95% Less Training Time: Sharper Underwriters.

Hiscox underwrites a diverse and complex portfolio of risks — from oil refineries and kidnap-and-ransom to professional liability and cyber exposure. As Hiscox grew from 400 to 3,500 employees, the traditional classroom model buckled under its own weight: training that once worked for a small cohort could not scale across a globally distributed workforce without enormous cost in travel, time away from production, and inconsistency in delivery.

Hiscox identified four strategic priorities for their training transformation:

• Establish measurable knowledge retention — moving beyond attendance metrics to genuine competency tracking
• Dramatically reduce the time required to complete training — minimising disruption to underwriting activity
• Increase scalability and consistency — delivering the same quality of training globally, without reliance on in-person facilitation
• Create a realistic practice environment — giving underwriters the opportunity to rehearse critical decision-making in true-to-life scenarios

The insurance industry's training crisis

The talent pressure is acute: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 400,000 insurance professionals plan to leave the industry by end of 2026, with half the workforce expected to retire within the next decade. New insurance producers typically take 12 to 18 months to reach full productivity, and for underwriters specifically, the standard expectation is up to 12 months of supervised work before independent operation.

The standard approach — a two-week classroom session followed by shadowing — delivers information retention that drops by up to 70% within days.

• 48% of insurance companies have already incorporated gamification into their training programs
• 75% plan to enhance their digital learning platforms
• Structured onboarding combining measurable competency tracking with realistic practice has been shown to improve new hire retention by 82%, and accelerate time to productivity by over 70% compared to conventional programs

Working in close partnership with Attensi, Hiscox developed what became the world's first insurance training simulator for underwriters — a multi-modal learner journey targeting Band 2 underwriters, combining Attensi Workflow simulations with the Engage LXP to personalize the experience and save time.

A comprehensive learner journey — each element served a distinct pedagogical purpose:

• Video introductions from senior stakeholders at Hiscox, anchoring the training in organizational context and leadership expectations
• Skills minigames to build and test technical underwriting knowledge through rapid, repeatable game mechanics
• Excel-based case studies that underwriters downloaded and worked through, mirroring the analytical work of their day-to-day role
• Learning journeys in the Engage LXP that allowed people to self-guide their learning journey, and save significant time
• Realistic simulations featuring realistic dialogues with brokers and the Chief Underwriter, directly tied to the case study scenarios
• Optional e-learning modules for those who wanted to deepen their understanding further

The power of a safe place to fail

In traditional classroom role-plays, learners frequently conform to peer expectations rather than testing their own judgment — the fear of embarrassment overrides the instinct to experiment. Simulation training removes that barrier entirely. This safe-to-fail environment proved particularly valuable for new starters and Band 2 underwriters, who could rehearse high-stakes broker conversations and claims escalations multiple times without real-world consequences.

"It's a very safe space to make errors. You're not going to get everything right the first time and that's okay. It's good to have another go. That's definitely what sets this apart from textbook or classroom training where you might be in front of your peers and feel embarrassed by making mistakes."

Charles Friend
Regional Underwriting Manager, Hiscox

Competition as an engagement engine

The gamification mechanics — leaderboards, star ratings and score-based progression — tapped directly into the competitive instincts that underwriters bring to their professional work. Users who had already achieved four-star ratings would return to modules repeatedly, driven by leaderboard rankings and the desire to master every scenario.

"You get a score and you're instantly ranked against your colleagues. You recognise some names so it's quite exhilarating. You want to be the best."

Théo Poizat
Development Underwriter, Hiscox

"It doesn't feel like training. The way it's presented is much more engaging. It makes you want to complete it."

Nicole Coster
Senior Underwriter, Hiscox

Conclusion

The Hiscox partnership with Attensi demonstrates that gamified simulation training is not a novelty — it is a strategic capability. By compressing 60 hours of classroom training into three hours, achieving a 95% rate of learners who reported improved communication with claims teams, and driving voluntary repetition at four times the required level, Hiscox proved that simulation-based learning delivers measurable, scalable results in even the most demanding professional environments.

For financial services leaders evaluating their training strategy, the question is no longer whether simulation-based training works. The Hiscox results answer that decisively.

"What we've discovered, following our work with gamified simulation training specialists Attensi, could be an absolute game-changer for our industry."

Des Bishop
Ex-Group People Manager, Hiscox