As we set our feet in 2023, having experienced a roller-coaster ride last year thanks to the geopolitical tensions and some lingering rub-off effects of COVID-19, it drives home that "change is the only constant." Like any other industry, insurance is undergoing paradigm changes at different levels, whether recruiting potential candidates or customer onboarding, to name a few. However, a common thread that ties the myriad business functions of an insurance company has been data and innovation. There has been an ever-increasing need for insurance providers to use data and embrace innovation in their routine activities, eventually to stand the cut-throat competition.
Most insurers offer similar products and services, which makes it challenging to attract new customers and retain them. As an industry, insurance is low-touch, and insurers seldom interact with their customers. A report shows that the top companies have an average customer retention rate of 93 - 95 percent, while insurance companies have an average of 84 percent.
In the Insurance industry, persistency is an essential term to understand. It's all about an insurance company’s ability to retain its customers over a period of time. High persistency means policyholders continue to pay their premiums with little to no lapse. Satisfied customers will continue to pay their premiums. The lack of payment is a good indication of an unhappy customer.
This is part 1 of a 2-part series "Trust: The Key Ingredient for a Successful Insurance Customer Journey." Today, everyone in the business world is talking about the customer journey and experiences starting from E-commerce, banking, and many other industries. So, what is customer experience? What is new about it?
In our earlier blog, Insurance Agents - Will They Disrupt or Perish?, Aureus' Life Insurance SME Arun Agarwal shared his views on why insurers will remain invested in the agency channel by identifying the successful agent. It was a pleasure to have Tarannum Hasib, Chief Distribution Officer at Canara HSBC OBC Life share her expertise on the current state of insurance distribution as well as strategies to optimize it for the next stage of evolution.