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The Insurance Industry's Guide to Exceptional Customer Experience

Posted by Emily Hegland on January 9, 2020

When it comes to the insurance industry, modern customers have fresh expectations. The main area of competition between insurance companies has moved from policy-oriented to customer-focused. So how can an insurance company refocus its marketing strategy to address this change? 

The answer lies in customer experience (CX) — that is, how your customers understand and interact with your brand. But what does that entail for insurance companies?

Well, it’s not just one thing. It’s formed by every customer touchpoint. That includes how customers discover your business, how they file a claim and what it’s like to interact with agents or customer service reps. It also includes digital channels, like how your website looks, what your social media channels share and how your mobile app functions.

All of these steps along the customer journey impact how customers think of you — and ultimately determine if they stay with you or switch to another insurance provider.

The key takeaway here is customer experience is never static. As customers’ needs, preferences and expectations change, the insurance industry needs to evolve to meet those needs. So, if customers come to expect an instant message chat for filing a claim and you just have a call center, you’ll need to step up. Or if your customers want an intuitive user interface on your website, it may be time to invest in a redesign. If you don’t, those customers may go to a competitor who can give them the experience they want.

Learn from the Best: Insurance Brands with Exceptional CX

So how do you improve your customer experience? Well, you’ll have to learn from brands who do it well. The companies that excel at customer experience tend to incorporate data, technology and innovation in their strategy.

Here are three insurance brands that have gone above and beyond to create a memorable customer experience by 1.) rewarding customers for good habits, 2.) using technology in concert with traditional avenues and 3.) specializing in a specific segment of customers.

State Farm

What did they do? Insurance customers want the best of both worlds: low premiums and reliable protection. To meet this need, State Farm developed a “Drive Safe & Save” program that tracks their customers’ driving. Safe drivers get discounts — simple as that. Plus, a “Driver Feedback” app offers customers tips on safety techniques and fuel efficiency. 

What can you learn? Reward your customers for what they do well. When customers can earn a useful reward through good habits, they’re more likely to stay loyal to your brand.

Allstate

What did they do? Allstate created an internal bot named Amelia that gives employees instant access to up-to-date information about their customers. This lets them quickly provide customers with accurate, personalized responses about their home, auto and other policies.

What can you learn? Technology doesn’t have to replace traditional CX avenues. Rather, use advancements in machine learning and AI to work in tandem with your customer service team to deliver a solid response.

Metromile

What did they do? Metromile rethought the way auto insurance works entirely. For certain customers, like drivers in cities who also use public transportation, a pay-per-mile car insurance policy makes more sense than tradition auto insurance. They made it easy for customers to set up and update their information through the mobile app.

What can you learn? Get specific. Understand all the types of customers out there and find a unique solution to bring them to your brand over the others. When you offer something different than your competitors, you can build a unique and loyal customer base.

Final Suggestions: Even More Ways to Improve Your CX

  1. Use data. Insurance companies already need to collect data about their customers. Ask your customers questions with a mutual benefit — and be open about why you need it. Customers are willing to provide more information if it can lead to a discount or an improvement in service. 
  1. Gamification. It may sound daunting, but gamification can be simple. Think about online forms with a progress bar. Each step completed fills in another portion of the progress bar until it’s complete. This detail incentivizes customers to keep moving through the arduous claims process because they know they’re close to completion. Consider how you can incorporate other gamification elements in your customer journey.
  1. Provide relevant content. Use your social media channels and blog to give your customers information they need. You could share home maintenance tips, infographics about coverage options, flowcharts on how to fill out a claim form, etc. This keeps your customers engaged with your brand even when they don’t need to file a claim.

How Does Your CX Stack Up?

If your customer experience is falling behind, it’s time to innovate. Learn from these examples and really evaluate the customer journey of your brand. And if you need a roadmap, download the Insurance Customer Experience Self-Assessment to see where your brand could improve.

Download CX Self-Assessment

Fill out this guide and see where you stand. If your customer experience still needs to be fine-tuned, contact J&C, the experts in the art and science of customer engagement.

 

Topics: Insurance Marketing, Customer Experience

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