Rasa Starter Pack: Insurance - Instructions

Looking to install and use the Rasa CALM Starter Pack for Insurance? We've documented all the steps in these simple-to-use installation instructions.

Once installed, leverage the Starter Pack as the foundation for creating your own Insurance Assistant or as inspiration for features you can implement. The Insurance Demo Assistant focuses on two key customer support areas:

  • Helps users file a claim for one of their current insurance policies
  • Helps users track the status of previously filed claims

Installation (Docker)

Note: You can find alternative installation methods in the Rasa documentation.

Installation Steps

  • Before You Begin
  • Setting Environment Variables for Rasa
  • Install Docker
  • Download Rasa Insurance Starter Pack
  • Starting the Demo Assistant

Before You Begin

To use this starter pack, you will need:

  1. A free Rasa Developer Edition license. To get the free license use the link and complete the form. You’ll be emailed the license key. Store this somewhere safe as you’ll need it a bit later in the instructions below. The actual installation of the Rasa Pro platform will be performed during the installation steps described below.
  2. An API key from OpenAI (the default model provider for this starter pack, though CALM supports other LLMs, too).
    - If you haven't already, sign up for an account on the OpenAI platform.
    - Then, navigate to the OpenAI Key Management (Dashboard > API keys) page and click on the "Create New Secret Key" button to initiate obtaining <your-openai-api-key>.
  3. A computer. Instructions are available for MacOS, Linux & Windows.

Note for Windows users: If you don’t already have make, you’ll need to install it:

  • Option 1: Install Chocolatey. 👉 Open PowerShell as Administrator (Start → search "PowerShell" → right-click → Run as Administrator).
    Then run:

    choco install make -y

    Verify with:

    make --version

  • Option 2: Install Git for Windows, which includes Git Bash (and make).
    Open Git Bash instead of PowerShell to run your commands.

Setting Environment Variables for Rasa

You'll need to save your Rasa Pro license key and OpenAI API key as environment variables so they can be used by the application.

MacOS, Linux

  1. Open your terminal, and edit your shell config
    i. nano ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc if you’re using Linux bash)
  2. At the bottom of the file, add lines like this (replace the values with your actual keys):
    - export RASA_PRO_LICENSE=<your-rasa-pro-license-key>
    - export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-<your-openai-api-key>
    i. For example, it may look something like this:
    - RASA_PRO_LICENSE=etou948949theu
    - OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-ntehoitnhtnoe
  3. Save the file (CTRL+O, Enter, CTRL+X in nano), then reload it
    i. source ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc if you’re using Linux bash)
  4. Check that the variables are set:
    i. echo $RASA_PRO_LICENSE
    ii. echo $OPENAI_API_KEY

Windows

  1. Press Win + S and type Environment Variables, then select Edit the system environment variables.
  2. In the System Properties window, click Environment Variables.
  3. Under User variables (applies only to your user), click New.
    i. For Name, enter: RASA_PRO_LICENSE
    ii. For Value, enter: <your-rasa-pro-license-key>
  4. Repeat for OPENAI_API_KEY.
  5. Click OK → OK to save and close all windows.
  6. Restart your terminal (PowerShell) so the new values load.
  7. Verify the variables are set (PowerShell):
    i. echo $env:RASA_PRO_LICENSE
    ii. echo $env:OPENAI_API_KEY

Install Docker

  1. Download & install docker:
    - MacOS: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/setup/install/mac-install/
    - Linux: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/
    - Windows: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/setup/install/windows-install/
    i. For Windows, use WSL 2 backend (not Hyper-V)
  2. Start Docker Desktop. Make sure Docker Desktop (the Docker daemon) is running before you run any commands.
    - Windows: Follow prompted instructions for WSL (e.g. wsl --update)
  3. Verify Installation. Open your terminal (Mac/Linux shell, or PowerShell on Windows) and run:
    i. docker --version
  4. Download the Rasa Pro Docker image. Open your terminal and run:
    i. docker pull rasa/rasa-pro:3.13.7

Download Rasa Insurance Starter Pack

  1. Download the Source Code Assets for the latest release from GitHub
  2. Uncompress the assets in a local directory of your choice.
    i. The starterpack-insurance-en directory (created when uncompressed) contains a README file with additional instructions on installing dependencies, training the model, and running the assistant locally.
  3. Open your terminal (or PowerShell on Windows) and navigate to the directory where you uncompressed the starterpack-insurance-en files.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Rasa and are ready to use the Insurance Starter Pack as a demo or as a foundation for your custom flows.

Starting the Demo Assistant

To start up the Insurance Demo Assistant, ensure you're in the starterpack-insurance-en directory.

  1. Train the Rasa model
  2. Start the Rasa Inspector or
  3. Start the Rasa Chat Widget

1. Train the Rasa model

make model
  1. You will find your trained model inside the models/ directory.
  2. You can now test your assistant using the Rasa Inspector or Rasa Chat Widget.

2. Start the Rasa Inspector

make inspect
  1. Once you see the “Starting worker” message in your terminal, proceed to the next step.
  2. In your browser go to: http://localhost:5005/webhooks/socketio/inspect.html

3. Start the Rasa Chat Widget

make run
  1. Once you see the “Starting worker” message in your terminal, proceed to the next step.
  2. Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows).
  3. Navigate to the chatwidget directory inside the starterpack-insurance-en folder you uncompressed earlier.
  4. Double-click chatwidget/index.html to open the demo in your browser.
  5. You can now interact with the Insurance Demo Assistant using Rasa’s chat widget.

Tip: You can also edit chatwidget/index.html to customize the look and behavior of the demo.

