Blog | ServicePower

What P&C Insurance Companies Need to Know About Customer Self-Service

Written by ServicePower | May 08, 2024

P&C insurance, or property and casualty insurance, not only helps protect policyholders’ personal property but also protects against any liabilities that may occur if damage is done to another person as a result of the policyholders’ negligence, such as an injury in their home.

P&C insurance policyholders want to handle these issues the same way they handle most everything else in their lives: using a quick, easy, and conveniently located app on their smartphones.

When you put yourself in their shoes, it’s easy to understand why your customers expect technology-enabled experiences. Unfortunately, most insurance companies are painfully slow to adopt self-service appointment scheduling.

Jeremy Pope, Senior Director of Consumer and Policy Services of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, confirms the high expectations being placed on modern claims management companies:

“Consumers are now demanding such services as electronic document delivery, real-time product changes, online claim filing, and video and chat capabilities accessible through various mobile platforms. While property and casualty organizations strive to meet self-service needs, it is imperative the industry offers solutions to the marketplace that exude an overall consumer-centric experience.”

Transforming the P&C Insurance Industry Through Self-Service Technology

Effective leaders recognize this shift in the insurance landscape and take action while other companies struggle to keep up with modern customer expectations brought upon by digital transformation.

To successfully adapt, P&C insurance companies must utilize field service software that makes scheduling adjuster appointments easy. Doing so reduces client churn, boosts client satisfaction, and decreases response time, all while boosting operational efficiency.

In this post, we’ll explore what property and casualty insurance companies need to know about the exploding self-service trend. Learn why utilizing tech-savvy solutions can improve the customer experience and give your insurance company rating a lift.

How is Self-Service Technology Used in the P&C Insurance Industry?

Self-service P&C insurance software empowers customers to independently manage key processes at any time from their computer or smartphone without calling their agent. 

Capabilities provided often include:

  • Customer Self-Scheduling: 
    Policyholders can eliminate tedious phone calls to agents and expedite the adjustor appraisal process by selecting their preferred date and time slot for home inspections, damage appraisals, and contractor repair visits through an integrated digital calendar.
  • Real-Time Updates: 
    Integration with back-end systems allows these portals to also provide policyholders with real-time updates on the status of their claims. Customers can check assessment progress, view photos and details submitted by field adjusters, and more. This level of transparency helps set appropriate expectations.
  • Document Delivery: 
    A self-service customer portal makes submitting and sharing documentation more efficient. Policyholders can upload images, videos, and files related to their claims directly through their online profile and relevant documents like policies and inspection reports can be quickly accessed electronically.
  • Payment Processing: 
    Portals let customers pay bills, inspection fees, or other dues directly on the platform for streamlined operations. Integration with payment processors lets users securely make payments by card or eCheck without companies needing to manage payments manually.
  • Customized Risk Assessments: 
    Self-service portals allow policyholders to complete customized risk assessments related to their coverage and get quotes tailored to their unique risk levels after answering specific questions about their property, assets, security systems, etc.
  • Virtual Home Inspections: 
    Some P&C insurance technology portals enable DIY virtual home inspections using a customer's smartphone camera. Policyholders can walk through their property room-by-room, annotating images to highlight areas of concern. This documentation helps field adjusters conduct preliminary assessments remotely.
  • Automated Notifications: 
    Customers can opt to receive automated notifications related to upcoming payments, policy changes, expiration warnings, and billing via text, email, or push notifications. The reminders help avoid lapses in coverage.

Customer Experience Benefits of Insurance Self-Service

The modern customer experience is all about autonomy and ease of use. People want to get things done quickly and easily. When it’s time to set an appointment with a claims adjuster, your modern tech-savvy customer expects nothing but the best. Customers want to schedule assessments and get updates from the comfort of their smartphones or tablets — with no hiccups.

To meet these expectations, consider the tangible benefits of enabling “self-service” by using the best field service software.

Easy-to-schedule appointments with field adjusters, inspectors, or appraisers. 

Thanks to intuitive apps driven by real-time data, your policyholders are no longer faced with long wait times to schedule and receive appointments; they can view appointment times and get matched with the right person to handle their claims sooner.

A sense of control over the process

When something happens to your customer’s home or car, he or she can feel frustrated, annoyed, and a bit helpless. Automating the scheduling of appointments with claims adjusters using modern technology allows your policyholders to take quick action toward a solution from their smartphones and gain control. With a customer-centric workforce management platform, your customers can upload photos for the adjuster, schedule appointments quickly, and see which adjuster is headed their way from their smartphones.

Simply stated, your customers want to easily schedule assessments and get their problems handled quickly and efficiently. Adjuster scheduling software that’s designed for the insurance industry enables a seamless customer experience.

Operational Benefits for P&C Insurance Companies

The benefits of innovative field service software are clear for policyholders who love the idea of faster, easier, and more transparent scheduling. So, which benefits do insurance companies experience when using mobile field service software?

Better ratings from better customer experiences

When your policyholders experience faster appointment scheduling, they’re happier. And when they’re happy, you’ll see the results in the form of better customer service ratings. These positive customer testimonials will boost customer loyalty while helping to drive new business.

More convenient appointment slots for customers and adjusters

Using AI-powered field service scheduling software from start to finish makes scheduling inspections for your property and casualty adjusters easier. When a policyholder needs assistance, the solution can automatically find the best claims adjuster to do an inspection based on their skills, certifications, and current location.

Insight your operational efficiency

Property and casualty insurance companies who invest in self-service technology can easily gather powerful data to inform better business decisions. Knowing exactly what your customers are experiencing, how they’re interacting with your employees to get problems resolved, and how they’re utilizing your software and related services is the key to continuous improvement. Gain insight into how to better serve customers by viewing easy-to-read dashboards and scorecards. Identify where operational breakdowns are occurring so you can improve how you do business.

Achieve Digital Transformation in P&C Insurance with Powerful Field Service Software

Today's policyholders expect transparency, speed, and independence in managing their policies and claims. Carriers that fail to offer consumer-friendly experiences risk losing market share to better-equipped competitors.

ServicePower is purpose-built to empower P&C insurers to reap the benefits of digital transformation. Named in the 2023 Gartner Hype Cycle as a sample vendor for field service workforce optimization, ServicePower delivers unparalleled field service expertise tailored for insurance providers.

Key solution capabilities include:

  • Real-time claim adjudication to improve processing speed and contractor reimbursement
  • Intelligent audits to identify fraudulent claims and maintain operational integrity
  • Mobile tools for adjusters to optimize scheduling, routes, productivity, and SLA compliance

By leveraging ServicePower's digital capabilities and insurance-specific functionality, P&C carriers can enable the customer self-service experiences demanded in today's market while maximizing operational efficiency.

Explore how ServicePower's P&C Insurance platform empowers customers with self-service, automates the field adjusters’ process, and maximizes time to ROI. Schedule a demo to learn more today.