Customer Service, Responsiveness are Key Factors Revealed in Insurance Mobility Survey

Where does the insurance industry stand with regard to realworld business application of mobile technologies and how does the industry want to use mobile in the future? A study conducted by FirstBest Systems, revealed the use of smartphones and tablets has increased since a similar survey was done in 2011.

Findings indicated that insurers are shifting mobile use from basic job convenience to delivering better and faster customer service from anywhere, at any time.

The survey revisited questions asked of the insurance industry two years ago to assess current trends and changes in usage.  Fifty-five respondents, representing approximately 45 carriers and MGUs, took part.  Over 80 percent of the carrier respondents focus on commercial lines.

Mobile device use has grown among carriers and MGUs, with respondents preferring to use tablets over smartphones for uses other than phone calls: 62 percent of respondents prefer to use tablets for tasks other than phone calls, compared to 21 percent for smartphones. 

When asked about situations where they were likely to use the mobile device when away from their desks, respondents could select up to three of the eight choices provided.  The following circumstances were most popular among the sample of 55 carrier respondents:

• While travelling on business (85 percent)

• While visiting a client (76 percent)

• Anytime I'm away from my desk (65 percent) 

The top choices signal a shift toward mobile becoming more central to business than in 2011, when “while at home” was the second most-popular choice.

The survey also found that more than three quarters of carriers believe mobile will allow them to provide better and faster service to customers. When asked where a mobile device could be most helpful, respondents equally selected accessing information from any place and providing better service and faster responses to customers—both of which received 82 percnet as the top two selections.

When asked “What tasks would you like to perform on the mobile device?,” the top responses were:

• Look up customer information from anywhere (87 percent)
• Check the status of a claim (75 percent)
• Check the status of an application (75 percent)
• Show information to a client (73 percent)

“The topic of mobile enjoys undeniable popularity in the media, but in actual industry practice we find a significant change in behavior around mobile,” commented John Belizaire, founder and CEO of FirstBest Systems, Inc., a provider of underwriting systems for global insurance carriers. “Clearly the use or desire to use mobile for day-to-day business has grown in the past two years.  Mobile functionality is no longer just a personal convenience—it's viewed as a valuable and strategic business tool.”