A survey conducted by J.D. Power has shown that overall customer satisfaction with insurers’ digital offerings hasn’t improved this year, despite industry-wide improvements in best-practice competency.
With an increasing amount of property and casualty (P&C) insurance customers, followed by the migration to more digital channels during the past year, expectations for a better user experience has grown and many insurers are struggling to keep up.
The study evaluates digital customer experiences among both P&C insurance shoppers seeking quotes and existing customers conducting typical policy-servicing activities.
It examined the functional aspects of desktop, mobile web and mobile apps based on five factors, which include ease of navigation, appearance, availability of key information, range of services and clarity of the information.
Across all account service and shopping engagements evaluated, the study finds that customer satisfaction scores consistently decline as tasks become more complicated, for example requesting a quote, researching policy information, adding a driver/vehicle and viewing policy-related information.
Although the satisfaction is substantially higher across all factors in the study among mobile app users and those who describe themselves as tech savvy.
Tom Super, head of property and casualty insurance intelligence at J.D. Power commented: “The bar just continues to get higher for customer expectations around digital, and while many insurers are hitting the mark on the digital basics, few insurers are using digital in new ways to drive growth and engagement.
“The real challenge for insurers is pushing the envelope on digital innovation. Customers’ pace of expected change is accelerating, and insurers must be able to take steps to go beyond the basics of simply digitising customer tasks. Those that can make this leap will be poised to separate themselves from the pack.”
Michael Ellison, president of Corporate Insight added: “Being ‘good enough’ doesn’t cut it in a world where consumers are managing so much of their lives through digital interfaces and upending conventional notions of customer engagement.
“While most insurers are making it possible to perform basic functions online or via mobile, very few are delivering a markedly improved, highly personalised overall experience via digital, even though innovative firms are showing that it is possible to do that now.”
