Report: Insurers should simplify claims process

Insurance companies can help fix the “broken” claim-filing experience by letting customers check the status of their claims however they want, whether that’s online, in person or by phone, a new research report recommends.

“There are few events that put more fear into the hearts of insurance policyholders or claimants that the claim itself,” according to the report, issued by Forrester Research Inc.

Among other suggestions, Forrester said insurers should:

• Make the online claim-handling experience “less like an interrogation” and more like a conservation that a customer would have with an insurance agent, adjuster or customer service representative.

• Educate customers about the claims process through interactive online tools or videos.

• Remove the fear of checking the status of claims filed online by displaying messages that show customers’ online security and privacy are being protected.

• Provide a printable confirmation — complete with the next steps in the process — when a claim has been successfully filed online.

An online survey conducted by Forrester found that 51 percent of policyholders said they’d be interested in checking the status of an insurance claim online.

Among those surveyed, 56 percent of insurance consumers who had filed an insurance claim in the previous year had done so by calling their insurance providers. Thirty-three percent had called their insurance agents, 14 percent had visited their agents and 14 percent had visited their insurers’ websites.

The survey also indicated that 48 percent of the people who hadn’t filed an insurance claim online preferred to talk to their insurance agents about claims. Fifteen percent were uncertain whether they could file claims online, 9 percent were concerned about online security and 7 percent were concerned about online privacy.

–John Egan