Throughout the pandemic, many carriers have accelerated plans to develop digital customer experiences that allow customers to meet their needs without speaking to a live person. However, there are still situations in which it is important for the customer to speak to someone directly. Human interaction is beneficial when customers need to resolve complex situations. Additionally, this type of engagement helps customers connect with agents on an emotional level, strengthening their relationship with your business. When a customer interacts directly with an agent, the quality of that interaction is extremely important.
In my latest blog series, I discussed what’s next for insurance companies looking to increase value through enhanced customer experience. I human + machine This approach is a key feature of tomorrow’s customer engagement. We’ve reviewed your submission on reimagining the customer experience. This year’s Qorus (formerly Efma) Accenture Innovation in Insurance AwardsWe wanted to highlight a few insurance companies that are innovatively applying data, analytics, and technology to support and enhance human interactions.
Allianz Partners Visi’Home
allianz partnersVisi’Home services improve your virtual customer support experience. This is a diagnostic service that remotely supports customers and assesses incidents that cause damage in their homes. Using video calls, you can connect customers directly to a claims representative who can diagnose the damage and connect them with the appropriate service provider. The team at Allianz Partners developed the service in response to physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent rapid adoption of video conferencing, and rolled it out in France in 2020. did.
When a customer is suffering from an issue like a burst pipe or broken appliance, they may not know what the problem is or how to fix it. An experienced agent can immediately investigate the problem over the phone, eliminating the need for an initial visit by repair and maintenance experts to assess the situation. It also improves the ability to find the right repair person and leave instructions for the parts and tools needed to complete the job. The repair specialist only needs to make one trip on her part, which ultimately saves a lot of time, money, and even emissions, and eliminates the need to make two trips to get parts.
Visi’Home brings insurers closer to their customers and helps them deliver highly personalized experiences when customers need it most. Providing immediate support positions your carrier as a trusted friend, ultimately fostering loyalty and trust.
I see this type of innovation as preparing the insurance industry to move beyond connected customer experiences and toward embedded customer experiences. In a recent report, Technology Vision 2022Let’s talk more about the application of augmented reality (AR) in our daily lives and future customer experiences.
One of the applications of AR discussed at Tech Vision is to use mobile devices and (eventually) IoT-connected glasses to get directions to locations, restaurant reviews, and packaged products. The concept is to overlay information such as materials onto the physical environment. Visi’Home is a promising pioneer of this type of technology. The service currently relies on video calls to connect customers and agents, but this type of product could easily be transformed into an AR experience. For example, diagnostics are performed by artificial intelligence and agents can “point in” via a virtual overlay as they give instructions in real-time on a customer’s device.
FWD Group’s FWD Care
front wheel driveinnovations in healthcare services successfully balance technology and human connection. The FWD Care program provides a dedicated nurse to clients who are experiencing illness, terminal illness, or the loss of a loved one. Once a critical event claim is approved, customers are paired with a nurse who provides ongoing care for up to six months at no additional cost. Nurses are trained to address medical and administrative questions that clients may have and to provide emotional support during difficult times. In addition to this service, the program connects customers with other resources.
FWD focuses on deep, meaningful relationships as a key differentiator. Anyone experiencing a life crisis, such as a serious illness or loss, needs emotional support, but the resources needed by each client vary. To achieve personalization, FWD has created a network of care that meets the needs of a variety of customers. We offer a variety of resources both virtually and in-person, including transportation to medical appointments, counseling, and even legal advice.
As the industry moves towards automated solutions for customer interactions, it is important for carriers to assess where human touch is having the most impact and work to maintain or enhance the use of human agents in those areas. . For FWD, investing in their customers this way provides a high ROI for them. The program achieved an overall customer satisfaction rate of 99.7% in Hong Kong and Thailand, where it was piloted, leading to increased loyalty and retention.
according to New research findings from Salesforce, 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. 94% of customers say they’re more likely to buy from you again if they had a great experience, which is impressive. 3 percentage points increase since 2020. Finally, 96% of customers say good service builds trust. By strategically providing human care, customers can feel like they matter to their insurance company and that their insurance company is truly there for them, even during life’s most difficult experiences.
Heian Insurance’s AI conference platform
When it comes to internal processes, you can implement technology solutions to augment your team of human agents and deliver the great experiences your customers need and expect. Chinese insurance company peacehas developed an AI meeting platform to enhance communication between distributors and customers. The platform makes it easy for agents to have customer data and relevant information resources at their fingertips, allowing them to provide highly customized recommendations and support materials in real time. Heian calls this an online + offline experience. This provides customers with the benefits of face-to-face conversations, along with the efficiency of data-driven promotions and seamless remote conferencing capabilities.
The platform makes it much easier to train your sales reps and keep them compliant, allowing them to focus on meaningful conversations. For example, companion robots built into the solution can guide salespeople in real time to avoid using sensitive language, helping agents convey the right message and avoid misleading sales.
The platform also includes an industry-first virtual reality (VR) conference room. This VR experience allows sales team members to make customers feel welcome, even when they are meeting remotely. This increased flexibility allows Heian to serve more customers in more regions. Agents were able to adapt to changes in in-person interactions brought about by the pandemic through enhanced virtual experiences.
Rather than completely automating the sales experience, Ping An has enhanced its online sales process with tools that can provide what in-person experiences traditionally offer: connection. AI innovations have further enhanced that experience, making it easier for salespeople to engage customers where they are, delivering the personalization and technology benefits that today’s customers are accustomed to.
Enabling the human-machine experience
These examples are evidence that the wave of innovation in the insurance industry is enhancing technology to enable a better human-to-human experience, rather than replacing it completely. Going forward, carriers will need to develop data collection and decision-making strategies to determine where customers need and expect self-service and where they prefer interacting with a live human. .
The innovations described above also require humans to provide services with higher levels of empathy and competence. Telcos will need to develop training and coaching programs, many of which will be AI-powered, and potentially reshape organizational culture to provide exceptional customer care and expertise.
If you are interested in discussing this further, please feel free to contact us contact me.
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