Aviva rolls out PlayBooks to on-site surveyors

A bespoke application records on-site risk information which feeds directly into a database

Insurance giant Aviva is to trial the BlackBerry PlayBook and a specially-designed application in a bid to cut duplication and save time during risk-assessment procedures.

The PlayBook app was designed by financial software development company Formicary and digital concept company Float specifically for Aviva.

It will be used initially by 10 commercial property surveyors out in the field, before being rolled out to 150 staff over the next six months, if the trial is successful. The project has cost Aviva £30,000.

The app has been designed to record certain types of "simple, commercial risks", according to technical and risk solutions manager for Aviva, Ted Kenrick, and has been designed to record binary yes/no responses to standard conveyancing questions.

The app feeds the information through to a database and this process will save time as it means surveyors don't need to return to the office to record the on-site information.

BlackBerry is an approved supplier of Aviva, and so the move to the PlayBook was a "natural one", according to Kenrick.

"It provides the level of encryption necessary when recording customer information," he added.