Self-service car insurance driving up customer experience

Insurance customers are rapidly embracing the option to manage their car and home policies online, according to Junction, the insurance partnerships business.
 
Junction first introduced Online Self-Service for customers in 2010 and the functionality enables customers to view their policy details, manage their payments and download and print their documents via the internet, without the need to speak to a contact centre. Most recently in 2012, this functionality has been extended to allow customers to make changes to their policy online, from changing address or vehicle details, through to adding and removing drivers. Customer adoption of this new service has been positive, with over 10 per cent of all changes made online from launch.
 
This option is rolling-out across all Junction's partner brands, which include Post Office, Co-operative Insurance (Eco insurance product) and RAC, and on average over 80 per cent of new customers are registering for these services. To access the self-service centre, customers simply visit the website of their insurance provider and register with their email address and a secure password.
 
Junction has received positive feedback from customers who have used the service to date, particularly around the ease of use and speed with which changes are confirmed and visible online.
 
Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Junction, said: "Online Self-Service is all about giving control to the customer over how they interact with their insurance brand. Many consumers are very comfortable with managing financial details online, particularly with the growth of internet banking, so it's a natural step for them to want to manage their insurance policies in the same way.
 
"We knew that this was a positive move for customers and have been very pleased with the rate of take-up. Online Self-Service is convenient for the customer and helps reduce the number of calls into contact centres. In the long-term, growth in this area could even keep premiums down through reduced overheads."
 
Nick Ansley, Motor Product Manager, The Co-operative Insurance, said: "The ability to make adjustments online is yet another way in which we are looking to make things easier for our customers. This increased functionality further supports our customer promise to make it simple for customers to buy, service and claim from us. The take-up during the first weeks has been encouraging and should continue to increase as we see more customers registering and staying online."
 
The Online-Self Service Centre was implemented by Junction's in-house eCommerce team, which specialises in using the latest technology to ensure customer journeys are simple, fast and effective.