Progressive continues as top insurer for online user experience

Insurance carriers are focused on support for digital users and increasing chatbot service options, while considering budget constraints. 

Keynova Group, a financial services intelligence firm specializing in benchmark insights, released its Q4 2022 semi-annual Online Insurance Scorecard, which evaluates the mobile website and mobile app offerings from the 12 largest U.S. property and casualty firms.

Progressive scored first overall in online user experience. GEICO scored second. State Farm scored third. 

"Many insurance companies are refining their customer servicing practices in an effort to rein in costs amid tightening economic conditions and rising claims volumes," said Beth Robertson, managing director, Keynova Group, in a statement. "However, improvements must be implemented with care to avoid diminishing the quality of the digital experience. Leading carriers offer an array of customer servicing options that augment policyholders and prospects' digital channel use."

The report analyzes the digital user capabilities and customer experience to identify trends driving strategy. Scoring is based on an evaluation of approximately 250 objective criteria.

Virtual assistant chatbots are being used by almost all the firms. Farmers and Nationwide now allow a person to be transferred to a live agent from the VA chat. Telephone support is still the most traditional route and 11 carriers offer support numbers. 

GEICO recently removed its phone support quote option. Additionally, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm have removed their email options, leaving only four insurers that allow policyholders to send an email inquiry. Four firms now offer real-time texting.

The report suggests that insurers should be considering all user channels and not just mobile. 

"While some actions, such as taking accident-scene pictures, are specific to the mobile device, there are many aspects of the experience that should be consistent regardless of channel since claims are typically a process rather than a one-time event," the report states.

Other key findings to note include:

• Five carriers use mapping tools on desktop to show where an accident took place, four firms have the option in app. Only three, Nationwide, State Farm and Travelers, support mapping on desktop and mobile.
  
• Contact preference options are included in nine of the 12 carriers desktop interfaces. 
  
• 11 carriers support live chat options on the authenticated servicing site.
  
• Allstate and Liberty Mutual no longer list or link to a toll-free number from the secure site homepage, making those numbers more difficult to find.