6 Challenges of Blockchain

Published on Aug 30, 2018

Updated on Oct 15, 2019

The blockchain is touted as the most significant technological innovations that have already captivated a good chunk of major industries. There has been an exponential growth in the adoption of blockchain technology in the past few years.

Yes, blockchain is a groundbreaking technology as most of the marketers state it to be, but still, it has a long way to go. We have already heard a lot about what is blockchain and how it is changing the market trends.

Now it is time to understand the significant challenges of blockchain industry.

1. Scalability:

The ability to manage a large number of users at a single time is still a challenge for the blockchain industry. Blockchain technology involves several complex algorithms to process a single transaction. As of October 2017, the total number of coinbase users is recorded to be 11.7 million. As more and more people are getting used to it, the average transactions have also increased dramatically. It severely hit the processing speed of the transactions as a higher number of people implies more computers writing and accessing the network creating an overall cumbersome system.

2. Hackers and shadow dealing:

The one thing that the blockchain industry lacks is a set of regulatory oversight making it a volatile environment and an easy target for market manipulation. For instance, the infamous one coin scam where a lot of investors lost money thinking it to be the next revolutionary digital currency was revealed to be a Ponzi scheme scam. No matter how good you are with your cryptocurrency understanding, there is always a chance that the online wallet you are using may get hacked or be blocked by the government due to some shadowy practices.

3. Complex to understand and adopt:

Blockchain technology and the complexities it involves makes it hard for a layperson to understand and comprehend its benefits. Before diving into this revolutionary application, one needs to read it through and understand the principles of encryption and distributed ledger. Another point that makes blockchain hard to adopt is that financial institutions are adequate to provide secure payment gateways and other services at affordable prices compared to the costs incurred with blockchain.

4. Privacy:

Blockchain is an open ledger which is visible for everyone to view. It is an essential aspect in many cases, but it becomes a liability if used in a sensitive environment. Blockchain technology still has to go a long way to be adopted on a broad scale. The ledger needs to be remodeled in a way that allows restricted access and is accessible only to people who are authorized to view it.

5.Costs:

Blockchain is implemented usually for eliminating the expenses related to the third parties and intermediaries involved in the process of transferring values. Though, the blockchain technology is quite beneficial it is still in the nascent stages of innovation making it tough to integrate into the legacy systems. It makes it an expensive affair overall preventing its adoption by the government as well as private firms.

6. Blockchain is still a distant dream:

The market pundits are going gaga over the blockchain technology, its benefits and how it is re-shaping the infrastructure of emerging technologies like InsurTech and others. But, the truth is that the challenges mentioned above are still hard to conquer, and it will take some good time before blockchain becomes an integral part of all the industries.

The Blockchain is an innovative technology but needs a lot of technological advancements. However, technology has an intrinsic property of evolving and can always find a way through any challenges. So, we cannot say that blockchain is going anywhere anytime soon but will take time to revolutionize the technology sector completely.

The insurance industry thrives on relationships—but it can only scale through efficiency, precision, and timely distribution. While much of the digital transformation buzz has focused on customer-facing portals, the real transformation is happening in the field, where modern sales apps are quietly driving a smarter, faster, and more empowered agent network.

Let’s explore how mobile-first sales enablement platforms are reshaping insurance sales across prospecting, onboarding, servicing, renewals, and growth.

The Insurance Agent Needs More Than a CRM

Today’s insurance agent is not just a policy seller—they’re also a financial advisor, data gatherer, service representative, and the face of the brand. Yet many still rely on paper forms, disconnected tools, and manual processes.

That’s where intelligent sales apps come in—not just to digitize, but to optimize, personalize, and future-proof the entire agent journey.

Real-World Use Cases: What Smart Sales Apps Are Solving

Across the insurance value chain, sales agent apps have evolved into full-service platforms—streamlining operations, boosting conversions, and empowering agents in the field. These tools aren’t optional anymore, they’re critical to how modern insurers perform. Here’s how leading insurers are empowering their agents through technology:

1. Intelligent Prospecting & Lead Management

Sales apps now empower agents to:

Prioritize leads using filters like policy type, value, or geography
Schedule follow-ups with integrated agent calendars
Utilize locators to look for nearby branch offices or partner physicians
Register and service new leads directly from mobile devices

Agents spend significantly less time navigating through disjointed systems or chasing down information. With quick access to prioritized leads, appointment scheduling, and location tools—all in one app—they can focus more on meaningful customer interactions and closing sales, rather than administrative overhead.

