KEY TAKEAWAYS:
--Problems are most common during claims. 73% of insurers reported significant customer friction in the claims process, and 59% reported decreased chances of customer policy renewals as a result.
--Improvements to the customer experience will require improvements to the employee experience, so 88% of insurers plan to invest more in CX technology over the next two years. 51% expect to invest more in self-service.
--Contact center agents often have to navigate through multiple systems. A single interface with integrations to core insurance systems can enable streamlined interaction.
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A recent Talkdesk survey of customer experience (CX) professionals in insurance shows that 91% consider their contact centers meaningful contributors to their CX strategies, and 93% said delivering superior CX is a key driver of customer loyalty.
Consumers want a frictionless experience, whether they’re dealing with retailers, wireless providers, banks – or insurance companies. So, increasing customer loyalty requires simplifying the customer journey and removing friction points.
Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of survey respondents said CX is a growing strategic priority for their organizations, so insurers are seeking to provide contact center agents with the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.
Disjointed and frustrating experiences erode loyalties
People are not eager to engage with their insurance companies. But when they do, customers expect a convenient and transparent experience that does not involve long wait times, getting shuffled to different departments or agents or providing the same information over and over.
These types of problems are most common during claims. Nearly three in four (73%) of insurers reported significant customer friction in the claims process, and 78% said a single poor customer experience will diminish loyalty.
Too frequently, poor customer experiences can be traced to the lack of training and tools of customer-facing employees such as contact center workers. Simply put, improvements to the customer experience will require improvements to the employee experience.
The contact center as the hub of CX
Customer-facing employees should be provided a single pane of glass that affords them a 360-degree view of the customer, including contextual information so they can respond, provide information, resolve inquiries and have the bandwidth and support to do all of this with empathy.
A modern, omnichannel cloud-based contact center should serve as an insurer’s hub for communicating with customers and creating a unified customer experience, whether through self-service and digital options or through personalized and convenient interactions.
It is no surprise, then, that 88% of insurers intend to invest more in CX technology over the next two years. And slightly more than half (51%) of surveyed insurers said they plan to increase their investments in self-service technologies over the same period.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a central role in these plans. Survey respondents called applying AI key to better understanding and predicting customer issues their top priority in resolving friction points across the customer journey.
See also: Evolution of The Contact Center Experience
Empowering contact center workers
When consumers reach out to an insurer’s contact center, they often are in a state of anxiety – or worse – over a claim. This elevated emotional state makes it even more important that contact center workers can help customers resolve an issue or answer a question; after all, the more upset and disappointed customers are, the more likely they will seek a new insurer. According to the survey, 59% of insurers report decreased chances of customer policy renewals as a result of customer support frictions.
By deploying AI, machine learning, natural language processing and other smart technologies, insurers empower support workers to quickly resolve issues with next-best-action recommendations for each stage of a live call or digital chat. These tools also can conduct sentiment analysis to help contact center employees to respond in the most empathetic way.
Additionally, integrating automation in the contact center platform and using automated workflows can simplify processes for employees, improve accuracy and increase efficiencies.
Contact center agents often have to navigate through multiple systems, such as policy administration, claims management and CRM. Switching between screens and different systems can create a cumbersome and inefficient experience. A single interface with integrations to core insurance systems can provide complete customer context and enable a streamlined interaction.
Conclusion
Insurers know that customer loyalty and retention are highly dependent on the customer experience. By using their contact centers as hubs for their CX strategies – and by equipping the centers with AI, automation and user-friendly tools – insurers can provide a better experience for customers and service reps while lowering costs through greater operational efficiencies.
