Property/casualty insurers outshine their health and life counterparts when it comes to customer satisfaction, a new study finds.
The 2010 Net Promoter Industry Benchmarks from San Mateo, Calif.-based Satmetrix Systems Inc. was complied from a survey of 19,500 U.S. consumers nationwide. A company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is based on customers’ likelihood to recommend the company’s product or service. NPS is calculated as the percentage of customers who are Promoters, rating the company 9 or 10 on a zero-to-ten point scale, minus those who are Detractors, rating the company 6 or lower.
Among insurers, consumers expressed the most dissatisfaction with health insurers, giving the sector an average rating of negative 13%. In fact, Chicago-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois was the only health insurance company profiled with a positive NPS, scoring 5%. Philadelphia-based CIGNA ranked last among major health insurers with an NPS of negative 28%.
Life insurers were held in higher esteem, with Bloomington, Ill.-based State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. leading the life insurance category with an NPS of 34%, 22 points higher than the runner up, New York-based New York Life. San Antonio-based United Services Automobile Association (USAA) dominated the auto insurance sector at 78%, more than 37 points ahead of runner-up Chevy Chase, Md.-based GEICO. USAA also came out tops in homeowners insurance, scoring 69%.
“A company’s ability to deliver a superior customer experience relative to its industry peers is a critical indicator of customer retention and new customer acquisition through positive word of mouth,” John Abraham, general manager of Net Promoter programs at Satmetrix, said in a statement.
