Few Insurers Are Currently Proud Of Their Mobile Offerings, And Rightly So
Have you ever had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Maxwell the Pig? Maxwell is a likeable if slightly assuming animated pig. At times he can be a bit dismissive of those who aren’t as digitally savvy as he is.
Maxwell is also a celebrity, featuring in a number of videos promoting Geico’s mobile insurance offerings. In one he bewilders a policeman with his digital insurance ID, in another he demonstrates how time and space have been obviated by the convenience and ubiquity of mobile insurance. Talk of the mobile moment!
Even if you don’t know Maxwell, perhaps you know other such celebrities? I thought not. That’s because there aren’t many companies that are willing to advertise their mobile insurance services as proudly as Geico is doing. For my new report, I surveyed the mobile offerings of more than 30 insurance companies in developed economies. The results clearly show that plenty remains to be done, both in terms of customer adoption and what’s on offer.
The big US insurers such as Geico and Progressive are leading the pack, offering a growing range of mobile functionality that lets customers get quotes, file and track claims, locate a repair shop, pay bills, and save documents simply by taking pictures with their smartphones. Offering functionality that makes it easy for customers to achieve their insurance-related aims seems like the basics, but a lot of companies still haven’t got it right.
But while some still struggle with the basics, others like Aetna in the US and Cardif Santé in France are using mobile to create a whole ecosystem of partnerships that delivers new value to their customers. Aetna’s mobile app CarePass lets customers set personal fitness goals and link nutrition, fitness, and health management apps to reach them. Cardif Santé’s app lets customers book an appointment with affiliated healthcare and wellness providers and sends alerts reminding them to take their pills. In this way, both firms are advancing a new model of customer engagement that we see as key to the future of insurance, one focused on prevention rather than just compensation.
Done right, mobile insurance has a huge potential to introduce policies to potential customers through an interactive mobile site, help them in the event of an accident, and drive engagement which is more frequent than a once-a-year renewal. Who knows, maybe soon customers will be praising their insurance related #mobilemoments.