Auto insurance companies are therefore no strangers to litigation. Many of these disputes result from customers not fully understanding the terms of their insurance policy or how the claims process works in the event of an auto loss.
According to mediator Leah Nagle, “many complaints could be avoided if insurers provided clearer guidelines about what information consumers must disclose during the underwriting process. The testimonies of some people show us that they simply did not understand how serious the consequences can be.
But the reputation of the insurance industry is precarious: the general public has a very low opinion of its motivations and its approach to customer service. Claims management is an essential success factor, and it is even the main factor when it comes to customer satisfaction.
To restore the industry’s reputation, the FCA regularly updates regulations to help insurers adopt a more consumer-centric approach. These include, for example, requiring complaints to be dealt with within three days and making renewal bonuses fairer for loyal customers, thanks to revised UK pricing regulations.
In the United States, regulations vary from state to state, and an insurance company must ensure that it meets these different standards or risk exposing itself to legal action.
However, it is difficult and costly to comply with constantly changing regulations; we cannot just wait for the financial authorities to solve the problems. Alternatively, insurers can turn to technology to address some of the most common car insurance complaints.
Truth be told, sometimes all it takes is a little innovation and a handful of tweaks to your claims process to achieve overwhelmingly positive results. With that in mind, we bring you some of the most common auto insurance complaints identified by the Financial Ombudsman, and show you how we believe intelligent automation can transform the customer experience you offer.
Quality of repairs
When an automobile accident requires the repair of the vehicle, the insurer often wishes to use its own repair chain. In other words, if the insured is not satisfied with the repairs carried out, the cost of the repairs or the recovery time of his vehicle, he is likely to file a complaint.
So use a virtual agent to quickly get quotes from authorized repairers. Quotes could be sent to the customer to offer him a choice: use a repairer approved by the insurer, or find his own repairer for an equivalent or lower cost.
Send automated alerts to customers during the handling process about their liability and repair coverage if they have chosen to use their own repair person.
Send SMS updates on repair progress and expected completion date, so the customer knows when they can get back on the road.
If the customer needs to hire a replacement vehicle, the virtual agent can take over parts of the process and ensure that all arrangements are communicated in a timely and clear manner.
Assessments in case of impossible repair
A large proportion of complaints relating to claims come from customers who are disappointed with the settlement offered in the event of an impossible repair. They sometimes think that their car is worth more than market value or, if their vehicle was new when they bought it, that they should receive the amount corresponding to what the vehicle originally cost as a settlement.
Virtual agents can explore the market for equivalent cars (in terms of age, make, model, etc.) and then send the results to the customer as evidence regarding the assessment made. Knowing that customers often do their own research to dispute a review, why not get ahead of them?
You can also adopt the same process to appraise the car at the time of taking out the insurance policy, by filling in the “vehicle value” field in the quote/underwriting form so that the customer knows the estimated value of his vehicle. from the start.
Customers always appreciate being transparent about reviews, as it lets them know what to expect.
Claims dismissed for non-disclosure
It happens that a request for reimbursement is refused because the customer’s vehicle has undergone modifications not covered by the insurance policy. While this may be a deliberate deception related to difficulties getting the vehicle insured, some customers are simply unaware of the definition or nature of the modifications covered.
A smart virtual agent with AI skills enabling photographic analysis could identify the modifications made to the vehicle from a photo sent by the customer, as part of the online quote request. Any changes would be brought to the attention of the client, who could then choose to complete the quote via a chatbot or a phone call.
The virtual agent could also verify the authenticity of the photo if its metadata is available.
In addition to amendments, there are other instances of non-disclosure that may lead to the cancellation of a claim, such as the client not reporting claims correctly (or at all). records, omits details of prior convictions or provides incorrect address information.