It’s easy to assume that today’s smartphone tech means the old call centre model is history. But many people don’t use the internet very much and don’t own a smartphone. They like calling humans to get problems resolved or carry out admin like address changes, claims progress etc. So does the call centre still deliver?
First Orion, a leading provider of branded communication solutions for businesses, has published the results of its 2022 Insurance Survey Report that explores the insurance calling experiences of 5,000 U.S. mobile subscribers. The findings represent customer sentiments related to contact with health, auto, and home insurance providers.
The survey discovered most customers (49%) prefer speaking with a live person when contacting insurance providers. Contact via email/messaging apps ranked second with 29%, and SMS/text came in third at 22%. When asked about their insurance provider contacting them, phone calls from providers outpaced all other methods of communication at 42%.
“It’s evident that policyholders prefer communicating with insurance providers via a phone call, but when a provider calls, the call goes unanswered,” said Sherri Schwartz, CMO at First Orion. “Consumers being uncomfortable answering calls from unknown numbers is a problem impacting all industries, especially the insurance sector, which often requires timely communication between the policyholder and provider. That’s where our Branded Communication solutions help businesses overcome these challenges by giving them the ability to brand their calls and deliver a connection that consumers trust.”
More than three in four respondents (76%) reported missing a call from their insurance provider because they didn’t recognize the number calling or it was not properly identified as a call from their insurance provider. Since policy and payment decisions are often time-sensitive, making that connection is a top priority for the provider and policyholder. The survey results indicate that missing these calls had a “moderate to big impact” on nearly 60% of respondents. Almost 20% also reported that missing the call cost them valuable time or had a direct financial impact. Getting customers to answer phone calls is an industry-wide problem that can be attributed to consumers in the U.S. receiving an estimated 110 billion scam calls in 2021.
First Orion’s Branded Communication solutions, INFORM® and ENGAGE®, empower businesses to deliver digitally enhanced and interactive phone communication by letting consumers know who is calling and why. The technology allows businesses to brand calls with a logo, company name, department and reason for calling on the recipient’s mobile device at the time of the call and in the call log afterward, increasing the likelihood the customer calls back. For insurance providers specifically, Branded Communication has increased engagement rates and conversion rates by double digits.
To access the full 2022 Insurance Survey Report, visit firstorion.com/2022-insurance-report.
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