“Good to hear from you again! “— How personalized service inspires customers

The focus is on people

Personal service has long been much more than just a personal greeting in a cover letter. Real personalization means treating customers not as processes but as people. This starts with understanding a concern in the overall context: Who is the customer? What is his history with insurance? What is important for him in the current situation? People must be at the center of attention. The goal is a service that is individual, competent and consistent. The customer should feel understood and supported at all times.

Customers expect personality

In practice, the initial contact between the insurer and the customer often takes place for the first time in the event of a specific claim. Many policyholders take out their policies anonymously via comparison portals and have never spoken directly to the insurer. Expectations are correspondingly high when things get serious: The customer not only wants quick help, but also the feeling of being seen and understood.

It is precisely because the insurance market is characterized by strong competition, interchangeable products and low emotional ties that service can become a decisive differentiating factor. Anyone who manages to impress in this sensitive phase with competence, empathy and continuity lays the foundation for trust and customer loyalty.

At the same time, customers expect that they do not have to retell their case every time they contact them. A consistent service experience — even across different communication channels — has become a basic requirement.

The study “Customer Service — How Insured Persons Tick and What Intermediaries Think”, published by Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G. in collaboration with TODAY AND TOMORROW, also shows how important personal care is. According to this, 74% of customers want a permanent point of contact — in emotionally stressful situations such as illness or accident, the figure is as high as 81%. [Source: https://www.continentale.de/studien]

Practical tips: How do you get started with personalization?

Before personalization can be implemented on a large scale, a well-founded assessment of the situation is required. Companies must clarify what personalization means in their own context, what goals are associated with it and which structures must be created for this. The following steps provide practical guidance to get you started.

1. Develop a target image: Which form of personalization suits the company, strategy and customer groups?
2. Evaluate systems: What is technically required to implement personalization in a company?
3. Start pilot projects: Start small, but with measurable goals. For example, test the so-called case owner approach in a claims team.
4. Involve employees: Early communication, training and participation increase acceptance and motivation in change processes.
5. Ensuring measurability: Define KPIs, measure them continuously and optimize them based on findings.

These five steps help to anchor personalization in everyday service life — technically, organizationally and culturally. It is important that companies are not deterred by complexity, but work with clear prioritization and iterative approaches. Because even small improvements can have a noticeable effect on customer satisfaction.

Why insurers must act now

Customer expectations have changed. If you don't want to be fobbed off by standardized chatbot answers and endless waiting loops, you're looking for insurers who listen, understand, and act. Insurance companies that today invest in intelligent systems, well-thought-out processes and a customer-focused organizational structure are thus securing long-term competitive advantages.

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