Unlike industries like leisure and hospitality that provide services that offer inherently positive experiences for consumers, insurance companies need to work a little harder if they hope to delight their customers.
That’s because, in many cases, when people contact their insurers, it’s because something bad has happened (for example, damage to a home, a theft, auto accident, illness, or even death).
In other cases, someone has taken out a policy that they thought fitted their needs and budget only to find out, months if not years later, in the event of a calamity, that they misunderstood the terms and conditions of the policy and the plan they purchased has left them severely underinsured.
Insurance agents’ customer service ethos, communication skills, and general conduct in the aftermath of such emotionally consequential events can make or break an insurance company’s reputation.
How insurance firms’ agents handle “moments of truth” such as these will ultimately determine how successful they are at retaining their customers and sustaining a positive reputation in the marketplace.
How a BPO Partner Can Help You Streamline Communication and Boost Customer Service
With a little thought and focus, it’s possible to take the friction out of communication with your customers, and one of the most effective ways to do this is by outsourcing parts of your frontline services operations.
Here are a few reasons why:
You Can Prioritize Better
Most insurance companies take hundreds, even thousands of customer calls a day. This means that managing waiting and verification times needs to be a top priority, particularly in emergency situations.
A good BPO partner will allow you to focus resources where they’re needed and when. Less urgent calls such as premium inquiries or payment arrangements can be assigned to generalist or less-experienced agents while more specialized resources are freed up to resolve more urgent or complicated queries.
They Can Help Build Your Brand
The best BPO partners have people that are passionate about customer service and building relationships. They’re not just doing the job to pick up a check. This means they’ll invest time and energy into learning your business and becoming adept at using your preferred technology systems. As a result, they’ll always have access to customer profiles, histories, and other important information and be able to share accurate information at the right time.
This is especially important in FNOL situations, where policyholders might understandably be stressed and even traumatized. The right BPO insurance agents will ensure that customers get consistently good service regardless of their communication channel of choice, be it the telephone, email, chat, or in-person appointments.
“Covenir is the best FNOL organization that I’ve worked with by far. We don’t get complaints, and that’s our true measuring stick. I don’t have time for headaches. I just want to know that claims will be handled right. Working with Covenir is a relief … like clicking an easy button.” – Pier Westra, Vice President, Claims & Operations, Allied Trust
The Bottom Line: Insurance is a People-Centric Business
At Covenir, we believe that insurance is and always should be a people-centric business. While insurance technology can streamline and expedite agent-policyholder communications and elevate the overall customer experience, it can only go so far.
People are at the heart of the industry. It’s vital that your insurance agents’ core values are in line with your own. Trustworthiness, transparency, and accountability with clear and established communication channels are non-negotiable.
Covenir is a BPO insurance partner that makes our clients’ business our business. We believe that there’s no limit to what you can accomplish with us at your side. Our highly trained and experienced team has a holistic view of the entire insurance lifecycle, enabling us to support you every step of the way. And our custom-crafted service plans allow us to deliver on your brand promises.
Learn more about Covenir’s Onshore Insurance BPO services. Frontline Services, Back Office Support, and Customer Communications options. We’re not an extension of your team, we ARE your team. Talk to us today.