The evolution of the insurance claims industry has introduced a multitude of technological advances, but there is something perhaps more important than tech, and that is the customer experience itself. In fact, 76% of insurance customers would switch carriers for more personalized service. “Companies that offer consistently best-in-class customer experiences tend to grow faster and more profitably.” But what are the right initiatives you should invest in to create a superior customer service experience?
6 Key Initiatives to Improve Your Customer Experience:
- Be Transparent. Let your customers know that their insurance company is acting in their best interest. Be flexible. If there is an issue, address the difficult things first to show you are honest and forthright.
- Communication. This is your opportunity to personalize your customer experience and ensure they know what you are offering. Communication allows you to build rapport with your customers while providing information and service. Excellent communication is crucial to your business success. It is important that your customer knows how and when you are available to them. Make it easy for customers to contact you. Don’t limit yourself to the phone, but expand into a variety of channels including email, text, and chatbots.
- Find out how your end user prefers to communicate with you. Make yourself available to the customer, using their preferred method of communication when possible.
- Take the time to determine what your customers’ preferences are. Understand their needs and goals as they are dealing with damage to their homes. Put yourself in their shoes if that helps you be more accommodating and keep them informed of the process. The more they know and understand, the easier it will be to get through the claims process. A little extra support and understanding on your part can go a long way to easing their mind after a difficult experience. Listen to what your customers are telling you and over-communicate if needed.
- Invest in communication tools that make the process easier and more streamlined. If your customer prefers text or instant messaging to a phone call, invest in systems that allow you to provide instant communication easily. Your communication tools should keep a log of your historical conversations available, regardless of which representative is hopping on the next call. If you don’t offer it already, implement necessary technology to allow your customers to send pictures of damage digitally. Schedule automatic updates to inform customers of what to expect, and when, what the next steps are, etc. Make sure your systems are working for you and your customers!
- Explain the Process. What is a claim? What is an estimate? While the answer to these questions might be clear to you, this is likely new territory for your customer. Provide this information up front to minimize unnecessary questions that can be handled easily on their own. Give your customers what they need to look information up for themselves about the claims process, and make sure they know you’re available if they have questions. You need to set the expectations and you must then follow through with those expectations.
- Settle Claims Faster. Make it fast and make it easy. These days, people like instant gratification. If it’s cumbersome or complicated, it’s not going to create a good experience for the end user. If you’ve taken the time to explain the process, and you keep the customer informed, it’s going to be a better experience for the end user and for your team.
Faster claim settlements are a key to improving the customer experiences. Making the claim easier to submit starts this process; integrating photos and video moves it along. Having the right partners who understand the need for speed is vital. Hancock delivers best-in-class customer service and technical expertise to insurance carriers nationwide, helping them retain customers and grow market share by delivering fast, efficient services that reduce claim cycles from weeks to days! We are committed to being efficient and getting the claim inspected within 24-48 hours.
- Invest in Technology. It is important to leverage different tools that help the end user do more self-service. We are huge proponents of innovative technology. When thinking about tech that can improve the customer experience, consider deliverables like:
- Online scheduling
- Digital photo/video submission for claims
- Security features
- Communication tools
- Request Feedback. In order to improve the customer service experience, you need to know what your customers like and don’t like. Invest in the feedback tools you need to acquire this information. Send out regular surveys to your customers, check in with them after they settle a claim to see how the experience was. You can even add a quick feedback or rating tool to your website.
Connecting in a Digital World
Connection with people is important, especially when those people are your customers. The pandemic has created a digital environment in a space where people were historically used to face-to-face interactions. And people are missing that connection. There are opportunities in your business to connect with your end users in new, digital ways. Video chats and meetings are now considered an acceptable form of meeting with colleagues and customers alike. You can create some of that in-person experience simply by giving your customers the face time they crave.
Insurers who provide the best-in-class experience to their customers have generated, on average, two to four times MORE growth in new business and almost 30% higher profitability. Satisfied customers are 80% more likely to renew their policies than unsatisfied customers. The answer is clear. By focusing on the most important aspects of your customer interactions, you can create the customer experience that will keep them coming back for more.
See how Hancock Claims can help you deliver an outstanding customer experience with faster cycle times.
