Insure and Go call on Invomo to
become the first insurer to drive sales
through interactive self-service
‘We’re successful in the competitive insurance business because our policies
are highly cost-efficient and we introduce imaginative and convenient methods
of buying cover. Alongside smart thinking is a dedication to customer service.
Invomo supports this commitment with creative call handling processes:
people reach us at times convenient to them (even during busy seasonal
periods), we manage enquiries efficiently and, ultimately, execute more
business. The systems support the perception that we’re a company searching
for ways to make the insurance sector less staid, more about the customer.’
Perry Wilson, Managing Director, Insure and Go
Challenge
Insure and Go is focussed on delivering the best possible service to its customers. The
company also deals with a steep spike in business during spring and summer as people
search for holiday insurance. In these periods, hiring more call centre staff is one option.
But it’s expensive and inefficient. Further infrastructure is required and staff need to be
highly trained, as agents must have a command of the service policies of the business, the
breadth of policies and financial selling legislation.
Resolution
To ensure that the best staff are on-hand to deal with particular types of customer calls,
Insure and Go applies call routing services from Invomo. And to handle the seasonal
increase in calls, its introduced a self-service call system created and hosted by Invomo.
It applies sophisticated speech recognition to process enquiries including purchasing new
policies and renewals. It’s used both out of hours and to deal with calls when agents are
tied up with other customers.
Business value
Call routing ensures that Insure and Go delivers an optimum
customer experience, while the automated system processes
overflow during busy periods. It guarantees that, when
people need to buy policies immediately out of hours,
Insure and Go is open. The company expects to complete
15% per cent more calls each week – a significant sales
opportunity. Furthermore, the system is very accurate in
the provision of recommended policies and complies
with financial service regulations.
Insure and Go
Travel insurance specialist Insure and Go was established
to provide convenient high value cover at the lowest
prices possible. Authorised and regulated by the Financial
Services Authority, the company has developed a
reputation for introducing creative and convenient ways
to purchase insurance. It’s one of the leading providers
of holiday cover in the UK; its 286 employees service the
insurance needs of over 2 million people each year for
leisure holidays, business trips and long-stay travel
insurance. In the last financial year the company returned
sales of close to £50 million.
A strong relationship
Insure and Go sells products through the web and its call
centre. For the last seven years, the company has relied
on Invomo to supply and service its 0800 and 0870
numbers. The numbers perform two critical functions.
Firstly, calls are routed by Invomo’s systems (the different
numbers are used for various types of policies, e.g. life,
travel and breakdown cover) to staff best experienced to
handle the lead.
Says Perry Wilson: ‘Invomo’s call routing facilities are a very
important asset; the numbers are attached to particular
policies and polish customer service by matching incoming
requests to the staff best able to deal with them.’
Secondly, traffic is monitored by Invomo. As with all
customers, Insure and Go has a secure log in to Invomo’s
‘CustomerZone’ portal. This provides real-time traffic
measurement. The metrics include data such as volume
of calls, the location of leads and the duration of
conversations. The intelligence highlights the most
effective promotion mechanisms.
‘Numbers can also be attached to different locations and
types of marketing,’ says Perry Wilson. ‘For example
advertising on the web, in print or on ‘outside’ opportunities
such as tube trains can each have different numbers.
This shows where marketing is most effective and we
optimise the allocation of our resources accordingly.’
Invomo has built a deep understanding of Insure and Go’s
business and the success of its call routing services,
complemented by associated advice, has cemented a
strong relationship between the companies. Perry Wilson
observes: ‘We enjoy working with Invomo. We’re an open
and honest business and expect the same from our
partners. When something is wrong they do their utmost
to correct it – even when it’s our fault. They respond
quickly and have developed a depth of understanding of
our business that’s invaluable. This knowledge has been
apparent recently as we turned to Invomo to move beyond
call routing to further refine our customer service offering.’
Key requirements
Invomo has been instrumental in helping Insure and Go
devise creative responses to deal with two critical issues
faced by insurers: firstly how to encourage policy renewal
and secondly, how to adjust to extreme spikes in call
volumes during the spring and summer months.
With policy renewal, Invomo devised an SMS system to
text reminders to customers. SMS is cost-effective and
with messages including promotional codes to incentivise
customers, the approach is delivering a much-improved
response rate over paper-based direct marketing.
To cope with increased call traffic, Invomo recommended
that ‘self-service’ provides the answer.
Profitable self-service
Insure and Go’s agents are trained to a very high standard;
capabilities that ensure compliance with financial selling
legislation, extensive knowledge of policies and which
deliver a high level of customer service. Training an
additional roster of staff to these levels to cover spikes in
call demand isn’t a cost-effective strategy. Invomo therefore
recommended a call handling system that applies the
very latest voice recognition technologies. Built around a
series of key scripts to gather essential information (such
as name, address, age and destination), it enables
customers to very easily perform transactions including
buying a new policy and renewing existing cover.
The scripts comply with all financial services legislation.
The system kicks in during busy periods to handle calls.
It’s also used out of hours. This enables the high percentage
of customers who suddenly remember while at the airport
that they have no cover to instantly buy insurance.
Invomo worked closely with Insure and Go to ensure that
the service is both simple to use and provides exceptional
service. It delivers on both counts.
Concludes Perry Wilson: ‘Sophisticated voice recognition
technology has advanced markedly and our system is
breaking new ground in cost-efficient self-service. We set
our stall out on solid customer service and really pushed
Invomo to make sure that the system delivers a strong user
experience. We’re open when others are shut and we’re
very pleased with the response from both a business and
brand perspective. Being first to market with new ideas
is central to our culture and we’re sure that, where we’re
leading now, others are once again sure to follow.’