Bringing Howden’s AI-powered Tilt insurance app to life.

For Tilt, a new digital-first insurance proposition backed by Howden, the ambition was clear: create an experience that matched the expectations of modern customers, while operating safely within a regulated insurance environment.Tilt was conceived as more than a transactional insurance product. It needed to give customers confidence, clarity, and control, while also reducing the operational friction that has traditionally characterised insurance. We partnered with Tilt to bring this vision to life, building a cross-platform mobile app that enables customers to manage their insurance digitally, supported by targeted automation and deep enterprise-grade integration.

Overview

Policies, endorsements, claims, and documentation are often fragmented across systems, with many customer journeys still dependent on phone calls, emails, and manual processing. For Tilt, the challenge was not simply to <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/develop/mobile-apps">build an app</a>, but to establish a digital foundation that could support a new way of operating. The experience needed to feel effortless for customers, while meeting the demands of regulation, data integrity, and internal governance. Automation had to be introduced carefully, ensuring that AI-supported journeys enhanced trust rather than undermining it, and that human expertise remained available when it mattered most.At the same time, the platform had to be capable of evolving. Tilt was designed to grow, with new products, features, and customer journeys planned over time. The technology underpinning the app needed to support that ambition from day one.

The challenge

Our focus was on creating a platform that balanced simplicity at the front end with robustness behind the scenes.

We built a cross-platform mobile application that gives customers visibility and control over their insurance, while <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/integrate">integrating seamlessly</a> with Tilt’s core systems and enterprise back end.The app was built within Microsoft’s enterprise ecosystem, combining secure authentication, AI-assisted customer support, and real-time data synchronisation. This approach ensured the experience remained fast and intuitive for users, while maintaining accuracy, oversight, and compliance across the insurance lifecycle.

The approach

In insurance, customer support is central to trust.

Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for human expertise, it was designed as a practical layer that helps customers get answers quickly while ensuring appropriate oversight remains in place.The Tilt app provides customers with always-on assistance that can respond to common queries and surface relevant information using policy and customer context. Where conversations require judgement, reassurance, or deeper investigation, they are seamlessly routed into Tilt’s Microsoft Dynamics environment, allowing support teams to step in with full visibility of the customer’s history.This blended approach shortens resolution times for routine interactions, reduces unnecessary handoffs, and ensures that more complex or sensitive cases receive the attention they deserve.

AI-enabled customer support

Tilt was built around the principle that customers should be able to manage their insurance on their own terms.

The app is designed to enable users to view and manage policies, start a claim, and access documents at any time, without relying on phone calls or manual follow-ups. Additional servicing capabilities will be introduced over time, further reducing the need for offline interaction.Commercial insurance often involves more than one person within a business, so flexibility was a key consideration. The app includes permission controls that allow policyholders to invite colleagues with clearly defined levels of access, supporting collaboration while maintaining overall control.By automating routine processes such as renewals and payment handling, Tilt removes much of the administrative burden traditionally associated with business insurance, freeing customers to focus on running their businesses rather than managing paperwork.

Self-service by design

Seamless integration was essential to the success of Tilt.

The <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/integrate">app connects</a> directly to Tilt’s enterprise platforms, including Microsoft Entra for authentication, Microsoft OpenAI for intelligent support, and Dynamics CRM as the system of record.Insurance data is complex, and inconsistencies can quickly erode trust. To address this, we implemented real-time data transformation and synchronisation logic, ensuring that policy updates and customer changes are reflected accurately across all systems. This eliminates manual rekeying and reduces the risk of discrepancies, providing a consistent experience for customers and internal teams alike.

Enterprise integration and data integrity

Tilt was designed with long-term evolution in mind.

