Customer service isn’t just about having polite and courteous conversations with telephone representatives.  

Let’s face it – traditional customer service looks very different in 2022. There are now multiple channels through which to communicate and provide service to customers. Where once, the call centre was king, now you can speak with an agent (or bot) online, open a WhatsApp chat, send a Twitter DM, fill in a form, ping an email… the list goes on.  

But the question is, how can businesses keep on top of all these new lines of communication, and ensure, no matter what the customer’s preferred contact method is, that they will receive first-class customer service? 

In the Consumer Intelligence Awards, the Customer Service category celebrates the brands getting it right when it comes to customer service. Customer feedback says that winners of this category have customer-facing teams that go over and above to always provide excellent advice and support, time and time again – certainly something to be very proud of.   

We use our Insurance Behaviour Tracker (IBT) to gain insight into how consumers feel about their insurance provider, and each year we survey over 48,000 home and motor insurance customers to uncover the top performing brands within the market. It’s this data that our analysts work on to calculate exactly which brands have been rated most highly by real customers in their customer service capabilities.  

We’re delighted to announce the following winners for both home and motor insurance for 2022: 

2022's top 10 insurance brands for customer service*

Voted by drivers

Voted by householders

 

admiral-1

 

Barclays

Aviva

 

Co-Op_Insurance

churchill-1

direct-line-liability-insurance

 

Co-Op_Insurance

 

HSBC_Insurance_Logo

direct-line-liability-insurance

 

John Lewis Finance

LV=

 

lloyds-bank

 

nfu-mutual-logo-2-min-300x3002

M&S Bank

 

Saga

 

nationwide

 

Sainsburys-Bank-Logo2

 

natwest-logo

Tesco-Bank

 

nfu-mutual-logo-2-min-300x3002

*winning brands are listed in alphabetical order

Karen Houseago, Head of Insurance at Consumer Intelligence, has worked within the insurance industry for 18 years, and is very familiar with the role that effective customer service plays. She says,  

“As technology advances, customers expect more and more from their insurance company as standard and not all insurers have kept up.  A company website or online registration just isn’t enough now – really great customer service should run across all customer touchpoints from the quote to sale journey, product platforms, internal operations and back-end processes. Customers are looking for that seamless pain-free journey and we can see that some insurers have really delivered on that. 

“Car insurance may be mandatory, but it remains a grudge purchase for most customers, so it’s vital to make the process as easy as possible so they can make a confident transaction.  Insurers can do this by really explaining product and price detail, ensuring the customer can assess whether they are getting both fair value, and the best value for their needs.  Transparency and consistency of message is vital whether the customer is buying direct, through a PCW, online, offline (or a mix of the 2), using a chat function or allowing customers to renew through an online portal – it must be clear to the customer what they are getting for their money.” 

The challenge for insurance providers is that communication touchpoints are limited to prove exceptional customer service – purchase, targeted and relevant communications when on risk, renewal and making a claim. Karen continues, “There are four chances there to excel, or to really get it wrong and our Insurance Behaviour Tracker survey highlights those that have delighted customers through those processes. Bleeding that high level of customer service into the culture of a business so employees live and breathe wanting to meet customer needs puts insurers ahead of the game. 

“Delivering great quality customer service is more important than ever in the wake of the General Insurance Pricing Practices (PS21/5) changes. The FCA has forced a change of mindset for the industry to move away from competing almost wholly on price, to assessing and delivering fair value to their customers through product value for money, brand and customer service. Insurance providers need to understand the differences in their customers overall communication needs and levels of understanding and meet them on every level.” 

 


Are you a 2022 winner? Claim your award today...

Congratulations  - what an achievement! Why? Because these awards are based purely on their feedback - and they say you are the brand to be with. Now it’s over to you to decide how you would like to maximise the value of your award win. Click below to find our more... 

Find out more


 

Comment . . . 

Submit a comment

You may also like

First-rate customer service: The insurance brands to watch in 2021
First-rate customer service: The insurance brands to watch in 2021
18 February, 2021

The customer service category in the Consumer Intelligence Awards celebrates the brands getting it right when it comes t...

The insurance brands leading the way in claims satisfaction
The insurance brands leading the way in claims satisfaction
4 February, 2021

How a claim is handled is an extremely important part of the insurance experience, and it gives insurers a chance to pro...

Customer satisfaction: The top rated insurance brands of 2021
Customer satisfaction: The top rated insurance brands of 2021
18 March, 2021

It cannot be disputed that customer satisfaction, particularly in these times, is a key contributor to business success....