There are many studies done each year of how insurance companies measure up overall but on March 16th, the Customer Respect Group released findings from its study of online customer respect in the first quarter of 2008.
The study, officially titled, "First Quarter 2008 Online Customer Respect Study of Auto Insurance Industry Websites," evaluated the sites of a cross-section of auto insurance companies, and generated a CRI (Customer Respect Index) rating for each one. The rating represents an in-depth analysis of the online customer experience that is both quantitative and qualitative.
With an average CRI score of 5.5 on a ten-point scale, this year's results show a small improvement over last year's numbers, with visible, if slow, progression. Overall, the insurance industry is about average when it comes to keeping pace with improvements made in other industries.
Terry Golesworthy, president of the Customer Respect Group, had this to say: "Industry sites have become much more interactive and more integral to the overall sales process, with many more customers demanding quotes and communicating with companies on their terms. The growth of online and real-time help through chat, email and telephone is a major step in building websites into the sales and customer service process."
The complete results of the study are available by calling the Customer Respect Group at (978) 380.6128 or visiting the company website at http://www.customerrespect.com/default.asp?hdnFilename=bwautoQ108.htm, but here are the top five scorers:
- Progressive Casualty (7.5)
- GEICO (6.9)
- Liberty Mutual (6.5)
- Nationwide (6.4)
- Met Life Auto & Home (6.3)