App launched to turn insurance tweets into sales leads

A new way for insurers to find prospective customers using social media was launched today.

Capgemini said the All Channel Experience enables insurers to communicate with customers at all points of quote and buy, service, and claims journeys by integrating different software.

It can pick up keywords on Twitter or Facebook and send an automated message across to insurers’ customer relationship management (CRM) software and back-office claims and policy systems. This could lead to a policy being purchased remotely.

Insurers can send a message to the person who has posted on social media about needing cheaper insurance and invite them to apply for a quote, which the customer can digitally sign, using a mobile app.

It can also allow for cross-selling, as the back-office computers can pass information to the CRM software which alerts an insurance sales representative when they are speaking with a customer.

Capgemini said the technology would aid the retention of customers because it puts insurers in a better position to communicate more frequently with consumers, and process subsequent applications quicker.

The concept was formed after a survey by the business and technology consulting firm showed that only 30% of consumers have positive experiences with their insurers.

And those remaining two-thirds are a retention risk because of the customer experience they receive.

Capgemini vice-president Alan Walker said that for some time insurers had been looking for a way to integrate their systems more efficiently.

He added: “Today’s customers expect a great customer experience from every business they connect with.

“These expectations of great customer experience are already being met by retailers, travel companies, entertainment companies and publishers but not, as yet, by insurers.

“An insurance customer is a customer, and when they deal with an insurer their expectation of the service they should receive is no different.”

Ageas UK director of business strategy Andy Lee said the biggest challenge for insurance companies would be integrating the new system of communicating with their well-established ways of working, which are often robust but not very flexible.

Lee added: “The most interesting part is that all of this software pre-exists, but it is a case of stitching it together.

“There isn’t any radical need to consider a completely fresh way of thinking about something – it is largely already there in some form or another.

“So although it looks quite radical – it is bringing together customers and insurance companies.”

Capgemini said it already had “serious” interest from two insurers and planned to work with more insurance companies to expand the concept.