12/16/2022 – Telemark Marketing has once again tested what experiences potential customers have when they contact major insurers for the first time. Wait times on the phone vary from company to company, with five minutes not enough time to establish contact in seven percent of cases. Clarification of a content-related question was answered positively in two out of three calls. Overall, the subjective impression of the call center employees is described as “consistently positive”. Would the testers stay in touch with the insurer after the phone call? Half of the testers gave a clear “yes”.
To die Telemark Marketing Gebhard Zuber GmbH has again tested how insurers react when contacted by interested parties. The institute conducts its annual “new customer test”, an internal study.
- Tested insurers
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dienleiter Robert Sobotka
(Image: telemark marketing).
This year, the largest Austrian insurers were examined again in terms of market share:
Here’s how it’s tested
The testers were selected on the basis of six realistic cases in which an interested party contacts an insurer as a potential customer for the first time.
They first found the contact details on the company’s website and then contacted them by phone or email.
30 test calls and 30 written emails were made per insurer, for a total of 360 test emails and calls. The trial period was from June to October, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 18:00. Test history:
- Testers signaled buying interest. The goal is to receive an offer or to know the approximate amount of the prize.
- It also asks a question that the tester couldn’t find an answer to on the website, but is simple enough for the operator to answer. Example: Can I also take out fully comprehensive insurance for two years? Is a bicycle in the cellar also covered by the home insurance?
waiting time on the phone
One of the aspects analyzed is the time that potential customers had to wait before the call was answered.
In the 2020 test, the waiting time was extended by up to three minutes to take into account the stress caused by the pandemic. This upper limit was also maintained in 2021 – at that time one fifth of test calls failed at this obstacle.
In 2022, this limit was raised again: testers only hung up after waiting five minutes. “As a result, only seven percent of calls were lost,” reports Telemark marketing chief executive officer and study manager Robert Sobotka.
In detail, waiting times varied considerably from insurer to insurer. Only one institution stood out with relatively frequent long wait times.
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Was the question answered?
The task of answering a simple additional question was answered positively in only about two out of three cases. This roughly corresponds to the previous year’s level. Bandwidth ranges from 52 to 84 percent.
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The subjective impression on the phone
What is the “subjective impression” testers have of call center employees?
“Consistently rewarding,” says Sobotka: “More than 50 percent of employees across all institutions receive the most points.” The top-scoring institution received 82 percent of the highest marks.
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How many testers would follow the contact?
As regards the reported interest in purchasing, contact with a company could have a motivating or dissuasive effect. None of the companies tested was able to improve the phone in this regard, says Sobotka.
So this year, only half of testers answered the question, “Would you follow up on the lead?” with a clear “yes”. “In 2020 it was even 50 percent; In 2021, however, two-thirds,” recalls Sobotka.
- Click on the graphic to enlarge it.
follows the sequel
In the Monday issue of the VersicherungsJournal you can read the experiences of the testers in the email contact.