Note: For a full list of Rasa CLI commands refer to: https://rasa.com/docs/reference/api/command-line-interface/#cheat-sheet

Stopping the Demo Assistant

  1. To stop the Rasa server, return to the terminal window where it is running and press Ctrl+C.
  2. That's it, you’ve successfully run your first Rasa Assistant! You can now close the terminal window if you wish.

Restarting the Demo Assistant

  1. Open your terminal and navigate to the starterpack-insurance-en directory.
  2. Then, follow the same steps from Starting the Demo Assistant to run the assistant again.

Demo examples

You are now ready to start your demo. Feel free to follow the steps below:

Example 1: Filing an auto insurance claim - happy path

Bot: Hey Serena 👋 I'm Poly, your AI assistant at Universal Insurance 🔐 I can help you start a claim and check its status. What would you like to do?
User: I want to file a claim
Bot: Here are all your available policies: 🏠 Homeowner (9738812) Expires on: 01/01/2020 🚗 Car (9738813) Expires on: 01/01/2026 Which policy would you like to file a claim under?
User: Car
Bot: Could you please describe what happened and what caused the damage?
User: Someone hit my car in a traffic light
Bot: What was the exact date of the incident? Please use mm/dd/yyyy format.
User: 12/24/2024
Bot: What was the exact time of the incident?
User: 3pm
Bot: Where did the incident happen?
User: Times square
Bot: Please write the contact details of any witnesses and the number of police report if available.
User: Contact: John Smith (555) 010-0000
Bot: Here is a summary of your claim: Policy # 9738813 Car insurance Description: Someone hit my car in a traffic light Date: 12/24/2024 Time: 3pm Location: Times square Additional information: Contact: John Smith (555) 010-0000 Does everything look correct?
User: Yes
Bot: Thank you. Shall I submit this claim for you?
User: Yes
Bot: I have submitted your claim number 12345. An adjuster will be assigned to your claim

Example 2: Intervening and asking a knowledge base question

Bot: Hey Serena 👋 I'm Poly, your AI assistant at Universal Insurance 🔐 I can help you start a claim and check its status. What would you like to do?
User: I want to file a claim
Bot: Here are all your available policies: 🏠 Homeowner (9738812) Expires on: 01/01/2020 🚗 Car (9738813) Expires on: 01/01/2026 Which policy would you like to file a claim under?
User: Car
Bot: Could you please describe what happened and what caused the damage?
User: Someone hit my car in a traffic light
Bot: What was the exact date of the incident? Please use mm/dd/yyyy format.
User: What happens if the other driver didn't have insurance?
Bot: If the other driver is uninsured, your Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage will be crucial. It can cover your medical expenses and, in some states, vehicle repairs. If you have Collision coverage, it will pay for your car's repairs (minus your deductible) regardless of the other driver's insurance status.
Bot: What was the exact date of the incident? Please use mm/dd/yyyy format.
User: 12/24/2024
Bot: What was the exact time of the incident?
User: 3pm
Bot: Where did the incident happen?
User: Times square
Bot: Please write the contact details of any witnesses and the number of police report if available.
User: Contact: John Smith (555) 010-0000
Bot: Here is a summary of your claim: Policy # 9738813 Car insurance Description: Someone hit my car in a traffic light Date: 12/24/2024 Time: 3pm Location: Times square Additional information: Contact: John Smith (555) 010-0000 Does everything look correct?
User: Yes
Bot: Thank you. Shall I submit this claim for you?
User: Yes
Bot: I have submitted your claim number 12345. An adjuster will be assigned to your claim

Example 3: Correcting input

Bot: Hey Serena 👋 I'm Poly, your AI assistant at Universal Insurance 🔐 I can help you start a claim and check its status. What would you like to do?
User: I want to check a claim status
Bot: Could you please write the claim number?
User: CLAIM1234
Bot: Thank you. I will check the claim status for you. One moment please. We are assigning an adjustor to your case, it normally takes 24-48 h since submitting the claim. The adjustor will be assigned by 01/11/2025. Let me know if you would like to check your claim status or file a claim. I'll be here ready to help! 😊
User: Sorry I meant CLAIM1236
Bot: Thank you. I will check the claim status for you. One moment please. We are in the process of scheduling an inspection to see your damages. Would you like to submit dates and times for the inspection appointment?
User: No

Example 4: List policies & Enterprise Search

Bot: Hey Serena 👋 I'm Poly, your AI assistant at Universal Insurance 🔐 I can help you start a claim and check its status. What would you like to do?
User: list my available policies
Bot: Let me retrieve your policy information, just a moment please. Here are all your available policies: 🏠 Homeowner: Expires on: 01/01/2020. Premium: $10000, limit: $500000 🚗 Car: Expires on: 01/01/2026. Premium: $2000, limit: $80000
User: What is a premium
Bot: A premium is the amount you pay for your insurance policy, typically on a monthly, semi-annual, or annual basis, to maintain your coverage. For example, your car insurance premium is $2,000, and your homeowner's insurance premium is $10,000.

Advanced configurations

By default, the Insurance Starter Pack always starts the chat session with "Hey Serena .." as the end user. You can easily adjust this to showcase multiple user profiles by filling in the “customer_first_name” slot with an adequate user name through an API call to the right Database.

The Insurance Assistant includes three user profiles:

  • Serena Williams with 123 as a customer id
  • Lionel Messi with 124 as a customer id
  • Tom Cruise with 125 as a customer id
  • Beyoncé Knowles with 456 as a customer id

You can check in the db folder to find the information above plus the information about their expenses.

What’s next?

Congratulations on installing the Rasa CALM Starter Pack for Insurance! Stay tuned for more starter packs coming soon.

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