"Insurers may now need to build a robust and permanent home working operating model that recognises the very different environment compared to the normal office."
In a survey of over 30 organisations across the protection market, including insurers, advisers and networks, research from The Data Company reveals that only 12% of insurers thought it was harder to resolve customer problems while home working compared to 44% of advisers.
The survey, carried out between January and February, also found that 50% of advisers believe home working has had a negative impact on customer service since the start of the pandemic, compared to 94% of insurers who said they had successfully introduced new systems and services to make it easier to service customers.
For those who have introduced new systems and services, only 22% of advisers think they have improved customer satisfaction, compared to 62.5% of insurers.
Only 28% of advisers think insurers’ staff have access to all the systems and tools required, yet 56% of insurers say staff have access to all the systems and tools needed to do their job.
Just 33% of advisers believe insurer errors have not increased and 83% say they have been more lenient with insurers than they would normally.
More positive data reveals that 72% of advisers agree that ‘new systems and services from insurers to support customer and/or advisers during Covid-19 have been made available to us in the last 9-12 months’. This suggests that the 69% of insurers who say ‘the Covid-19 and home working has had a positive impact on our company’s ability to innovate’ are seeing their efforts noted by advisers.
Graham Newitt, board adviser at The Data Company, said: “Insurers have made herculean efforts to get staff working from home efficiently and equip them to serve customers.
“However, to date it has mostly been short-term fixes to get people working and insurers may now need to build a robust and permanent home working operating model that recognises the very different environment compared to the normal office. For example, in the office a claims handler will have a full-sized desk and two or even three screens to view multiple systems at the same time, but at home they may be working on a laptop on their kitchen table. And access to colleagues and managers is much more difficult, making it harder to deal with more complex issues.
“Advisers have been tolerant and, in many cases, remain impressed, but they do expect insurers to return to pre-pandemic levels of service asap.”
Alan Knowles, managing director at Cura Financial Services, commented: “It's been incredible to see how firms, big and small, over the last year have adapted to having staff work from home. I think we can all say that transitioning to work from home wasn't easy. It’s been hard, and for many it continues to present challenges, but we need to remain respectful of each other that some things may take longer to sort now. On the other hand, we've all become more human and having to stop mid-call to answer a question from one of my kids is now a daily occurrence.
“I believe that advisers and insurers have been understanding with each other. There can be frustrations when things are held up but, with a transparent explanation, clients are generally very understanding of this too. As others have said we are not working from home, we are at home trying to work in the middle of a pandemic. Whether you have kids, pets, doorbells, or are on your own, times are tough, but we are all in this together.”
Peter Hamilton, head of market engagement at Zurich Life, added: “The survey reveals some clear differences in perceptions and as insurers we need to be alert to those. I do think insurers and advisers did an amazing job in transitioning to home working at such speed and staying open for business as we have done. We measure customer satisfaction via the Net Promotor Score (NPS) system and for claims for example, our scores have never been higher than over the last 12 months.
“That said, it’s not always easy. Many will miss the face-to-face interaction and support from colleagues, and eagerly anticipate the day we can fully open offices again. Others relish the greater flexibility, and extra hours in the day the lack of a commute gives them. In a post-lockdown world, I fully expect to see a much more flexible blend of home and office working, which should result in happier teams delivering even better service.”
