72% of consumers say the ability to text a live agent would improve the customer experience*
More than 23 billion text messages are sent worldwide each day—270,000 every second—making it one of the most popular forms of communications today. While consumers still want to reach a human agent when they need it, 72% of consumers say the ability to text a live agent in real time would improve their overall customer service experience. And according to Insurance Business Magazine, an October 2020 survey finds that more than 63% of consumers say they're more likely to buy from, or stay with, insurance companies that enable them to connect via text message versus just by phone. When integrated with Guidewire, solutions partners like Hi Marley help insurers deliver the modern communications the average consumer is demanding, while streamlining the entire claims, underwriting, and servicing process.
Who?
Hi Marley is a software provider that offers a conversation platform specifically designed for the insurance industry, enabling insurers to quickly and easily communicate with policyholders and other partners in the insurance ecosystem to deliver an optimal customer experience.
What is the value proposition?
At a time when most consumers won't answer calls from phone numbers they don't recognize, Hi Marley puts an end to phone tag. More than just a texting platform, Hi Marley bridges the conversation between customers and the entire insurance ecosystem.
For example, the Hi Marley accelerator for ClaimCenter allows insurers to quickly integrate ClaimCenter with Hi Marley, enabling insurance carrier representatives to seamlessly include communication via Hi Marley into their workflows. Representatives interact through a web-based application while customers communicate through simple text conversation—no app to download or website to visit.
Claimants and policyholders can opt into a text conversation with their claims adjuster, creating a single, simple method for sending and receiving updates, photos, processing payments, and more. Automated bot functionality allows policyholders to contact their insurer anytime, anywhere, so support and attention are available after hours or when volumes are high due to a natural disaster or other large-scale event.
From here, instead of making endless phone calls or fielding countless voice messages, representatives can connect human-to-human via text. They can set expectations by explaining the claims process and keeping policyholders up-to-date, every step of the way. And when needed, they bring multiple support providers, medical providers, or third-party claimants into the same ongoing conversation, or have private direct messages with support providers or fellow adjusters.
Whenever key fields are changed or updated within ClaimCenter— like assigned adjuster, for instance—they're sent to Hi Marley for distribution.
During customer interactions, auto-translation capabilities translate across 10 languages, so all parties can write and see the conversation in their primary language. And artificial intelligence allows routine questions and notifications—filing a claim, claims status, checking on payments, getting quotes, etc.—to be handled immediately, freeing representatives and claims adjusters to keep the claim moving forward.
Behind the scenes, APIs integrate with the Guidewire core platform to provide ongoing performance insights and analytics. At the end of the process, all records of conversations can be saved and sent through Hi Marley's transcript export tool, so that the information can be easily shared and stored.
What is the opportunity?
Just as with so many other digital trends, the use of text messaging to serve digital customers has exploded since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers want fast, seamless communications with their insurers—especially in their moment of need.
AI-enabled text-messaging enables insurers to:
Streamline communication by connecting all parties within a single conversation
Automate routine tasks so representatives can be freed up to provide, better more empathetic service
Reduce productivity killers like the need to make endless phone calls and voicemails
According to the company, Hi Marley has helped some insurers achieve a 22% faster claim closure rate and around four fewer calls per claim. And according to IntelligentInsurer.com, some insurers using Hi Marley report reductions in voicemail and inbound and outbound calls by upwards of 35%. Which means it’s a serious win-win for insured and insurers alike.
Want more detail?
Listen to my recent conversation with Peel Mutual CEO Irene Bianchi to hear how her organization used Hi Marley to eliminate phone tag.
* https://martechtoday.com/customers-want-more-text-based-customer-support-options-from-brands-238479
You can also learn more about Guidewire claim solutions!