The omni-channel opportunity: Transforming the Insurance Contact Center Customer Experience, Part 1

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Many insurers are reassessing the role of the insurance contact center—and how it can provide a vital human touch to a digitally enabled, omni-channel customer experience.

Imagine the events leading up to making a restaurant reservation. Your friend sends a text message about a new place in town. You read restaurant reviews on your smartphone; later that evening, you peruse the menu on your tablet. Finally, you make a reservation online, if the restaurant has the capability, or over the phone if they don’t.

Clearly, buying insurance is more complex than making a restaurant reservation, but customers expect to be able to switch between channels just as easily. And the stakes are high for insurers, with each contact point representing an opportunity to strengthen loyalty and improve customer retention.

The Accenture Consumer Pulse Survey found that the contact center is the second-most used channel for P&C customers, second only to the company website. Contact centers can provide a vital human touch to the insurance experience. For example, contact centers provide a unique opportunity to strengthen customer relationships, especially at times when that relationship may be in jeopardy—such as when a customer calls about a premium change. Contact center representatives can also play a vital role in helping customers manage risk by suggesting relevant products.

Consequently, many insurers are reassessing the role of the contact center. In a new report, my colleague John McNally shares some questions that insurers should consider as they do so:

• How can insurers better fulfill customer expectations of convenient engagement?


• How can insurers offer an efficient contact center experience?


• How can insurers provide contact center representatives with as much information as possible to effectively field questions and address customer needs?

The overall goal should be to achieve an appropriate balance of tech and touch—the sweet spot where automation and human interaction can deliver a personalized, seamless and efficient omni-channel experience.

Join me over the next few weeks as I look at five steps to help insurers evaluate their contact center assets—and make a plan for the future.

Learn more:

The omni-channel opportunity: Transforming the Insurance Contact Center Customer Experience, Part 1