Insurance Web Sites Rated

Progressive's web site came out on top in a survey that studied how well 22 major auto insurance web sites met the expectations of those viewing the sites. Insurers Geico, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, and MetLife Auto & Home came in second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The study, which was conducted by the Customer Respect Group (CRG), focused on three areas for analysis: ease of use, responsiveness, and trust (data-handling practices and how well they are explained). The report also contains an examination and assessment of the auto insurance-specific features of each site.

In coming to their conclusions, CRG compared auto insurance web sites against all other industries, noting areas where auto insurers excelled and where they needed work. Insurance sites led all other types of web sites in the following categories:

• Twenty-three percent of the web sites provided live chat (vs. 18 percent in other industries).
• Forty-five percent used CSS for page layout, helping accessibility (vs. 37 percent).
• Sixty-eight percent of text links were recognizable and consistent (vs. 59 percent).
• Sixty-eight percent of responses to emails arrived within a day (vs. 60 percent).

However, the report stated several weaknesses found on insurance web sites that were not as common in other non-insurance web sites:

• Thirty-six percent of sites do not have a search facility (vs. 20 percent in other industries).
• Fourteen percent of sites did not offer online contact methods for site visitors (vs. seven percent).
• Only 47 percent of companies responded to all email inquiries (vs. 74 percent).
• Only nine percent of sites allowed users to “skip navigation,” an accessibility aid (vs.18 percent).
• Eighteen percent of sites contained inconsistent navigation systems.

While insurers have been making big improvements when it comes to their web sites, it appears there is still a lot more to do, especially in the category of responding to customer e-mail inquiries.