Amica Mutual, Erie Insurance Top Auto Satisfaction Ratings

Amica Mutual ranks highest in customer satisfaction for auto insurance companies, according to J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 U.S. National Auto Insurance Study.

Amica tallied a score of 843, marking the 12th consecutive year the company has led the study, which this year was based on nearly 28,000 responses from auto insurance policyholders.

Erie Insurance came in second with a score of 825, followed by Shelter Insurance (816),  New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company and USAA  also achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, but were not included in the rankings due to the closed natures of their respective memberships.

Another finding of the study was that satisfaction with price among auto-only insurance customers is now comparable to levels once reserved for customers who bundled auto and homeowners policies. Indeed satisfaction among auto insurance customers who have their homeowners policy with another insurer or who only have an auto policy, has increased considerably from 2010 (up 21 and 26 index points, respectively, on a 1,000-point scale). In comparison, satisfaction among auto insurance customers who have their homeowners policy with the same insurer averages 727, increasing by only 7 points from 2010.

"For the first time, satisfaction with price is higher among unbundled customers than among bundled customers," says Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Customers have come to expect a discount for holding multiple policies with their insurer, and it appears that the positive effect of this discount has become diluted."

The study also found respondents increasingly at ease with electronic channels, with more than 80% of customers who interact with their insurer through its website indicating that they were able to complete their entire interaction online. Moreover, the data showed that customers who use technologies such as e-mail or smartphone apps as complementary channels to their purchase channel are significantly more satisfied than are those using only their purchase channel to meet their service needs.

 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Core systems Policy adminstration Customer experience Digital distribution
MORE FROM DIGITAL INSURANCE