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Insurance focuses on hybrid: digital channels flank agency and counter

30.04.2024
They say about us

The insurance industry continues to invest in technology to develop a "hybrid" omnichannel, in which the physical channel is joined and complemented by digital channels, but not replaced. 

This is according to research on the insurance industry conducted by Cetif - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore , in collaboration with IBM, which spanned the entire offering from products to customers, looking particularly at channels of interaction and after-sales contact with customers.

The Journey at the Center

In particular, players in the insurance industry are focusing on creating new Customer Journeys, emphasizing the hybrid approach and confirming the centrality of human touch, even as digital channels are increasingly used for the relationship. 

Distribution, however, sees a strong role of traditional channels. In the Life Branch, bank and insurance branches dominate, while in the Non-Life Branch the agency channel still prevails. 

Premium payment is mainly made using monetics instruments, although the check endures in life and property business, probably due to an established customer habit. 

The Omnichannel strategy

The investment in omnichannel is therefore an important paradigm shift, for insurance companies. The goal is not to replace physical channels-desk and agency, as seen-with digital ones, but to integrate them and offer a smooth and personalized experience to customers. The investment in technology thus points to integration, focusing mainly on the Web and, to a lesser extent, on agency digitization and the contact center.

Customers seem to like the web channel: 44% of policyholders have enabled their company's restricted web area. And, of these, 43% used it at least once after registration. Choosing the web requires the use of a personal computer to interact with the Company remotely and makes it easier to upload and send documents such as bills and medical examination results. 

It trails, however, the app (and, therefore, the mobile channel). Six percent of contractors have enabled and 5 percent are active users. We will see if the figure grows over time, even with demographic change.

What about the officers?

On the other hand, if we look at the agent's behavior, in the interaction activities with the company, the digital channel is also preferred as a result of the great efforts made by the companies: the most used mode for post-sales communication is email (40%), while in a smaller percentage we see the Contact Center (33%) and the ticketing platform (27%). In addition, the social channel is mainly used for communication about the brand and more generally about the insurance world.