the turning point came through an introduction from a partner advertising agency.
First Impressions and Key Deciding Factors: Trust Built on a Performance-Based Contract and “Zero System Failures Since Launch”
The introduction of "BOTCHAN EFO" was prompted by a recommendation from a partner advertising agency. Recognizing the strong potential of its unique approach—which provides a conversational, question-by-question input experience—Mr. Suzuki proceeded with a very positive assessment of the tool.
In making the implementation decision, the primary factor Mr. Suzuki prioritized was the performance-based pricing structure.
Mr. Suzuki: "With any new initiative, you never truly know the impact until you try it. From the perspective of mitigating initial investment risks, the option to secure a performance-based contract was a massive advantage. However, looking back, what I feel most deeply satisfied with is the exceptional quality. It is not uncommon to experience unexpected anomalies or system failures when implementing this type of tool, yet we have experienced zero failures since going live. As the business unit, we highly value this flawless stability."
Mr. Imai adds the following supplement regarding their expectations from a system perspective.
Mr. Imai: "The ability to implement the tool simply by overlaying a chat-style UI, without making any modifications to our existing form, was highly rational as a practical solution. It meant we could significantly enhance usability while keeping the hurdle for system revision completely unchanged."
Implementation Process and Decision Criteria: A Relentless Optimization Cycle in Constant Alignment with Stringent Security Requirements
In the actual implementation process, meeting Sompo Direct's stringent security requirements proved to be the most formidable obstacle. Designing the interaction scenarios to align perfectly with the form structure forced multiple rounds of comprehensive redesign, requiring a significant baseline of time before the official launch.
The assigned Customer Success managers, Mr. Yamamoto and Mr. Matsumoto, reflect on those challenging days as follows.
Mr. Yamamoto (Customer Success, wevnal): "Regarding security requirements, the Sompo Direct team prioritized safety above all else during every single meeting. To meet their corporate standards, we repeatedly restructured the interaction scenarios and meticulously verified granular behavioral details that we wouldn't typically inspect for other clients. I believe that our unwavering commitment to keep pushing forward without ever branding it as 'too difficult' was one of the key reasons they trusted us enough to move forward with the implementation."
Even after the official launch, success did not come overnight. For about a month, the A/B tests produced results that did not demonstrate a clear advantage over the existing input form. During this critical period, Mr. Matsumoto pursued every possible approach to gain a deeper understanding of user behavior.
Mr. Matsumoto (Customer Success, wevnal): "To truly understand which users complete car insurance applications and how they behave beforehand, we conducted internal surveys among employees who own vehicles and also carried out qualitative interviews across various other departments. By significantly refining our user personas and incorporating those nuanced insights into the scenario design, we finally saw the results translate into concrete numbers. At that moment, I felt both a deep sense of relief and strong confidence in the success of our strategy."
Mr. Suzuki evaluates these dedicated initiatives as follows.
Mr. Suzuki: "While there was initially no clear difference in performance, the team continuously proposed and executed granular optimizations that we never would have conceptualized ourselves—such as changing a vertical layout into a horizontal one. It was precisely because of the exceptional velocity and precision of their PDCA cycle that we were able to decisively switch completely away from the existing form the moment statistical significance was confirmed."
Mr. Imai also reflects on the process of overcoming implementation complexities to ultimately achieve these successful results, as follows.
Mr. Imai: "The implementation was exceptionally complex, but Mr. Matsumoto pushed forward to launch without ever wavering, and continuously drove the PDCA cycle at an incredible velocity thereafter. I feel that his relentless attitude directly translated into the significant CVR improvement we see today. Ultimately, an increased CVR is proof that our customers found the new form user-friendly and embraced it. In that sense, I believe this project has delivered an ideal, mutually beneficial outcome for all three parties involved."
(From left) Mr. Yamamoto and Mr. Matsumoto, Customer Success at wevnal
Post-Implementation Results and Value Delivered: Strong Assurance Demonstrated by CVR Improvement and “Internal Recognition”
Following the implementation of "BOTCHAN EFO," Sompo Direct has experienced tangible results across both quantitative and qualitative metrics.
CVR Improvement and the Decision for Full Migration
Although there was a period of fluctuating metrics for about a month after launch, ongoing optimizations ultimately delivered results that clearly outperformed the existing form in early December. The tool reached a high level of performance, showing a 102% improvement rate directly attributable to EFO, along with a 110% CVR increase in before-and-after comparisons in Google Analytics (GA). Based on these exceptional metrics, the decision was made to proceed with a full migration.
