Insurance brands have a unique set of challenges to overcome in order to find the valuable customer experience (CX) data they need to improve experiences. Insurance customers are buying into a long-term relationship, which means building brand trust is extremely important to keep customer retention rates high. And for insurance CX programs, customer data is a key source of information that can help insurance companies cultivate a growing trust with their consumers.
So how do you collect the most valuable feedback from your customers? We have three tips for you to apply to your own CX strategies:
Tip #1: It’s Time to Rethink the Voice of Customer
For insurance CX programs, listening to the voice of customer shouldn’t mean collecting as much data as possible. Instead, the goal should be to collect the data that matters. For example, many insurance CX programs survey with metric-based questions and get consistently high scores from customers. But what they’re not receiving is actionable feedback to improve further. This can be solved by focusing more on unstructured questions to allow customers to actually express what they’re thinking about.
Another important thing to consider when listening to the Voice of Customer is when your CX team is listening along the customer journey. That can matter just as much as the type of questions you’re asking. So think about the different touchpoints that pose potential for valuable CX data.
Insurance CX programs commonly hone in on claim submission with their surveys, but it’s actually rare for a customer to do so in the first place. On the other hand, paying bills is a much more frequent action that customers take and could give your program greater access to the Voice of Customer.
What kind of questions you ask and when you ask them in the customer journey can make a big difference in the data you’ll collect.
Tip #2: Are Traditional Surveys Really Your Best Bet?
The next question you have to ask is, “are surveys really the best way to engage customers?” Traditionally, surveys have been a core part of CX programs for insurance brands but it’s time to move beyond that. In our 2022 Experience Trends Report we discovered that Gen Z customers and employees in the U.S. are about 19-22% likely to complete a traditional survey.
This doesn’t mean we should discard survey methods for the rest of time, however. It just means we need to evolve with customers’ expectations. Providing channels other than traditional surveys for customer feedback—like video, microsurveys, or speech—can help your insurance CX program reach a wider range of the customers you’re trying to cater to.
Tip #3: Remember, CX Data Is for Proving ROI
Executives in insurance companies have a specific language they speak—and communicating with them effectively is the best way you can prove Return on Investment (ROI). The CX data on its own isn’t enough, you need to translate numbers and comments into meaning. When you speak your C-Suite’s language, your executives will be onboard with your program and you’ll have more opportunities to build that high level of trust with customers.
This is especially crucial since insurance customers are in it for the long run. If they don’t believe your business is improving customer satisfaction efforts overtime, then their loyalty will dwindle. If your insurance brand has customers who have been with you for years, it’s in your best interest to make their voice heard among your executive board.
Want more tips on how to improve your insurance brand’s CX program? Check out this video about understanding customer expectations from InMoment Client, Aegon!
