In the modern insurance world, personalization is about more than modifying content to match consumer profiles. It’s about meeting consumers’ needs more effectively, making interactions easier and increasing overall satisfaction.
Remember, the consumer experience is a funnel, and personalization can be applied to each touch-point in the funnel. Personalize all platforms of interaction: in person, mail, phone calls, email, website and mobile.
See also: The Case for Personalization
When it comes to insurance, consumers want the process to be easy. Your use of personalization should align with that belief. Personalized service is important to consumers, and according to one study, 80% of insurance customers are looking for personalized offers, messages, pricing and recommendations from their auto, home or life insurance providers. Give your consumers what they’re looking for.
The 3 Types of Data You Need for Personalization:
With the Internet of Things, the majority of consumer touch-points are now digital. Use the available data to help improve your personalization techniques.
- Demographics: Leverage the consumer data you have—age, gender, location, platform preference (mobile, email, by mail, only digital), expressed interests—to better meet your customers’ needs. Asking consumers to repeat or re-enter information that they’ve already shared shows them that you don’t care. Know their demographics to show that you do.
- Past Contact: What is the consumer’s history with you? Use the historical data to your advantage. A record of contact with the customer is necessary and can greatly inform all future contact. Recall their previous experiences to better understand and meet their current needs.
- Present Context: Consider the present context data for personalization. What type of device is the consumer using? Which browser is she searching on? For what reason is he contacting you? This can inform the method of personalization used to better meet their needs effectively.
- Contextualize language, images or graphics based on the consumer’s location in emails, mailing materials and in-app offers. Using an image of the consumer’s city or a well-known landmark can help show that you are aware of who your consumers are. Using language that matches your consumer’s demographics and is relevant to his age, location, occupation or needs will also be more useful to him. You can always A/B test to see which method resonates best.
- Refer to previous contact in current interactions. For example, an agent could say: “The last time we spoke was in November. Are you still the primary driver for your Nissan Altima?” Or a home insurer could send a follow-up email to ask how the home repairs went after a filed claim.
- Personalize email headers or content in reference to local events or happenings in the consumer’s location.
- Offer helpful, relevant information. Insurance apps may offer driving routes, roadside assistance and real-time weather reports or warnings. Similarly, agents can send email updates warning of a coming snowstorm or local incident that may affect their customers. Telematics companies could send home or car maintenance tips, reminding customers that it may be time to check their smoke detector batteries or get an oil change.
- Personalize offers to customer interests. If the consumer travels a lot, she may want to know more about rental car insurance or travel insurance. If a driver has had several recent accident claims, an agent could recommend technologies or courses to help improve skills and cut costs.
