Project at a glance Price comparison websites provide insurers with an additional sales channel, offering the opportunity to reach new customers. Seamless quote management platform migration, secure sales and admin solution integration, and a new, cloud-hosted user journey helps The AA drive its growth strategy. Zühlke collaboration speeds up development and migration processes while empowering The AA team with internal knowledge to ensure smooth operations. New revenue stream opportunity for an insurer The Automobile Association (The AA) is the UK’s largest motoring organisation with over 14 million members. Founded in 1905, the company offers breakdown cover, insurance, driving lessons, loans, motoring advice, and other services. The AA wanted to expand its insurance product offerings and unlock new revenue streams. To achieve this, new tiered offerings were to be launched on a leading retail insurance platform so that a more comprehensive list of products could be offered through price comparison websites. However, The AA had limited in-house capacity and technical expertise to complete the migration and develop the new user journey within an ambitious timeframe. So, the company approached Zühlke for help. Quote management platform migration Having already collaborated with The AA on various DevOps and technology re-platforming projects, our team was well positioned to combine their understanding of The AA’s existing setup, insurance industry know-how, and cloud transformation expertise to quickly start working on the new initiative. Our development team worked closely with The AA’s business analysts, designers and project managers, to ensure consistent alignment with the company’s wider strategy and empower the in-house team with the knowledge needed to maintain operations after project completion. Specifically, we carried out the below activities: Project planning and user journey mapping Project planning and user journey mapping We started by planning the cloud delivery to ensure optimal resource allocation, risk mitigation, and quality assurance. Through initial discussions and story mapping exercises, we created an overarching roadmap and a comprehensive backlog of user stories and technical tasks in close collaboration with The AA team. These planning efforts were crucial to the overall progress as they also formed the backbone of our high-level reporting. Architecture design and web setup Architecture design and web setup To maximise efficiency, we evaluated which reusable components from our previous frontend work with The AA could be leveraged. At the same time, our IT architects designed the brand-new website backend on the AWS platform, leveraging our certified AWS migration expertise to move quickly and minimise risk. Once the frontend and backend were complete, we migrated The AA from its old quote management platform to the new solution. To maintain the dependent services, we kept the user journeys separate so that any changes we were making could be isolated. Once the migration was complete, the old platform was entirely discontinued, leaving The AA running on the new solution. Observability and security Observability and security Improving observability and security was crucial for upholding The AA's reputation and ensuring its service to customers was unaffected. To improve observability, fulfil programme-level non-functional requirements, and accelerate the ability to raise issues with the new platform, we implemented monitoring measures and alerts. Our team also improved the design pattern for a single-page web app (SPA) to accommodate more secure technologies, ensuring the new platform had no single point of failure (SPOF) and would not fail abruptly. Additionally, our cybersecurity experts: drew up the security architecture and highlighted new integrations, use of personally identifiable information (PII), and what security was in place on all connectivity routes verified domain certificate validity (DV) and offered strong Transport Layer Security (TLS) security protocols, strengthening privacy and data integrity of Internet communications oversaw and advised on third-party penetration tests, reviewing and resolving any issues that arose Quality assurance Quality assurance We adopted the 'shift left' approach to quality assurance, emphasising early testing and proactive issue resolution to enhance the quality and delivery of user journeys. This involved testing high-risk assumptions at the outset and incorporating continuous testing throughout the development lifecycle. By identifying and addressing potential issues from the beginning, we reduced development costs and time to market, ensuring that each release met the clients' expectations. Our team was in lockstep with The AA team, facilitating a constant feedback loop, from ensuring testing teams were aligned with the content and context of user stories, to release teams knowing all the dependencies needed. This openness allowed for immediate adjustments whenever challenges or new requirements emerged, ensuring alignment with the client's needs at every step. Accessibility assurance Accessibility assurance To enhance The AA's digital accessibility, we used industry-leading tools such as Axe DevTools, WAVE, and Google Lighthouse. This comprehensive toolkit enabled the systematic evaluation of web accessibility, including semantic HTML structures, colour contrast ratios, and keyboard-friendly navigation. By implementing elements like descriptive links and accessible forms we aimed to meet and exceed WCAG standards. In addition, the use of responsive design principles ensured optimal experiences across a variety of devices. Rigorous testing with assistive technologies identified potential barriers and guaranteed inclusivity for all users navigating The AA’s new digital journeys. Training and ongoing support Training and ongoing support To ensure a smooth handover and ongoing success we documented architectural diagrams, work processes, and code standards in The AA’s knowledge base as well as conducted training sessions. This empowered The AA’s Business as Usual (BAU) team to manage ongoing adjustments and maximise the platform's capabilities. Direct car and home insurance migration After completing the third-party aggregator journeys, we helped The AA migrate their direct car and home insurance journeys to new websites. Our involvement began with workshops and user research interviews to gather insights into user behaviour and The AA’s goals. These insights were pivotal in informing the development of direct journeys to meet end-user needs. Partnership impact As a result of the collaboration, The AA was able to accelerate its growth strategy and expand its customer base through the price comparison website market and creating new revenue streams. By partnering with our cross-functional team of insurance consultants, data experts, and cloud specialists, the company successfully migrated to a brand-new quote management platform without disrupting its ongoing daily operations. Additionally, the migration of direct car and home insurance journeys resulted in an optimised user experience and streamlined checkout. Reducing barriers and simplifying journeys increased conversions and further growth of the customer base. Thanks to continuous knowledge sharing and support from our team, The AA is empowered to maintain the new platform and implement further enhancements whenever necessary. Our work Insurance myCSS: Setting new standards in digital customer interaction Learn more Banking, Commerce and Consumer Goods Zühlke's GenAI Project Finder boosts presales efficiency Learn more Banking, Insurance SV Informatik: Revolutionising customer service with GenAI Learn more Go to case studies Deliver transformative impact with Zühlke. Speak to our team today. Get in touch