2. Seamless Policy Servicing, Renewals & Claims

Sales apps centralize post-sale activities such as:

Tracking policy status, premium due date, and claims progress
Sending renewal reminders, greetings, and policy alerts in real-time
Accessing digital sales journeys and pre-filled forms.
Policy comparison, calculating premiums, and submitting documents digitally
Registering and monitoring customer complaints through the app itself

Customers receive a consistent and seamless experience across touchpoints—whether online, in-person, or via mobile. With digital forms, real-time policy updates, and instant access to servicing tools, agents can handle post-sale tasks like renewals and claims faster, without paperwork delays—leading to improved satisfaction and higher retention.

3. Remote Sales using Assisted Tools

Using smart tools, agents can:

Securely co-browse documents with customers through proposals
Share product visualizations in real time
Complete eKYC and onboarding remotely.

Agents can conduct secure, interactive consultations from anywhere—sharing proposals, visual aids, and completing eKYC remotely. This not only expands their reach to customers in digital-first or geographically dispersed markets, but also builds greater trust through real-time engagement, clear communication, and a personalized advisory experience—all without needing a physical presence.

4. Real-Time Training, Performance & Compliance Monitoring

Modern insurance apps provide:

On-demand access to training material
Commission dashboards and incentive monitoring
Performance reporting with actionable insights

Field agents gain access to real-time performance insights, training modules, and incentive tracking—directly within the app. This empowers them to upskill on the go, stay motivated through transparent goal-setting, and make informed decisions that align with overall business KPIs. The result is a more agile, knowledgeable, and performance-driven sales force.

5. End-to-End Sales Execution—Even Offline

Advanced insurance apps support:

Full application submission, from prospect to payment
Offline functionality in low-connectivity zones
Real-time needs analysis, quote generation, and e-signatures
Multi-login access with secure OTP-based authentication

Even in low-connectivity or remote Tier 2 and 3 markets, agents can operate at full capacity—thanks to offline capabilities, secure authentication, and end-to-end sales execution tools. This ensures uninterrupted productivity, faster policy issuance, and adherence to compliance standards, regardless of location or network availability.

6. AI-Powered Personalization for Health-Linked Products

Some forward-thinking insurers are combining AI with health platforms to:

Import real-time health data from fitness trackers or health apps
Offer hyper-personalized insurance suggestions based on lifestyle
Enable field agents to tailor recommendations with more context

By integrating real-time health data from fitness trackers and wellness apps, insurers can offer hyper-personalized, preventive insurance products tailored to individual lifestyles. This empowers agents to move beyond transactional selling—becoming trusted advisors who recommend coverage based on customers’ health habits, life stages, and future needs, ultimately deepening engagement and improving long-term retention.

The Mantra Labs Advantage: Turning Strategy into Scalable Execution

We help insurers go beyond surface-level digitization to build intelligent, mobile-first ecosystems that optimize agent efficiency and customer engagement—backed by real-world impact.

Seamless Sales Enablement for Travel Insurance

We partnered with a leading travel insurance provider to develop a high-performance agent workflow platform featuring:

Secure Logins: Instant credential-based access without sign-up friction
Real-Time Performance Dashboards: At-a-glance insights into daily/monthly targets, policy issuance, and collections
Frictionless Policy Issuance: Complete issuance post-payment and document verification
OCR Integration: Auto-filled customer details directly from passport scans, minimizing errors and speeding up onboarding

This mobile-first solution empowered agents to close policies faster with significantly reduced paperwork and data entry time—improving agent productivity by 2x and enabling sales at scale.

Engagement + Analytics Transformation for Health Insurance

For one of India’s leading health insurers, we helped implement a full-funnel engagement and analytics stack:

User Journey Intelligence: Replaced legacy systems to track granular app behavior—policy purchases, renewals, claims, discounts, and drop-offs. Enabled real-time behavioral segmentation and personalized push/email notifications.
Gamified Wellness with Fitness Tracking: Added gamified fitness engagement, with rewards based on step counts and interactive nutrition quizzes—driving repeat app visits and user loyalty.
Attribution Tracking: Trace the exact source of traffic—whether it’s a paid campaign, referral program, or organic source—adding a layer of precision to marketing ROI.
Analytics: Integrated analytics to identify user interest segments. This allowed for hyper-targeted email and in-app notifications that aligned perfectly with user intent, driving both relevance and response rates.

Whether you’re digitizing field sales, gamifying customer wellness, or fine-tuning your marketing engine, Mantra Labs brings the technology depth, insurance expertise, and user-first design to turn strategy into scalable execution.

If you’re ready to modernize your agent network – Get in touch with us to explore how we can build intelligent, mobile-first tools tailored to your distribution strategy. Just remember, the best sales apps aren’t just tools, they’re growth engines; and field sales success isn’t about more apps. It’s about the right workflows, in the right hands, at the right time.