When customers call their insurance provider to make a claim or discuss an existing claim, the experience isn’t always smooth. After wending their way through a phone tree, customers often just want to speak to a knowledgeable person about their claim. Many of these interactions flow through a call center, which represents a prime opportunity to improve customer retention. The following are several ways to boost customers’ experiences with insurance claim call centers.
- Give representatives the tools and training they need. Customer service representatives (CSRs) need to feel confident that they can help any customer that calls. The best way to do this is a blend of quick thinking and expertise with systems and tools of the trade. Skimping on training or forcing representatives to work with outdated tools will yield average results at best, which isn’t a great start for improving customer satisfaction or retention rates.
- Foster a positive working environment. Unhappy customers need fast resolutions to keep them from searching for new providers. However, representatives often take the brunt of customers’ anger. Insurers need to make sure they’re taking care of their people as well as their customers. Keeping CSRs in good spirits is vital to processing claims without complaints or delays. Some ideas to boost the office mood include providing snacks in the cafeteria free of charge, raffling off free movie tickets, recognizing performance-based achievements, etc.
- Focus on soft skills. Most customers are hesitant to contact call centers because they don’t want to interact with a robotic CSR. Soft skills such as communication, adaptability, conflict resolution, and more are all vital to successful claims resolution. Call simulations or listening to recorded calls can help CSRs learn how to handle angry or upset customers without losing their cool or coming across as unfeeling.
Many insurers focus on closing cases as fast as possible, and they can sometimes lose sight of the customers on the other side of the claims. By investing in a quality claim reporting solution, insurers can spend less time on redundancies and focus their efforts on customer satisfaction, retention, and claims resolution instead. To learn more about claim reporting and outsourcing, contact the experts at Actec.