The new norm of frequent catastrophic weather events and natural disasters, compounded by global supply chain constraints and soaring inflation, has really disrupted the status quo of insurance. 

It’s forced insurers to rethink how they do business, including what products and coverage they offer.

And it’s left consumers (individuals and businesses) feeling anxious about their level of protection, offput by the rising costs of policies and questioning the value of being covered at all. 

When it comes time for the consumer to evaluate and purchase their next policy, or lodge a first notice of loss (FNOL), is your business positioned to deliver all the answers, confidence and value they’re needing to complete the transaction? 

A personalised experience delivered at scale via cutting-edge digital customer service solutions may just be the answer to winning new customers and retaining them for years to come. 

What is digital customer service (DCS)?

DCS is the new omni-channel approach to traditional customer service.

As an insurer, you deal with hundreds of prospective and renewing customers a day, both online and over the phone. These customers are researching policies and getting quotes – but a significant percentage don’t convert to a sale for any variety of reasons including confusion over product details and features or frustration over stages of the quoting journey.

DCS allows your organisation to deliver a one-to-one, concierge-style, customer service experience online – at scale, in real time, at any time – to address any questions, concerns, anxieties or blockers the consumer may have, instantly giving them the confidence needed to proceed to purchase or complete the FNOL.

‘DCS gives you the chance to showcase the true value of your insurance product at a time when customers are hyper-vigilant and extremely price conscious.’

This is achieved via chat, digital voice, video and phone functionality, combined with real time co-browsing and screensharing; and it works for both desktop and mobile online sessions.

Your customer service team can monitor online activity and deliver an amazingly human customer service experience, helping retain a customer that would otherwise have been lost.

How does DCS work?

• The DCS solution plugs into existing core policy or claims solutions, typically taking four-to-six weeks to implement.
• It can be used over desktop and mobile web experiences, as well as those behind secure portals.
• Visitor detection software analyses online user behaviour in real time and identifies sessions and stages that are more likely to end in journey abandonment.
• It prompts the customer service representative to initiate contact and offer support via a variety of communication methods. They can seamlessly switch to other channels such as phone or video, or offer to screen share and co-brows, as required by the situation or customer.
• Other expert colleagues can be introduced into the conversation, such as underwriters.
• It can be enhanced using artificial intelligence bot assistance.

What DCS solutions are out there?

Why is DCS so important?

• Show the customer the value of your insurance product at a time when insurance is being questioned.
• Reduce the chances of abandonment.
• Speed up the quote-to-purchase journey.
• Reduce a customer’s stress during the claims journey.
• Efficient and effective way of individually reaching a greater number of customers.
• Create and build relationships with customers, increasing the likelihood of retention and positive word-of-mouth.