The modular architecture allows new functionality, products, and journeys to be introduced without disrupting the core platform. The notification infrastructure supports future customer communications, from service updates to promotional messaging, while maintaining compliance and control. This foundation gives Tilt the flexibility to adapt and expand the proposition as customer needs and market conditions change.<h3>Impact</h3>The app has enabled Tilt to launch a genuinely digital insurance experience. It provides customers with greater autonomy and transparency while reducing reliance on manual servicing. It establishes a scalable platform that supports both operational efficiency today and continued innovation in the future.

Built for growth

Tilt is a digital-first business insurance platform, built to give customers greater control, clarity, and confidence when managing their insurance. Backed by Howden, Tilt combines the speed and simplicity of a digital product with the strength and credibility of an established insurance group. Founded in 1994, Howden is an independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage with a global footprint and a strong client-first ethos.

More work

Bringing Howden’s AI-powered Tilt insurance app to life.

Tilt combines AI-assisted support and self-service to deliver digital-first insurance, built for trust, scale, and regulation.

Tilt

Technical Account Manager

Andy Mardell

In simplest terms, it&#39;s the integration of technology throughout a business, replacing slow, more manual ways of working with digital systems that do the job better, faster, and all over more efficiently. But from thinking about digital transformation strategies and plotting roadmaps, to considering different digital technologies, the change can feel overwhelming. Wouldn&#39;t it be easier to stick with what you know? You&#39;re used to it, after all.Interesting thought, but no. In this case change is good.Unless your processes are up to date and you honestly can&#39;t think of a single thing that doesn&#39;t give you a bit of a headache, there&#39;s plenty that digital transformation can do for your business. And as a rather knowledgeable bunch who enable said transformation, we&#39;re here not just to advise you on what opportunities you have, but to deliver the solution too.

As excited as you are to get stuck in, it&#39;s easy for your enthusiasm to turn into a runaway train, or derail entirely, if you don&#39;t know where you&#39;re going. Before moving on to the &#39;how&#39;, or even the &#39;what&#39;, it&#39;s important to know the &#39;why&#39;. Why do you need to focus on transformation? Because meeting customer expectations and adapting to their needs is now a critical issue. Why does it matter for your business? Because in an increasingly digital world, change happens fast and you need to be able to move with it at pace to at the very least keep up with your competitors.Picking apart your motivations in these early stages means you&#39;re building a much stronger understanding of what to focus on in the exploration stage.

Starting with the important question

While you&#39;re planning the next step for your business, it&#39;s the perfect chance to do more than just ask a few basic questions in a briefing. In our experience, some of the best solutions are <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/discover/workshops">discovered through workshops</a> with your team, helping gauge a deeper understanding of what problems you&#39;re trying to solve and how to set you up for success.After that, we carry out <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/discover/research">our own research</a>, exploring everything from technologies and platforms to user behaviour and design trends to help us formulate the ideal solution to challenges you&#39;re facing.This process was invaluable for our work building <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/wightlink">Wightlink&#39;s user-centric website</a>, where we held regular workshops to understand their pain points and requirements, as well as to discuss key phases of the design and build. While traditional user testing revealed the problems, these workshop sessions held on the actual ferry crossings helped discover why they persisted.

Don't skimp on the discovery phase

Customer research is one thing, but you can&#39;t move forward with the right solutions without first auditing your systems. When done right, this phase can spot transformation gaps and unearth inefficiencies, financial waste, chaotic processes and workflows, giving you a better idea of what areas you need to focus on for proper long-term planning.From tech stacks to workflows, a digital transformation audit is intentionally broad to touch on multiple different areas of your business. You might find that software doesn&#39;t cover your needs anymore, outdated hardware is no longer secure, or that your systems are disconnected. Process mapping also helps you see what might otherwise stay invisible, flagging bottlenecks, jumbled responsibilities and where you can streamline workflows, helping your team communicate clearer.Shining a light on the problem parts is always nerve wracking, but well worth doing – and it&#39;s why our clients trust us to guide them through it.