Mr. Suzuki: "I am deeply relieved that the CVR improved exactly as planned. As a result of the team continuously stacking these granular optimizations, the project's internal recognition within our company has significantly heightened. I am entirely confident that partnering with them was the right decision."
Zero System Failures Since Going Live: Peace of Mind Delivered by High Reliability
Alongside the CVR improvement, another critical aspect that Mr. Suzuki holds in especially high regard is the tool's flawless system stability.
Mr. Suzuki: "While I am thrilled that the transition to a chat interface improved our CVR, I find it even more remarkable that we have encountered absolutely zero instances of anomalous errors. I hold this level of system stability in exceptionally high regard."
Given the nature of financial institutions, production incidents can be subject to intense scrutiny both internally and externally. In such a high-stakes environment, maintaining zero system failures goes beyond a simple assessment of product features; it directly reinforces wevnal's position as a highly trusted business partner.
Zero Customer Complaints and High Praise Across Departments
On the qualitative side, the company has continued to maintain zero user complaints since the implementation. Furthermore, even when internal stakeholders outside the immediate project scope interacted with the website, they immediately noticed the transition to the conversational interface, with spontaneous feedback praising its user-friendliness emerging from multiple departments.
Mr. Suzuki: "While I cannot make a definitive commitment regarding a broader cross-departmental rollout at this precise moment due to budget allocations, I can say with absolute certainty that there is entirely zero negative feedback within the company."
Positioned as a Strategic "Partner" Rather Than a Mere "Tool"
Mr. Imai articulates wevnal’s position as an organization in clear, definitive terms.
Mr. Imai:"While we contract with numerous tools and vendors, it is incredibly rare to find an organization that confronts our challenges in such meticulous detail and dedicates themselves so entirely to customer success. In some cases with other services, you send an inquiry and receive no response at all. In stark contrast, wevnal consistently takes true ownership of our challenges. This attitude is precisely why we see them not merely as a software vendor, but as a genuine partner. Having access to a team that offers a diverse product portfolio while proactively proposing tailored solutions to address our specific pain points is exceptionally reassuring."
Future Outlook and Key Initiatives: Expanding to All Traffic Channels and Proposing Solutions for the Next Frontier of Challenges
Currently, "BOTCHAN EFO" is running in a phased rollout on select traffic channels. Moving forward, the company plans to continuously optimize the tool's internal interaction logic while simultaneously executing a full-scale deployment across all user touchpoints.
Mr. Suzuki: "Now that we have successfully overcome the major hurdles of the initial implementation phase, we are transitioning from the validation stage against our legacy form into a phase of deep internal refinement. We have high expectations that the wevnal team will leverage the extensive insights they have accumulated through their work with other clients to drive our CVR to even greater heights."
Mr. Imai also shares his visionary outlook regarding the further expansion of the tool's scope of application.
Mr. Imai: "We have now implemented two of their products, and it would be incredibly reassuring if wevnal could continue to leverage their unique perspective to propose fresh solutions for challenges we ourselves may not yet recognize. I believe that their ability to pinpoint exactly where users are getting stuck or facing friction from an objective, external perspective will continue to bring immense value to our organization moving forward."
A Message to Companies Facing Similar Challenges
In closing, Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Imai offered their final messages to professionals who find themselves facing similar challenges.
Mr. Suzuki: "Our experience has shown that wevnal is a company that sincerely confronts our challenges to deliver definitive solutions. From the perspective of cost-effectiveness, I judge the benefits of implementation to be more than substantial. I highly recommend taking the first step to explore this solution for your own business."
Mr. Imai: "Regardless of the industry, I believe this is a highly effective option for companies that recognize their internal challenges but have yet to take that first step forward. Beyond simply providing a software tool, their approach of deeply analyzing user psychology and behavior alongside us creates a dynamic that truly transcends the traditional vendor relationship. I highly encourage you to start by reaching out to them, even if it is just to use them as a sounding board to flesh out your ideas."
By overcoming the stringent barriers unique to the financial industry, Sompo Direct successfully revolutionized its user experience without requiring any core system modifications. With this achievement—forged through persistent and unyielding collaboration—serving as a rock-solid foundation, the partnership between Sompo Direct and BOTCHAN is now confidently advancing into its next frontier.
If you would like to explore how this solution can be applied to your business or receive specific recommendations tailored to your unique environment, please feel free to contact us. One of our specialized consultants will reach out to you shortly.
