E-Servicing Activity on Auto Insurance Sites Up 15%

A leader in measuring the digital world, comScore, recently released the results of a study of online servicing of auto insurance policies, revealing that e-servicing activity climbed 15 percent in the second quarter of 2007, more than twice the rate of growth in total visits to the auto insurer sites included in the analysis. 
 
E-servicing, which includes activities such as bill payment, viewing and changing coverage, adding or removing a driver, adding or removing a car, and changing an address, represents a potential time-savings for the customer and a cost-savings opportunity for auto insurers by reducing the need to have company personnel answer phone calls or enter data. The study compared the number of visits to five of the top auto insurer sites in Q2 2007 versus the same period in 2006. 
 
The study showed that customers visited the sites included in this analysis 6 percent more often in second quarter 2007 versus year ago, while their number of visits to the e-servicing sections of the sites grew 15 percent. Policy management e-servicing activities propelled much of the growth, with visits climbing 23 percent to these sections of the respective web sites. 
 
"Several auto insurers have invested heavily in online customer relationship management during the past year, expanding beyond basic services such as bill payment to more complex activities like changing coverage online," said Kevin Levitt, vice president of comScore Financial Solutions. "As these results show, customers are e-servicing in greater numbers, indicating that they appreciate the flexibility of having additional options for managing their policies." 
 
Direct Insurers Outperform Agent Insurers at Moving Customers Towards E-Servicing 
 
Of the five insurers included in the study, the direct insurers were more effective than the agent insurers at driving customers towards e-servicing online. At the direct insurer sites, 55 percent of visits to GEICO.com and 37 percent of visits to Progressive.com included e-servicing, while each of the three agent insurers saw less than a third of visits to their respective sites include e-servicing. This finding is consistent with data reported in comScore's 2007 Automobile Insurance Report, which demonstrated that customers who originally purchased their policy directly (over the phone or the internet), as opposed to through an agent, were more than twice as likely to have logged on to their auto insurance company's website to view or manage their policy. 
 
"GEICO has clearly been effective at driving customers to utilize e-servicing options," continued Mr. Levitt. "Given the competitive nature of the auto insurance industry, it's imperative to find ways to both reduce costs and satisfy customers. E-servicing can be a key ingredient in accomplishing both of these objectives." 
 
About comScore 
 
comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI.