People Feature: Sai Sreebhashyam

We spoke with Sai Sreebhashyam, AVP, Data Analytics, to learn more about his career journey, his personal and professional experience at Unum Group and the contributions that his team makes to Unum Group’s award-winning customer service experience -

Sai, what led you to Unum and is there a specific moment or experience that solidified your interest in digital analytics?

My educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India and a master’s degree in industrial engineering with a major in statistics from the University of New Haven in CT. While in school, I completed a graduate assistantship in 3D printing and was able to focus on Lean Six Sigma, statistics and the design of experiments.

I have been working in the digital analytics space for almost 15 years now. I have always enjoyed working with category leaders and Fortune 500 companies and was thrilled to find an open role here at Unum. During the interview process, I found leadership to be open to my ideas and truly dedicated to the process of digital transformation.

Currently, I am helping the majority of our 45 million customers, who address their benefits using our digital platforms, have a smooth online experience. I also am very interested in figuring out how a customer rates their experience with us, and why, so that we can continue to make improvements.

What is a typical day like for you at Unum Group and what are some of the highlights of your role?

A typical day for me starts with meetings focused on prioritizing our workload. Next, we meet with the change team to identify and evaluate any issues or software updates which might be affecting our digital platforms or client interactions on the portal. Then, we discuss how these situations might affect the customer journey. Our change team is constantly making updates to the back end of our platforms. And my team is always assessing how to measure the effectiveness of those changes. Our goal is to ensure customers have an outstanding and consistent experience across all digital platforms. To achieve this, we watch our digital analytics metrics daily.

Another significant part of my role is to work closely with Unum Group’s legal team on how we collect and analyze data, including cookies. There are lots of compliance laws that govern this. We work rigorously with our data engineers, tagging engineers and reporting engineers to ensure we are abiding by all applicable compliance laws and regulations. There are federal laws that mandate how we collect and use data, and there are state laws that tend to vary.

Is there a specific project that you are particularly proud of or that has been memorable since you began at Unum?

Yes, the first memorable project was our transition to the latest version of our analytics platform, an effort that spanned across 48 different digital assets. As part of the outcome, we were able to build the solution in such a way that, should we need to shift vendors in the future, we can do so fluidly across all digital assets. Enabling resource efficiencies also resulted in our team saving the company $1.5 million. This was no small feat, considering the codes that had to be re-written across 45 of these assets.

Speed to insights and expansive and reliable metrics have contributed to Unum Group’s transition to becoming a data-driven culture. I feel this also has contributed to Unum Group’s competitive advantage.

How do you feel your work connects to Unum’s purpose?

Our purpose is to help the working world thrive throughout life’s moments. Understanding customer needs and pain points, using qualitative data and market research, is crucial to providing an excellent digital experience. It's especially vital in industries like insurance, where customers need us most during stressful or challenging moments in their lives. It's all about being there when customers need support the most and making the process as smooth and as stress-free as possible.

Lastly, how have your colleagues and team leaders supported your professional and personal growth?

Unum has been very supportive, and I appreciate their providing me with opportunities to achieve my personal and professional goals. In fact, I am so pleased that I ran the Jekyll Island Marathon earlier this year. It was my first marathon, and I dedicated it to Unum Group’s 175^th anniversary.  

You don’t run a marathon in a day. It is something you must practice consistently, on a near daily basis, to maintain and improve your skill. I compare this to my career, where using data analytics should be a daily practice. This approach makes you valuable in shaping the journey roadmap and serving customers. Without the ability to consistently measure results, you are wasting corporate budget. This is much like buying running shoes but not using them regularly. Both examples require a process and goal-oriented mindset. My goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states.