"By launching this service, which will run alongside our more traditional channels – phone/website – our customers can choose how they want to communicate with us, and when."
- Kesh Thukaram, Co-Founder of Best Insurance
Best Insurance has launched its new WhatsApp service in hopes of allowing users to manage their insurance journey without phone calls or added pressure. The first product available via WhatsApp is Best Insurance’s Accident, Sickness & Unemployment (ASU) offering, with plans to expand the service to Life and Critical Illness (CI) propositions, as well as General Insurance (GI) products.
Key benefits of this service include flexibility for customers to engage at their own pace while keeping track of all interactions and secure discussions of sensitive topics like salaries & medical conditions.
So far, 30% of customers have chosen WhatsApp over phone calls when purchasing Best Insurance’s products, with 50% of those who started online opting to switch to the messaging service.
“We’ve seen a shift in how customers want to interact with us. They’re looking for more control and flexibility, especially when dealing with the sensitive information needed for a protection quote,” explained Kesh Thukaram, Co-Founder of Best Insurance.
He said: “By launching this WhatsApp service, we’re meeting those expectations and making the process easier and more convenient. People don’t want to have long phone calls discussing sensitive topics like salaries or medical conditions – especially if they’re in open workspaces – and often don’t have all the information at hand.
“The same is true for online forms: when customers reach a question, they don’t have the answer to, they stop the process and often don’t come back. In fact, after an initial expression of interest in a product, less than 20% of customers respond when contacted, and the rate is even lower for those under the age of 35.”
He believes that on platforms such as WhatsApp, “[customers can control the pace of the conversation, review answers, take their time, and aren’t pressured to make decisions instantly. 65% of the WhatsApp preferred journeys were within normal working hours, confirming our view that customers would prefer to buy personal policies such as unemployment insurance privately on their mobiles rather than work laptops or big screens.
“By launching this service, which will run alongside our more traditional channels – phone/website – our customers can choose how they want to communicate with us, and when,” Kesh concluded.
