Modern Research in Decision Making

Presentation of an Expert System for Empowering the Sales Network of the Insurance Industry Using a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

kamran kiani 1
Ali Mohtashami 2
Sadegh Abedi 3

1 PhD Student in Industrial Management, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Department of Industrial Management, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.

Abstract
The primary objective of this research is to propose an expert system for empowering the sales network in the insurance industry using a fuzzy inference system. This study is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-survey methodology. The statistical population consists of insurance industry experts, managers, sales specialists, and agency affairs professionals. In this study, a range of factors influencing the empowerment of insurance agents was first identified and presented to experts. Following in-depth interviews, five main factors were ultimately selected. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the relationships among the identified factors. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for all factors ranged between 0.876 and 0.963, indicating acceptable reliability of the measurement. Additionally, the correlations among the research variables were assessed using Pearson’s correlation test. Finally, after designing the conceptual model of the research, each factor was evaluated within the proposed conceptual framework using a fuzzy inference system (FIS) implemented in MATLAB. The proposed system was also applied to three groups of insurance agents. The results of this study demonstrate that the proposed model has a high capability in assessing the key factors of insurance agent empowerment and can effectively support decision-making processes in insurance sales network management. The system’s flexibility and interpretability make it a practical tool for improving the performance of both agents and insurance companies, enabling the implementation of empowerment strategies at both operational and strategic levels.

Keywords

Empowerment
Fuzzy Inference System Insurance Industry
Sales Network
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