A few tops and many flops when it comes to customer service from statutory health insurance companies on the Internet
29.06.2011 12:08
“BIG direct healthy” becomes the top seller, followed by TK and Barmer GEK
The customer service of statutory health insurance companies on the Internet fluctuates between top and bottom. The needs, wishes and emotions of multimedia customers are neglected. The health insurance companies' information offerings about staying healthy and getting healthy are very recipient-oriented and hardly geared towards an interactive dialogue. The health insurance companies leave communication 2.0 far too much to chance and present themselves in the multi-touchpoint world with impersonal and rigid online offers. Only a few cash registers are willing to experiment and be innovative. Most cash registers are missing out on the mobile and social media trend.
BIG directly proves how networked communication and customer appreciation can work on the Internet as the top customer of the “Service Check of Online Services in the GKV” by TCP Terra Consulting Partners Lindau/Berlin. Although the annual Service Check has initiated many changes in online communication in the health insurance world over the past 6 years, the number of online experts is still small. In addition to BIG Direkt Gesundheit, the Techniker Krankenkasse, Barmer GEK, BKK Mobil Oil and mhplus BKK are among the online leaders.
Even more than in the previous year, health insurance companies only showed “half” performance on the Internet in 2011 and did not keep up with developments. Overall, the quality of the cash registers' online services only reaches 50%. Communication and dialogue remain the stepchildren of health insurance companies’ online activities.
Only 78% of the 2,000 test email inquiries sent to a total of 40 major market health insurance companies on topics relating to health or the treatment of illnesses were even answered. A major weak point in email communication is the lack of reference to the personal scenario. 85% of the cash register replies are mass mailings that are not individually tailored to the customers' personal life situation. Only 17% of the responses were able to satisfactorily clarify the customer's concerns or make a practical alternative suggestion. There can be no question of customer appreciation here.
A good company website should present itself as an interactive multi-touch point. In contrast, the internet presences of health insurance companies are only 53% capable of dialogue and are predominantly designed to be recipient-oriented. There is a lack of interactive feedback options.
A communication channel with future potential is the internal member area or the Internet office. The study shows that cash registers lack innovative ideas to address personalized offers according to user preferences, previous behavioral patterns and other activities of customers.
With 80% websites, the information priorities are not immediately recognizable because logical user paths are missing. Over 60% of checkout websites have no audience navigation. There is a lack of problem solutions for typical areas of need that go beyond the standard social security information. Although supply competence is the actual core business of health insurance companies, it is conspicuously neglected in customer communication via the Internet. Innovative supply offers are only a TOP topic on 20% of the websites!
The interactivity of the websites leaves a lot to be desired with more than 80% of the cash registers. The common self-tests are now standard and interchangeable everywhere. What is needed are innovative ideas with information and entertainment value as well as professional implementation.
Cash registers are in danger of missing out on the mobile and social media trend. When it comes to mobile services, only a handful of cash registers have gained an edge in terms of experience and competition. At 73% of the cash registers, social marketing does not take place at all!
The study comes to the conclusion that the funds' online activities will only be rewarded by customers if the funds manage to build an individual bridge between the mass of information about benefits and services and the needs and wishes of the insured.
The exposé of the study and the complete report can be downloaded via www.terraconsult.de or by email via [email protected] at a GKV price of EUR 1,100 (net) plus 7% VAT. be obtained.—
About the study:
In the 6th edition, the “Service Check of Online Services 2010” examined the online services of 40 statutory health insurance companies from the perspective of customers, patients and interested parties. Using a scientifically based and tried-and-tested checklist with 47 individual criteria, the cash registers' online services were evaluated in a realistic scenario by qualified testers between February and May 2011. The study is representative of up to 92% of the entire GKV market. As part of the embedded mystery email campaign, 2,000 test emails (50 per cash register) were sent.