The latest issue of Modern Insurance Magazine features Hayley Thomas, Commercial Director, discussing the impact of a longer repair journey on customer communication.
To create great customer experiences, we need to continually adapt the claims journey to reflect changes in the market.
The customer journey has long been a core focus in insurance claims, and significant investment has been made to keep up with consumer expectations.
New channels, online solutions, and strategies to pinpoint the perfect balance between automation and the human touch have all formed part of our drive to build trust, and make the claims process easy for policyholders.
In the world of motor claims, the last 18 months have put these strategies to the test, and a data-led approach has become more valuable than ever in maintaining customer satisfaction.
It’s well-documented that the repair industry has faced it’s fair share of challenges. In particular, repair capacity, parts delays and mobility have had a major impact on overall repair cycle times.
According to industry data from trendtracker.com, average repair lead times across the industry doubled between January 2020 and September 2021.
At Motor Repair Network we’ve collaborated with customers and suppliers to minimise the impact of these challenges. Streamlining processes, increasing resource to meet demand, and maximising the benefit of Activate Parts, our specialist parts division.
Despite the success of these measures, we have to accept that the customer journey has been impacted by industry challenges, and the way we communicate is key to maintaining customer satisfaction.
The word ‘agile’ has become a buzz word of late, but when it comes to a data-led communication strategy it really earns its status.
If we want communications that help deliver on our goals of ease and trust in the claims process, it’s vital that we adapt to fit the current situation. That means providing support and confidence, setting realistic expectations from the start, and offering regular, meaningful updates to reassure policyholders throughout the journey.
Creating the right communication for the moment means having access to the right analytics and insight from potentially multiple sources. Using data to paint a picture of the customer journey as it is right now, and highlighting areas for improvement.
For example, overlaying SLA performance with incoming call data and customer feedback can demonstrate where more proactive communication is needed, or identify training requirements.
At Motor Repair Network, our in-house Claims Management System gives us the flexibility to quickly change how, when and what we communicate.
Using data and insight to inform the way we communicate allows us to adapt to the changing customer journey, and continuously improve the service we deliver.
