Four out of five Americans (83%) are
likely to resolve any issues they experience in purchasing or
processing a health insurance claim online by reaching for the
phone. This emerges from a study conducted by research firm Ipsos
Public Affairs (IPA) for business transaction management technology
specialist OpTier.
IPA stressed that online customers looking to
resolve claims and other issues using the phone are an expensive
proposition in terms of potential lost customers or a customer
service representative’s time for insurance companies. IPA cited a
February 2010 report from research firm Forrester Research,
Increasing Online Insurance Self-Service Adoption, which
estimates that “for every 20,000 calls deflected to online
self-service, an insurance carrier could realise $100,000 to
$200,000 in potential cost savings.”
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IPA’s study also found that young people aged
18 to 34 are taking the lead in researching and purchasing
insurance online.
“This data points to steadily rising pressure
on insurance provider sites to improve existing customer service
levels while readying themselves for the next wave of online
consumers,” said IPA.
Other interesting data points in the study
include that the consumers most likely to abandon the computer and
pick up the phone to resolve an issue experienced online are those
with a university degree (89%), those with a household income of
$50,000 or more (86%) and those who are married (86%).
The study also found that consumers who are
more educated are also more likely to research or purchase a health
insurance policy online. Specifically, IPA found that 27% of
university graduates report have already or plan to do so compared
to just 15% of those without a degree.
OpTier cautioned insurance companies that
participate in comparison shopping websites that they face the
greatest pressure to deliver estimates in just a few seconds as
glitches in site performance add up to lost revenue.
OpTier added that health insurer’s online
websites are facing similar pressure to provide content that
efficiently services customers. OpTier noted that the Obama
administration’s recently passed Health Reform Bill is likely to
contribute to increased traffic on health insurer’s websites over
the next five years because states will be required to create
online exchanges where consumers who do not have policies through
their employers can shop for insurance and get quotes.
