Independent insurance agents ranked in the middle of the pack in a survey of customers’ experience, while insurance providers ranked well ahead of health insurance plans in the annual analysis.
Independent insurance agents earned a 70 score out of 100, putting them in the “okay” category, according to the analysis by Forrester, which asked more than 7,700 U.S. consumers about their interactions with a variety of companies. Based on their responses to the enjoyment, ease and meeting of needs for each company, a Customer Experience Index (CxPi) scores for 154 brands in 13 industries.
Just one-third of brands ranked in the “excellent” and “good” categories, according to the study’s authors.
Insurance providers ranked between 64 (poor) and 83 (good), with the average being 72 (okay), according to the analysis.
Meanwhile, health insurance plans ranked between 42 (very poor) and 72 (okay), with a 53 (very poor) average.
Health insurers had one of the biggest gaps in rankings, evident best in the 30-point difference between the score for TriCare, the health plan for service members and their families, and Medicaid. TriCare ranked as “okay,” while Medicaid ranked as “poor.”
Three insurance companies scored in the “good” category. USAA, an insurance provider, ranked highest in its category with an 82 rank, while Liberty Mutual scored a 76 and Prudential Insurance netted a 75 ranking.
In the “okay” category, insurers included State Farm (74), Progressive (72), Allstate (72), TriCare (72), Geico (71) ahead of independent insurance agents, which earned a 70 score. Rounding out the category among insurers were Travelers (69) and Kaiser (65).
In the “poor” category among insurers were Farmers Insurance (64) and Humana (55).
Insurers in the “very poor” category included Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (54), other Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates (54), Aetna (53), Cigna (51), UnitedHealthcare (51), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (49), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (45) and Medicaid (42), the lowest score.
Customers: Independent agent experience better, worse than insurers via IFAwebnews .
