The J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study™ is in its 21st year. The study is based on responses from 40,123 auto insurance customers and was fielded in February and March 2020. It examines customer satisfaction in five factors:

Billing process and policy information;
Claims;
Interaction;
Policy offerings; and
Price.

Here are some other key takeaways from the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Auto Insurance Study™:

Digital investments pay dividends: Customer experience with auto insurer websites contributes more to satisfaction than agents, accounting for 34% of an insurer's total interaction score. That's one percentage point higher than in the agent channel, which accounts for 33% of total interaction satisfaction. This trend toward increased reliance on the digital channel and decreased reliance on the agent channel has been building steadily for more than a decade.
Record high satisfaction driven in part by digital: Overall customer satisfaction with auto insurers improves in 2020 to a record high of 835 (on a 1,000-point scale). National carriers such as GEICO, State Farm and Allstate have earned some of the most significant gains, together ranking highest in six of the 11 regions in the study, aided by the growth of their digital channels.
Trust is critical, but insurers have work to do: There is a strong correlation between scores for trust and those for overall satisfaction. On average, a one-point increase in trust (on a 5-point scale) would correlate with a 118-point increase in overall satisfaction. Despite the importance of trust, only 42% of all auto insurance customers say they "strongly agree" that they trust their insurer. By fulfilling service expectations and putting customers' interests first, among other customer-centric initiatives, insurers can succeed in this critical-to-retention metric.
Loyalty heavily influenced by claim history: Customers are least likely to renew their policies when part of an insurance claim is denied. Conversely, when customers have experienced a claim that was fully approved and settled, satisfaction is significantly higher and generates the greatest likelihood of renewal. What's more, those customers who experienced sub-optimal claim outcomes and remained with their carrier were more diligent about understanding their policy and what it covers going forward.

It is important to note that insurance agents still do have a role to play in the digital business landscape.

Special Reports /

Auto insurance customer loyalty in 2020 hinges on digital UX

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