Shriram Life Insurance has set a target of 30% growth in overall gross premium in the current year as it drives deeper into rural markets and makes investments in digital channels to reach out to prospective customers.

Shriram Life has well over 40% of its business stemming from rural markets, with low average ticket sizes around Rs 19,700 compared to other competitors, said MD & CEO Casparus JH Kromhout, in a release.

Digitising sales channels is an important focus area, with adoption of app-based services surging after the onset of the pandemic. “The quick adoption of these channels tell us that digital adoption can be strong in rural areas too,” Kromhout said.

Even as it accelerates digitisation, it would continue to utilise IRDA-authorised agents who take the company's products to the hinterlands.

Kromhout said it would take about seven minutes for a prospect to complete the procedure digitally for a policy, and Shriram has been steadily witnessing reduction in the duration - particularly with low-risk policy holders - for sign ups.

“Seventy per cent of our individual business comes in through the app, and not paper processes anymore,” he said.

According to company data, Shriram Life had a 13% jump in overall gross premium collections at Rs 2343 crore in fiscal 2021-22. During the year, total new business was at Rs 1078 crore, a growth of 22%. The group has over 9 lakh policies in force.

The company settled a total of 53,800 claims last fiscal, with the settlement ratio at 95.8%.