Poor communication has big impact on customer satisfaction, Hi Marley

Poor communication is the biggest indicator of one-star ratings, according to the customer satisfaction surveys analyzed by Hi Marley, an insurance communication platform.

Almost half of the five-star ratings mentioned a good experience with an adjuster as the primary reason for satisfaction in a claims process. Timeliness of service and resolution followed with 18%, communication with 16% and process effectiveness at 12%.

The white paper includes nearly 25,000 customer satisfaction surveys, which were analyzed to determine factors that lead to a good or bad claims experience, using a one to five-star scale. The responses are from the 50 property and casualty carrier customers in the Hi Marley database. Only about 5% of the responses were one-star customer reviews and 95% were five-stars.

"Helping our carrier customers better understand what makes their policyholders happy aligns with our mission of making insurance convenient and lovable," said Ujjval Patel, director of solutions and consulting at Hi Marley and co-author of the study, in a statement. "By using our unique dataset from thousands of claims interactions, we've pinpointed problem areas and have a powerful tool insurers can use to coach their teams, address issues and ultimately improve customer retention."

The whitepaper suggests that while poor communication can create negative reviews, it is also necessary for positive customer satisfaction in most cases.

“To increase satisfaction, carriers must offer the option to reach out to a human throughout the claims process,” the whitepaper states. “At the claim's moment of truth, no amount of technology or process efficiency can replace an adjuster’s approach and ability to effectively communicate.”

However, human interaction may not always be what the customer wants. Satisfaction on property claims dropped significantly when customers had to submit a photo digitally and then schedule an in-person inspection, according to a recent study from J.D. Power. Customers who reported this happening were more likely to be dissatisfied than in previous years.

So, while the use of more automation and technology to speed up the claims process will likely further enhance the customer experience, it may also lead to less, according to the whitepaper.

“Increasing automation narrows the number of touchpoints carriers have, making each of human interactions even more important,” the whitepaper states. “Insurance is a people-oriented, people-focused business, so it’s critical to not lose the human element.”