Z Buddy – AI‑Powered Virtual Assistant for Insurance & Takaful Agents Qorus-NTT DATA Innovation in Insurance Awards 2026

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Zurich Insurance

Zurich is a leading multi-line insurer serving people and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. Founded 150 years ago, Zurich is transforming insurance. In addition to providing insurance protection, Zurich is increasingly offering prevention services such as those that promote wellbeing and enhance climate resilience.

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09/03/2026 Insurance Innovation
Buddy is Zurich Malaysia’s AI‑powered assistant on WhatsApp that automates up to 30% of agent tasks — from renewals to policy info — cutting manual work and enabling faster, more accurate customer service.
Innovation details
Country
Malaysia
Category
Customer Experience Reinvented
Keyword
Customer experience, AI & Generative AI, Digital channels & Omnichannels, HR & New ways of working
Business Line
Motor insurance
Distribution Channel
Agents, Online / Direct, Partners

Innovation presentation

Concept & Objectives 
Z Buddy centralizes agent workflows within WhatsApp using agentic AI to understand complex queries, plan responses, and retrieve precise information. The goal is to eliminate manual effort and empower agents with instant, intelligent multilingual support. 

Reasons Behind 

Agents previously faced long, manual workflows, fragmented support, and reliance on marketers. Z Buddy resolves these inefficiencies through automation and unified support. 

State of Competition 

Z Buddy is the first solution in Malaysia to enable complete motor policy renewals inside WhatsApp — from request to quotation to payment to cover note — setting a new benchmark in digital enablement. 

Sources of Inspiration 

Inspired by the operational pain points of agents and marketers, Z Buddy leverages agentic AI and retrieval‑augmented generation to provide intelligent, human‑centric support. 

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