How do you create digital experiences that truly serve every user - from HR leaders to employees - without losing sight of the bigger picture?
Lio Lopez-Welsch is the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Unum UK.
He joined the podcast to discuss how Unum builds digital platforms for a wide range of users - from employers and brokers to employees and their families.
In this episode, Lio shares how Unum UK tailors role-based digital experiences, integrates real-time data insights, and builds tools that empower people across all stages of work and wellness - while navigating compliance, legacy systems, and the promise of AI.
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The big challenge with building digital tools for different user groups is that they all want different things.
Brokers, HR managers, and everyday employees have separate goals, behaviours, and levels of technical confidence.
For Lio and the team at Unum, the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Instead, they’ve built dedicated channels tailored to each interaction type.
Unum’s digital strategy comes down to three key platforms, each designed around user-specific needs.
Help@hand is a health and wellbeing app for employees and their families.
It offers fast access to core services like GP consultations, mental health support, and lifestyle coaching.
Its simplicity and portability make it ideal for people managing work and home life on the go.
For employers, Help@hand also delivers anonymised usage insights that help HR teams understand what staff need most.
The Employer Portal, launched in 2024, is designed for HR teams to manage claims and referrals easily in one place.
This includes a dashboard that tracks claim statuses in real time and allows secure, centralised access.
UnumOnline supports brokers and advisers with tools for quoting, buying, and renewing group risk policies.
It offers easy access to policy details, commission statements and scheme histories - all optimised around adviser workflows.
Each platform is integrated through a shared digital ecosystem, allowing data to move securely and enable role-specific experiences.
On paper, one platform for everyone sounds efficient.
But, as Lio points out, that doesn’t always translate in the real world.
The needs of workers using a benefits app at 7 a.m. are worlds apart from those of a broker handling a multi-client portfolio in the office.
So Unum chose flexibility over forced unification, allowing each tool to evolve with user needs.
"We found it more effective to build separate experiences depending on need, while building a scalable digital ecosystem in the background."
Lio Lopez-Welsch, Unum UK
For Lio and his team, data isn’t just about tracking usage.
It’s about helping companies make informed, strategic decisions that improve people’s lives.
One key focus is turning platform analytics into meaningful suggestions.
For instance, Unum’s Help@hand platform provides employers with anonymised data on:
All of this helps employers shape wellbeing strategies that are both relevant and respectful of privacy.
As Lio explains, combining these analytics with human feedback also leads to better design and better outcomes.
"The analytics tells us what’s happening, but it’s the user stories and focus groups that tell us why."
Lio Lopez-Welsch, Unum UK
Personalisation is emerging as a major differentiator in workplace benefits tools.
Unum embeds personalisation at multiple levels:
Help@hand, for example, offers assessments that guide users to content or services most relevant to their health profile.
That could include on-demand coaching to follow up on mental wellness, or lifestyle advice triggered by survey results.
This approach respects user agency while encouraging deeper engagement over time.
Unum is also beginning to explore nudges - using behavioural insights and data to encourage helpful actions at the right time.
For now, this feature is in early stages, but it’s an area where Lio sees major potential, especially with support from AI down the line.
Scaling digital products isn’t just about good design. You need an infrastructure that can keep up.
For Unum, that meant modernising legacy back-end systems to enable more agile, responsive digital features.
This change is critical for real-time data access, personalisation and integration across user groups.
As Lio explains, the architecture behind the scenes plays a major role in enabling better front-end experiences.
"Modern architecture empowers modern experiences. That’s why we’re reducing legacy dependencies in favour of integration-ready systems that scale."
Lio Lopez-Welsch, Unum UK
AI often dominates the headlines, but at Unum, the focus is practical.
For now, this means using AI to support human teams - not replace them.
Think intelligent automation, faster responses, and insights that help staff deliver better customer service.
Lio calls this approach “cyborgs not androids.”
By augmenting experienced teams with smart AI support, Unum can scale more efficiently while keeping the human connection intact.
None of this works without reliable, up-to-date input.
Enriching data - particularly from multiple sources like brokers and employers - remains one of the biggest industry challenges.
Unum has invested heavily in responsible data management and validation systems to address this.
As a regulated firm, compliance is a constant consideration.
But Unum treats its compliance team as a collaborator in innovation - not a blocker.
Lio’s experience shows that working together early improves both speed and safety.
"The best outcomes come when compliance sits with the development team - not at the end of the process."
Lio Lopez-Welsch, Unum UK
One standout example of successful co-creation is Unum’s employer portal.
Launched in 2024, it was built directly in response to feedback from employer user groups.
The platform simplifies claims and rehab referrals - a pain point often flagged by employers.
The result? 82% of relevant claims and over half of absence referrals from participating employers are now handled through the new portal.
It’s a prime example of speed, relevance, and user-centred design in action.
Lio’s recommendation for other firms? Start by reimagining the experience - not just digitising old processes.
Legacy systems can be useful, but they’ll only take you so far if you want to scale meaningfully.
Instead, decide what the ideal journey should look like, invest in the right ecosystem, and roll out changes in manageable phases.
This way, you deliver value early, make room for iteration, and reduce regulatory risk at each stage.
With new tech, rising expectations, and dozens of opportunities to explore, Lio says prioritisation is the real challenge.
It’s about balancing what’s required today with what will have the biggest impact tomorrow.
And knowing when to explore the power of AI - and when to pause and ask: who really needs this next?
Help@hand is Unum’s wellbeing app that offers services like GP consultations, mental health support, and lifestyle coaching for employees and their families.
Each user group - employers, brokers, and employees - has distinct needs. Building tailored platforms allowed Unum to deliver tools that make sense for each role while integrating data behind the scenes.
Unum uses AI to streamline tasks and support staff with faster, more consistent service. The goal is to free up teams to focus on complex human-centred work.
Unum shares aggregated, anonymised insights from platforms like Help@hand to help employers improve workforce wellbeing strategies without breaching individual confidentiality.
Involving compliance teams early helps ensure digital innovations are legal, ethical, and sustainable - without delaying delivery or requiring late-stage fixes.
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Sam Kendall, 18.06.2025