Poor Call Centre Performances Driving Motorists Online For Insurance
|
In their efforts to cut costs more and more finance companies are looking to use offshore call centres to provide their customer services and administration. This is especially prevalent in the insurance industry, where it seems as if there is a newspaper announcement of previously UK based services migrating abroad every day. As more insurers use offshore call centres, recent research from Swinton insurance shows that motorists are increasingly turning to the internet to find the best deal on their car insurance.
Drivers are constantly advised to search around and obtain multiple quotes when it comes to renewal time, with recent research showing that drivers needed to obtain at least seven car insurance quotes to be likely to have found their most competitive deal, on average £52.26 better than their first quote. However with 47 per cent of those looking for car insurance taking more than ten minutes to obtain a single quote by phone, while a single quick search on a website like Moneynet, or Insure Supermarket can provide immediate comparisons of tens or hundreds of car insurance providers, it is understandable that people are turning towards the internet as a means of shopping around for the best deals.
It is not only the length of time taken by the call centres that motorists appear to have a problem with. The study found that the number of motorists looking for car insurance online has now reached 681,000 with many of them citing poor call centre performance, and doubts over the efficacy of the call centres as the main reasons why they are no longer using the phone to obtain insurance.
Most of those questioned indicated that concerns over the levels of customer service provided by call centres, with offshore centres targeted in particular, was a major factor for them fuelling a move from phone to the internet. Rightly or wrongly, most of those surveyed felt that the service provided, and the time taken for problems to be resolved, by offshore call centres would be slower, when compared with their UK call centres counterparts.
Despite the high levels of respondents reporting being unhappy with the customer service provided by UK call centres, and general levels of dissatisfaction with call centre staff growing, the phone is still most drivers' favoured method of buying cover. Swinton claims almost two thirds of UK motorists indicated they use the phone to buy their car insurance, while the number of motorists purchasing their cover online has now risen to 23%. The AA have stated that the figures are actually closer to 40% of all new car insurance now being arranged on the internet, with online sales of car insurance last year growing by nearly two-thirds.
However, even with the growth in the number of people using the internet and despite all the safety measures implemented to facilitate online transactions, more than a million motorists are reported as still not trusting the internet as a safe purchasing tool, and feel safer using the phone to speak directly to a person. This is despite recent news reports of the bank account details of 1,000 UK customers, including passwords, addresses and passport data, held by Indian call centres, being sold to an undercover reporter from the Sun.
Andrew Jackson, marketing director for Swinton said, "We believe that despite the increase in the number of people purchasing car insurance on the internet, the phone will continue to be a popular method as long as providers ensure that their call centres provide good quality customer service,".
However unless call centre based companies redress the publics perceptions of poor performance offered by call centres, they are liable to find more motorists trying to find other options, and if the internet based insurance providers can convince the increasingly technologically savvy public that buying online is safe, then we may soon see the rapid decline of call centres and see the internet becoming the primary source of information for motorists in their quest for cheaper car insurance.
Richard works in Edinburgh for a media company, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla, and drinking too much coffee.References:AA
Moneynet
Swinton
|
|
|
Insurance Claim - Medical Insights And Expenses
There's nothing that has a greater impact on evaluating a personal injury insurance claim than the damage done to your body, the medical bills that are a direct result of that injury and the "pain and suffering" you were forced to deal with.Besides botching up your body (and sometimes your love life) what else does the injury mean to you? It means a ton of financial expense's, including repairing your car, lost wages, a shock to your life style, a tremendous inconvenience and short or long periods of pain and discomfort - - all of it a direct result of your injuries.Plus, there's a long list of possible medical expenses. Fo...(related: Insurance)
Will Online Automobile Insurance Quotes Really Save Me Money?
If you're looking to save money on your auto insurance then online automobile insurance quotes are definitely something you want to look into. But there are more benefits to shopping online besides saving money. Receiving you car insurance quote online is fast, extremely easy, and exceptionally convenient. Generally speaking the quotes you qualify for are generated with...(related: Insurance)
Guide To Home Insurance
Here is a useful guide to Home Insurance. Home insurance covers damage from incidents such as fire, theft, and vandalism to your house, usually adjacent structures like a garage or shed, and your personal belongings. It covers living expenses if your house becomes temporarily unusable.Home insurance, also known as Household Insurance is a policy designed to cover your home and if applicable its contents against the possible risks. If you have a mortgage, your lender will insist you have buildings insurance.There are two types of home insurance - contents insurance and buildings insuranceContents insurance is designed to cover your possessions if in the home in circumstances where you suffer a burglary or you have an accident where damage is cause...(related: Insurance)
Compare Car Insurance Companies Before You Commit
If you want to save money on your car insurance, compare insurance companies before you sign up for an annual premium. Car insurance premiums can differ as much as 300% between carriers for the same coverage. Comparing quotes is the only way to find the best deal. Fortunately, online insurance sites have made this easy.Compare the Same ServiceInsurance companies may shout that they have the lowest prices, but that may only apply for "no accident" drivers with high deductibles. To have a realistic idea about prices, compare the same deductible and coverage amount with several different insurance companies. Free online insurance sites can easily do this fo...(related: Insurance)
Homeowners Insurance At A Glance
At first glance, homeowners insurance may seem perplexing and quite overpowering. Understanding your policy is crucial to know what you are actually purchasing, and also an extremely important part of owning a home. A homeowners insurance policy provides financial security against disasters, as well as insures the home and the possessions kept within.A basic homeowners insurance plan consists of four major types of coverage. These include: Home structure, coverage for personal belongings, liability protection, and living expenses in the event you cannot reside in your home as a result of...(related: Insurance)
Homeowners Insurance At A Glance
At first glance, homeowners insurance may seem perplexing and quite overpowering. Understanding your policy is crucial to know what you are actually purchasing, and also an extremely important part of owning a home. A homeowners insurance policy provides financial security against disasters, as well as insures the home and the possessions kept within.A basic homeowners insurance plan consists of four major types of coverage. These include: Home structure, coverage for personal belongings, liability protection, and living expenses in the event you cannot reside in your home as a result of...(related: Insurance)
Msa Or Hsa: Can I Keep My Msa Or Do I Need To Convert It Into An Hsa?
The Medical Savings Account (MSA) is an older form of the Health Savings Account (HSA).You cannot open a new MSA. You cannot contribute additional money into your MSA.However, you can keep your MSA as long as you like. When you retire, it will automatically turn into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and you can withdraw money from it then for any reason (not just medical).Or, if you don't want to keep y...(related: Insurance)
Car Insurance Online ? Benefits Of Applying For Auto Insurance Online
Drivers are applying for auto insurance online not just for the convenience of comparing quotes, but also to find the best insurance rate. The benefits also include discovering new discounts and not being locked into a long term relationship with an insurance company.Comparing QuotesBefore the internet, getting real quotes from auto insurance companies was difficult. But, now with a few clicks of a mouse, you can get instant access to insurance quotes based on the coverage you choose. Online insurance sites also allow you to look at the details of each plan, so you can compare the quality of coverage as well as the price.Finding DiscountsYou can reduce your auto insurance p...(related: Insurance)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Insurance | All Rights Reserved. | Insurance