LONDON, Oct. 1, 2021 — Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) 2021 European Insurance Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) reveals that German insurers deliver the best customer experience (CX) in Europe, including one brand to reach the ‘excellent’ category as the first and only insurer in the CX Index. With an industry average score of 74.8 out of 100, German insurers are outperforming their counterparts and offer customers better auto and home insurance experiences than insurers in France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
On average, European customers rated the quality of their auto and home insurance experiences as ‘OK’ in France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Of the 26 brands Forrester assessed in the four countries, only two earned scores in the ‘good’ category: MAIF in France and LV= in the UK. Brands in Italy, Spain, and the UK are tightly clustered in the ‘OK’ category. German customers rate their experiences as ‘good’ on average, and all German insurers achieved a CX Index score in the ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ category. In fact, the lowest-scoring German insurer, Generali (70.2), provides better CX than the top scorers in Italy (Allianz, 69.2) and Spain (Mutua Madrileña, 67.3).
Excellent-rated overall leader HUK-COBURG, which was included in the CX Index for the first time in 2021, offers the easiest, most effective, and most emotionally positive insurance experience in Europe. Measured on CX drivers related to communication, customer service, and premiums, rates, and fees, the insurer scores high through its dense network of agents and other representatives whose role is to provide affordable coverage tailored to the customer’s needs and to handle concerns quickly and thoroughly.
Unveiled at CX EMEA, the CX Index data further shows that when interacting with an insurer, customers’ perception of the three dimensions of CX quality — effectiveness, ease, and emotion — varies across Europe, particularly when it comes to emotion: Digital channels provided the most positive experiences for Italian, Spanish, and UK customers, while interacting with a person elicited the most positive emotions for French and German customers. Nonetheless, there are themes within European auto and home insurance: Making customers feel understood and respected leads to higher customer loyalty in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. In the UK, making customers feel valued is key. These are critical emotions to boosting loyalty. For example, among European customers who felt respected, 73% will advocate for the brand and 71% plan to increase spending.
“Our research shows that insurers across France, Italy, Spain, and the UK continue to offer mediocre and undifferentiated CX. Their scores are tightly clustered in the ‘OK’ category, which offers an opportunity for brands to leapfrog their competitors with just small improvements,” said Forrester VP and Research Director Oliwia Berdak. “Insurers should focus on the driver categories that will have the most impact in their countries: insurance agents in Germany and Italy, communication in France, customer respect in the UK, and policies and services in Spain.”
Forrester’s 2021 European Insurance CX Index is based on a survey of more than 26,000 European adult customers of 160 brands in Germany, the UK, Italy, France, and Spain, including 32 of the largest and most important in auto and home insurance.
Resources:
- Download Forrester’s 2021 European Insurance CX Index report (client access required).
- Learn about the Forrester Decisions for Customer Experience service.
- Check out how to revitalize CX measurement and prioritization.
Contact press@forrester.com for a copy of the report or speak to an analyst for additional insights.
Author Information
As a detail-oriented researcher, Sherril is expert at discovering, gathering and compiling industry and market data to create clear, actionable market and competitive intelligence. With deep experience in market analysis and segmentation she is a consummate collaborator with strong communication skills adept at supporting and forming relationships with cross-functional teams in all levels of organizations.
She brings more than 20 years of experience in technology research and marketing; prior to her current role, she was a Research Analyst at Omdia, authoring market and ecosystem reports on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and User Interface technologies. Sherril was previously Manager of Market Research at Intrado Life and Safety, providing competitive analysis and intelligence, business development support, and analyst relations.
Sherril holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from University of Colorado, Boulder and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University.