Make time for a proper audit

With all that data gathered, now you can get on with the exciting bit: finding what will not only transform your business, but keep the door open for future improvements too.In our case, when we’ve collected all the necessary information we’ll design a comprehensive solution tailored to the specific needs of your business. Then once we’ve walked you through our findings, recommendations and overall solution, we’ll make sure we’re all aligned with clear requirements and goals, whether you’re looking to improve processes or develop a whole new site, CMS or app. After that, we can focus on bringing your project to life.<a href="https://sidigital.co/work/tilt">Take Tilt, for example</a>. When Howden came to us, they wanted an experience that matched the expectations of modern customers whilst also operating within a regulated insurance environment. The challenge wasn&#39;t just in building an app, but to establish a foundation that could support a new way of operating and have a platform capable of evolving in a way that was predictive, not just responsive.

Plotting your digital transformation journey

Ultimately change is a fact of life. It can be held up but it can&#39;t be stopped, and you don&#39;t want to end up on the wrong side of it compared to your competitors. So when you&#39;re considering your digital transformation journey, it&#39;s not just about focusing on that first stop, but having the insight to look to the next one and the one after that.It&#39;s exactly how we future-proofed <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/harwin">leading connector manufacturer Harwin</a>. By rebuilding their website from the ground up, Harwin&#39;s various systems now all work together through our <a href="https://sidigital.co/faraday">secure Faraday middleware</a>, keeping products and stock up to date and website speeds 90% faster for a fantastic customer experience. No need for manual updates. A single source of truth for products. And with a 97% increase in filter interaction since launch, we know customers are using the changes implemented.diviD

A more harmonious, future-proof way of working

If you’re fed up of feeling slowed down by frustrating processes, get in touch. We’d love to chat about what the future looks like for your business and help you figure out what to do about it.

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Have a read of some of our other articles

5 key considerations for digital transformation

Founder & Managing Director

Steve Piper

What happens when your website stops working for you and starts working against you? Whether it&#39;s a reduction in time spent on the website, low conversions, or you&#39;ve simply moved on in your business&#39;s wants and needs, it&#39;s best not to bury your head in the sand. Have a look for these 8 signs it&#39;s time for a website redesign.

As much as we’d like to think people can look past it, first impressions of your website absolutely matter. If you find your bounce rates are higher than you&#39;d like – and you&#39;re sure it’s not because visitors found what they needed in record time – it&#39;s worth investigating why. Elements like trustworthiness, confusing layouts and buried information can make all the difference between users clicking through to the next page or tapping out altogether. Time is precious, especially in the eyes of customers.

01. People visit but they don't stay

If you&#39;ve built a website and customers or potential clients still have little or no idea what your business does, it&#39;s not only a big problem but a missed opportunity. Rather than having at least basic understanding on first contact, your sales team has to pitch and explain the &#39;why&#39; instead of following up with the &#39;wow&#39;. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/uk/business/software/website-statistics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">As 78% of small business owners</a> in the UK have a website for their business, with 83.5% of those saying it plays a big part in their business, websites should qualify leads and build confidence. All while providing a reliable point of reference for further reading, ideally before anyone picks up the phone.

02. Your sales team is doing the heavy lifting for your site

Following that point, making users hunt for information is tedious, frustrating, and a surefire way to have them backing out before they find what they need. Likewise, outdated information leaves them with an untrustworthy impression of your business and the experience they can expect by engaging. As you change products or services, update details, and find new ways to <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/design/digital-design">improve the user experience</a>, the best thing to do is keep your website up to date. For more information on why UX and UI iteration is so important, <a href="https://sidigital.co/lab-notes/iterative-ux-and-ui-practices">have a quick read here</a>.

03. Your website doesn't say what you do

If you&#39;re going through the effort of making an up-to-date site that looks great on a large screen, it&#39;s vital you&#39;ve also considered your mobile users. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1358314/online-shopper-device-preference-uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">As reported in the second quarter of 2025</a>, mobile phones were the preferred device among online shoppers in the United Kingdom. So if you’re not considering all audiences, especially those used to a smooth mobile experience, an outdated, pinch-to-zoom design that&#39;s a pain to navigate and tough to read will likely turn people away. Your mobile site should be optimised to fit the format, allowing potential customers to focus on what they&#39;re reading rather than trying their patience with inaccurate hit targets and microscopic text.

