PhilPlans, one of the Philippines’ leading pre-need companies, has partnered with Proto to automate customer experience operations through the deployment of the Proto AICX platform. The deployment supports both customer care and sales growth by addressing high inquiry volumes and ensuring faster response times.
Building on the success of PhilCare
The decision to deploy Proto at PhilPlans followed the earlier success of PhilCare’s AI-enabled healthcare support. By extending a proven model of automation from healthcare into pre-need services, the leadership ensured that PhilPlans could replicate the same immediate improvements in response times, service quality, and customer engagement. The PhilCare deployment, powered by Proto’s health services solution, had already demonstrated the value of automation for managing inquiries, claims, and patient services.
From delayed responses to automation
Before the deployment, PhilPlans handled an average of 7,200 monthly inquiries across email, call centres, and social channels – often taking 1–2 business days to resolve. The company sought to reduce delays, minimise errors from manual responses, and maintain a lean but effective service team.
With Proto’s AICX solution, PhilPlans introduced an AI assistant with ticketing and FAQ automation to:
- Enable plan purchase leads to be automatically escalated to the sales team.
- Allow customers to check the status of benefit claims instantly.
- File complaints that are routed directly to Customer Value Management (CVM).
- Provide clear answers to common questions on plan services and claims procedures.
Rona Astrero, PhilPlans Supervisor for Customer Value Management, said: “The AI assistant delivered noticeable results immediately after deployment, greatly reducing the number of routine concerns we handle by providing 24/7 responses to FAQ-related queries. It can also be trained quickly with new data, making it a highly adaptable tool for our customer service operations.”
Quantifiable results
Within the first two months of deployment, the AI assistant doubled PhilPlans’ sales leads compared to all other customer service channels combined. This rapid impact highlights how automation can strengthen customer engagement across core offerings – financial services covering pensions, education, and memorial plans.
PhilPlans reported that the AI assistant has:
- Reduced turnaround time for FAQ-related inquiries from days to seconds.
- Helped staff focus on analysing complex cases, documentation, and client calls.
- Minimized human error by replacing manual “cheat sheet” responses with automated workflows.
- Supported sales and loan growth through improved lead generation.
Jennifer Dantoc, Proto Managing Director Asia said: “We are proud to support PhilPlans in launching the PIA AI Assistant powered by Proto’s AICX platform. This milestone reflects PhilPlans’ commitment to making customer service more accessible, responsive, and reliable for their planholders. With PIA, clients can now get assistance anytime, across multiple channels, and in the language they’re most comfortable with. We believe this innovation will not only improve customer satisfaction but also set a new standard for digital service in the pre-need industry. It has been a privilege to work alongside PhilPlans in bringing this vision to life.”
About PhilPlans
PhilPlans is a trusted name in the Philippines’ pre-need industry with over 35 years of experience. It is the only company in the country offering a comprehensive range of pre-need plans, including pension – education – memorial products.
More than a plan provider, PhilPlans positions itself as a lifelong companion for Filipino families – guided by reliability, commitment, and compassionate service. Its mission is to help hardworking Filipinos prepare for their future financial needs, while its vision is to be the trusted partner of choice in every financial journey.
About PhilCare
PhilCare is one of the Philippines’ most trusted health maintenance organisations (HMOs), providing affordable, accessible, and reliable healthcare solutions to millions of Filipinos. With nationwide coverage and a strong digital-first approach, PhilCare focuses on making quality healthcare easy to access. Its partnership with Proto introduced an AI-enabled system to improve member support – automating FAQs, health plan inquiries, and claims processing – while reducing the strain on live agents and ensuring round-the-clock assistance.
