It turns out that it takes more than just customer satisfactionto keep customers loyal to their insurers. A new survey just released by Accenture Global found that while 86%of insureds who filed a claim were satisfied with how it washandled, 41% of those customers are still likely to switch insurersin the next 12 months. Why?

"The very act of filing a claim makes a customer much morelikely to switch insurers, regardless of how satisfied they arewith the experience," says Michael Costonis, a managing director ofAccenture's insurance industry practice and global head of claimsservices. "Insurers should look at how connected devices and otherdigital technologies can help customers better manage risks toreduce claims frequency."

The study, which is based on a survey of nearly 8,000 vehicleand home insurance customers in 14 countries, also found that 14%of insureds who submitted a claim in the past two years wereunhappy with the way it was handled. Unfortunately for theirinsurers, 83% of these dissatisfied clients have either alreadychanged companies or are planning to in the coming months.

But the news isn't all bad. The majority of customers (77%) arewilling to share personal information with their insurers if thereare some additional benefits in return such as lower premiums,quicker claims settlements, and personalized recommendations thatcould help manage their risk better and avoid losses.

What kinds of information are they willing to share?

• The condition of their cars – 56%
• Driving habits – 52%
• Location via Global Positioning System (GPS) – 39%
• Information from smoke/carbon monoxide/humidity & motiondetectors – 78%
• Video camera footage – 35%

"Customers are willing to share information, and insurers thatare able to use this information to help customers manage risks andreduce the number of claims will not only lower claims costs, butmay gain an advantage in terms of customer loyalty," says ThomasMeyer, managing director of Accenture's insurance industry practicein Europe, Africa and Latin America. "To do this, however, insurerswill also have to meet customer expectations in a wide range ofareas, including speed of settlement, transparency and use ofinnovative technologies such as mobile and social media."

The most important factors contributing to customer loyalty arehow quickly claims are settled and transparency during the process,said 94% of the respondents. The value of digital channels shouldnot be underestimated, either. Two-thirds of the customers surveyedsaid they prefer using digital channels to check their claimsstatus and 53% said they wouldn't recommend their insurer tofriends and family if they didn't have the ability to use digitalchannels to communicate with insurers.

Social media also influences customers' perceptions andapproximately one-third of the respondents will use these channelsto post their experiences, whether negative or positive.Forty-three percent said they will read reviews that others postabout their experiences.

Where the respondents lived also seemed to influence howsatisfied they are with their claims experience. Customers inDenmark (92%), the Netherlands (91 %) and the U.S. (90%) had thehighest customer satisfaction rates, while residents of Italy (73%)and Spain (76%) had the lowest.