04. It's not made for mobile

If there&#39;s one unignorable death rattle for websites, it&#39;s wheezing loading times. In the current technological age we&#39;re living in, users just want things to work – and when they don&#39;t, they&#39;ll find something else that will. <a href="https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/7450973?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">As Google notes</a>, 53% of visits are likely abandoned if pages take longer than three seconds to load, so if your team notices your site is slow, visitors will too. And their first instinct won&#39;t be to give it a moment, it&#39;ll be to leave. A few seconds of loading time might not sound like a lot, but it&#39;s enough for people to get an impression of your brand, and that&#39;s not fair to you or them. Google&#39;s also not a fan and will penalise websites as a result, favouring sites that perform better.

05. It's slow and not subtle about it

Though we&#39;ve already covered why it&#39;s important to keep your website up to date, in this case it&#39;s about keeping up with your competitors as well. You might be updating information or considering your brand position in the market, but if you&#39;re still working with a website that looks like it belongs in a different age you&#39;ll stand out for the wrong reasons. Regardless of how strong your information is, your site design is what users will initially focus on, even if they&#39;re not aware they&#39;re doing it. A site that doesn&#39;t keep pace may get left behind altogether.

06. Your website and business are out of sync

Nothing shouts &quot;you might need a website redesign&quot; quite like cringing when it&#39;s shared with current or prospective clients. If sales conversations are bracketed with apologies, URLs are shared with caveats, or you’re just linking users to the information they need rather than the homepage for a browse, you don&#39;t need a diagnosis – you need a plan. On the sunny side, this means you can spend your time thinking about what you want your new site to look like instead of debating whether you need a website refresh at all. And that’s the fun part.

07. You're embarrassed to send people to it

With cyber attacks more active than ever, cyber security is a justifiable concern for businesses internet-wide. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2025/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2025#chapter-6-cyber-crime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Approximately 283,000 businesses</a> have been a victim of at least one cyber crime in the last 12 months, with phishing as the most common type (93% of affected businesses). From spam emails and untrustworthy links to database breaches, it&#39;s in your interest to keep your business, customers and users safe online. That means even after considering and implementing the right cyber security for your needs, anything you have in place should always run in its latest version. Elements like outdated plugins and software provide an easy entry point for cybercriminals, opening your operation up to compliance risks, financial loss, malware, and more.

08. You've had a security scare

<h3 style='text-align: start;'>How do you know when your website needs a redesign?</h3>If it&#39;s been a few years since you reviewed your website, it&#39;s a good idea to evaluate performance, UX and UI to improve outdated design. Think about your business needs and whether they’re being met.<h3 style='text-align: start;'>What is the three-second rule for websites?</h3>A well-known principle, the three-second rule for website design reflects how long you&#39;ve got until users hit the back button and continue on their way. Three seconds. If your website doesn&#39;t make a good first impression, it probably won&#39;t get the chance to make a second one.<h3 style='text-align: start;'>What are the main signs of an outdated website?</h3>Besides telltale visual elements that date websites like a time capsule, outdated information and poor responsiveness and loading speeds are your biggest red flags.<h3 style='text-align: start;'>Should I redesign or rebuild my website?</h3>Be honest, you&#39;d be creeped out if we said yes and how. The best thing to do if you&#39;re asking this question is to evaluate your site performance from a technical, visual and experiential level. Are there just a couple of areas that you can improve on or do you need to start from scratch?

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Tilt

Bringing Howden’s AI-powered Tilt insurance app to life.

From the studio

The digital agencyfor brands thatdemand more

Services

Discover

Design

Develop

Integrate

Tilt

Bringing Howden’s AI-powered Tilt insurance app to life.

From the studio

The digital agency
for brands that
demand more