Infographic: Insurance Customers Still Favor the Phone Call

There are plenty of reasons why a consumer might get a phone call from one of their insurance providers – but according to our latest survey results, the phone call still reigns as the most secure method of communicating with customers, no matter why you’re calling. First Orion wanted to better understand how consumers want to connect with their insurance companies, so we commissioned a blind study of mobile phone users in the US. We discovered that more respondents want a phone call than any other form of communication. 

First Orion Survey: Insurance Customers and Phone Calls

Despite the want for a phone call, more than 60% admit that they’ve missed a call from their insurance provider because they didn’t recognize the incoming number. A number of things contribute to this distrust in the phone, not the least of which is scam-related. In our second annual “Scam Call Report,” we discovered that almost everyone (95%!) got at least one scam call in 2020. It’s not surprising that people are hesitant to answer; however, the integrity of a phone call remains the same. 67% of our survey respondents said a phone call from their insurance provider was the most secure form of communication over the web or apps.

Here’s a little look at what else we discovered:

Proof: Insurance Customers Favor a Phone Call

For one of our health insurance clients, they saw the benefit in using branded calling for their outreach. Not only did their answer rates improve, but the time people spent on the phone with their agents increased by 25%. When people know who’s calling, they’re more prepared for a productive conversation, which sets call center agents up for success.

Health insurance companies have a number of use-cases for phone outreach, particularly around benefits awareness. Companies have implemented branded calling to remind customers to use their annual dental spend, to inform of benefit options or changes, or to follow up on making sure carriers don’t miss open enrollment. A phone call treated with a branded call promotes trust between provider and customer, making it easier to connect and inform them of plan features they might not be aware of.

Of course, health is just one facet of the insurance space. For life insurance providers, many have had success with answer rates lifting when calling about lapsed policies or to confirm policy changes. With time-sensitive matters that could cost both consumers and businesses money, it’s important to make sure calls are answered.

“How do we get people to pick up the call?”

So if the phone call is the answer, the question is, “How do we get people to pick up the call?” The First Orion solution is pretty simple: when people know who’s calling, they’re more likely to pick up. When nearly 90% of people say it’s “extremely or very important” that their insurance provider identifies themselves when calling, we pay attention to that. Our main goal is to help companies connect with their customers when it matters most.

Contact First Orion

If you’re interested in seeing what First Orion branded calling solutions INFORM® and ENGAGE® could do for your company to improve your call strategy – whether getting more people to answer the phone or just setting up your call center for success – let’s talk.