Older homeowners over the age of 60 are some of the most willing to use their phones for documenting. (Credit: Kay A/peopleimages/Adobe Stock)
Homeowners are increasingly open to using their phones to apply for new policies and to document damage for claims, according to a new report from Xceedance.
More than half of homeowners (55.8%) said they would take photos with their phone to help obtain an insurance quote. And 80% of homeowners said they would take phone photos to help document property damage for a claim.
This held true across generations, with older homeowners (60 years and older) being among the most willing to use their phones to help document damage for a claim.
Homeowners said they like the idea of documenting damage on their own schedule, without scheduling an appointment with an inspector or letting someone into their home. Speed is also a factor: 18.9% said they’d take phone photos if it meant a faster policy quote or claim resolution.
But homeowners also have concerns about doing things themselves. Many (61.9%) said they worry about making an error that could affect coverage or claims. And 46% said they weren’t sure how to document. They also expressed concerns about app complexity, time required and privacy.
Homeowners said they’d feel more confident if insurers provided step-by-step guidance (63.7%), live assistance from a company rep (48.3%) or guidance through their agents (38.6%) to help with the documenting process.
Going forward, insurance carriers should work to communicate the benefits of DIY inspections, use intuitive apps that make the process easy and provide some human support and clear escalation paths, the study said.
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