Insurance companies are important for protecting people in worst-case scenarios and contacting an insurance provider should be a part of every disaster recovery plan. From helping people recover from a house fire to paying for medical bills after a car accident, insurance companies can help people put their lives back together.
With that said, insurance companies are businesses with a vested interest in making a profit. Customers are usually dealing with some of the worst situations of their lives when they need to file a claim and they are often tense when contacting customer service. On top of that, the insurance industry is very complicated and it can be difficult for people to understand their coverage.
Live chat customer service can help take some of the frustration out of the equation for both sides in the insurance industry. Here are just some of the benefits live chat offers insurance companies, agents, and customers.
Reduced Frustration and Wait Times
We’ve all had the experience of sitting on hold for an hour when we call a customer service line. It’s incredibly frustrating to listen to the same recorded messages and hold music over and over while you wait for help.
Live chat can significantly cut down on wait times by allowing people to quickly access an agent for simpler questions. The average wait time for live chat response is 40 seconds—way faster than even getting through a phone support menu!
Chat support also reduces the amount of time agents are on the phone for simple questions and other quick customer needs, especially if they have pre-written responses to frequently asked questions. Agents can handle multiple chats at once and can switch back and forth while they wait for responses. They can also quickly share policy documents if needed.
Limiting the amount of time someone has to wait for assistance is incredibly valuable and builds goodwill. Even if customer service agents are busy, it’s a lot easier and less frustrating to wait “on hold” for live chat than it is to stay on the phone.
Building Trust with Quick Answers
Getting an insurance client’s questions answered quickly can make a huge difference in their level of trust. Trust is critical for insurance companies, especially since they are tasked with helping people during vulnerable moments in their lives.
Being able to answer questions over live chat makes people feel supported, especially if agents are available outside of normal business hours. Clients want to feel like their insurance company has their back.
Selling More Policies
In the insurance industry, people shop around a lot before they decide on a provider and policy. Having knowledgeable insurance agents on live chat can make the comparison process easier and can help companies sell more policies.
People have lots of choices for insurance, especially veterans and seniors. Being available without a potential client needing to pick up the phone can give an insurance company a competitive edge. Live chat is also a great opportunity for upselling insurance products, in many cases.
Improving Accessibility
Phone support is not accessible to everyone, making it difficult for some people (such as people with hearing impairments) to work with a company’s customer support staff. Live chat can improve accessibility significantly and offers clients options for getting in touch with customer service.
Predicting Customer Demand & Identifying Common Problems
The insurance industry runs on data. Today, there are more uses for data than ever before and insurance companies are leveraging the power of predictive analytics for risk management, pricing, and more. Live chat presents more opportunities for collecting and using data to predict factors like customer demand.
Text-based support can help insurance companies see trends and common questions. This can help them understand where people are getting frustrated in the buying or claims process. They can then use this information to improve customer support and documentation.
Catering to Modern Communication Preferences
These days, most people would rather type out a question and wait for a response than get on the phone and navigate a customer service menu. In fact, lots of people are frankly uncomfortable with talking on the phone unless they absolutely have to.
Catering to these communication preferences continues to build trust, goodwill, and loyalty. In a competitive industry like insurance, those benefits can make all the difference.
Insurance companies that offer live chat can significantly boost their customer service experience, as long as their chat system and policies are planned and implemented well. Removing pain points and increasing responsiveness within the customer service department can help insurance clients feel more relief and less frustration!
