What Insurers Want to Know When Considering Wearable Devices

In a recent blog on the subject, Mark Breading, a partner at SMA, weighed whether wearables would hurt or benefit insurers. He provided some key questions insurers should consider in developing wearables strategy. They include:

• Will data derived from a wearable device contribute to the understanding of the risk?

• In what ways can wearable devices assist insurance professionals in their daily jobs, especially those in the field?

• Will there be new opportunities for loss control, improved safety and proactive warnings from real-time data?

• What services outside of the insurance industry are providers offering relating to wearable devices?

• How can wearable devices improve customer service?

• How can privacy concerns related to data collected by wearable devices be addressed?

• In what ways will wearable devices affect current network and IT infrastructure?

While insurers consider the impact of wearable devices on their business, Breading also warned that insurers should avoid “analysis paralysis.”