How Insurers can use customer communication to make the most of the COVID-19 moment
With the country still very much in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, communication between companies and customers has become more important than ever. That’s as true of insurance brokers as it is of any other company. Unlike many companies, however, customers are also communicating with their insurers more than ever. That’s inevitable in such economically uncertain times.
Correctly equipped, however, brokers can help insurers communicate effectively with their customers.
An enhanced broker experience will, in turn, yield positive results, such as better engagement, which leads to better productivity, service and ultimately more customers and revenue.
The role of the broker
Insurance brokers are on the front lines assisting customers with life-changing events such as getting married, purchasing a house/car, etc. And in the event of a crisis, they often help customers navigate the claims process.
Ultimately, brokers know a company’s customers best. They have most likely met with them face to face and assessed their specific needs and risk factors. As a result, they have an existing relationship with the insured.
Keeping them onside is therefore pivotal. The best way to do so is with effective communication. Not only will good communication help ensure a good broker experience, but it will also keep the specific insurance company top of mind with brokers and help them understand the products, so they can better serve the needs of their customers.
This approach will, in turn, help brokers understand the importance of reaching their customers as quickly as possible on the most relevant channels. They’ll also grasp that whatever messaging they put out has to feel personalized and empathetic.
Those are important lessons and help to engender positive sentiment to what’s usually a grudge purchase. But that won’t last forever. It’s therefore pivotal that insurers equip their brokers to reach out now and make the most of a moment when people are crying out for a good customer experience.
Ongoing growth
While continuing to provide relevant, easy to understand and contextual information is an important part of retaining customer trust and loyalty, it can’t be the only thing insurers and their brokers should do.
They also need to ensure that they’re maximizing the kinds of technology that improves the customer experience, especially when it comes to communication.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), for example, can improve customer experience through the analysis of data on hand in order to decide the next message that is best suited to each customer, based on actions taken with the insurer or changes in life-stages that shift their needs. By delivering the right message to the right person, at the right time, an organization can dramatically improve the customer experience. That relevance and timeliness, meanwhile, is most likely to result in the response the business wants: a policy renewal, an upsell, or a new sale.
Machine Learning (ML), meanwhile, can help decide which content is suited to a customer based on data on hand, such as past behaviour, demographics and location, making it easier to deliver truly hyper-personalized communication.
Conditions aren’t going to get any easier for insurers in the coming months, with the economy likely to take years to recover. Insurers, therefore, need to equip their brokers to build good customer communication habits and create an even better customer experience.
Source: Advertising 360
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