Geico scores first overall in mobile, Keynova

Insurance carriers are using mobile apps and websites to enhance user engagement by building up claims capabilities, offering virtual assistant options and integrating telematics.

Keynova Group, a financial services intelligence firm specializing in benchmark insights, released its Q1 2022 Mobile Insurance Scorecard, which evaluates the mobile website and mobile app offerings from the 12 largest U.S. property and casualty firms.

GEICO scored first overall and led in mobile web and app. The company offers policyholders various app elements including the integration of its telematics, DriveEasy, and location-based experiences, according to the report.

State Farm scored second overall and in app. Nationwide scored second in mobile web. Progressive and Nationwide tied for third overall. USAA scored third in app and Progressive was third in mobile web.

“Mobile delivery is continuing to become more important to insurance firms: among the 12 leading firms reviewed in the Scorecard, eight introduced a significant number of new enhancements to their mobile web and/or mobile apps between Q3 2021 and Q1 2022,” Beth Robertson, Keynova Group managing director, said in an emailed response.

The report analyzes user capabilities and customer experience to identify trends that are driving mobile and app strategy. Scoring is based on an evaluation of approximately 200 objective criteria.

Claims handling is one of the most influencing factors in policyholder satisfaction and retention, according to the report. Eight carriers offer chat support for claims. However, carrier chatbots require more capabilities including predictive options and expanded vocabulary, the report suggests.

“Firms are also more thoughtfully approaching how to personalize the mobile experience (identify the user on a return visit, store and promote users preferences, offer UI customization, enable photo upload, etc.); how to make tasks easier for prospects and policyholders (integrating elements like GPS, autocomplete, and scan into tasks); and how to build in capabilities that will generate return visits and recurring usage (elements like usage-based telematics, gas locators, or vehicle maintenance tools,” says Robertson.

Additional findings to note:

Half of the carriers include gas or parking locations and vehicle maintenance tools in-app.
A quarter of the carriers support digital payments like Zelle or PayPal for claims disbursements.
All 12 carriers provide locator tools in mobile web and app.
Half of the carriers use a virtual assistant chatbot in-app and 83% offer an option on their websites. About half of insurers link consumers to a live agent after two failed virtual assistant experiences.
Liberty Mutual integrated telematics into its app with its usage-based tool Right Track. GEICO and Liberty Mutual are the only carriers to integrate telematics into their primary app.