Press Release

Homeowners’ Satisfaction with Property Claims Reaches Record High as Insurers Focus on Relationship Management, J.D. Power Finds

Amica Mutual Scores Highest in Property Claims Satisfaction for Ninth Consecutive Year

TROY, Mich.: 27 Feb. 2020 Filing a claim with a homeowners insurance company is a make-or-break opportunity for insurers to positively engage with their customers, and, according to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study,SM insurers are rising to the occasion. Overall customer satisfaction with the property claims process has reached a record high, with year-over-year improvements realized across the majority of insurers evaluated in the study.

“Home insurers have spent a great deal of time and money refining their claims processing capabilities through a combination of improved client relationship management, enhanced technology and improved quality control,” said David Pieffer, property & casualty lead for insurance intelligence at J.D. Power. “Getting this formula right is critical for insurers because any customer perception of undue effort or unnecessary delays experienced on the part of the customer in the claims process is directly correlated with increased shopping for a new insurer.”

Following are some key findings of the 2020 study:

  • Property claims satisfaction reaches record high, topping other service industries: Overall customer satisfaction with homeowners insurance property claims is 881 (on a 1,000-point scale), a significant increase from last year and a record high for the study. This score also represents the highest overall customer satisfaction level among all current J.D. Power consumer-based service studies in the United States and Canada, including auto claims (868); mail order pharmacy (867); and direct banking (860).
     
  • Premium increases and cumbersome claims processes spur attrition: Two of the factors most likely to drive homeowners insurance customers to shop their policies with other carriers are claim-related premium increases and the necessity of exerting a high level of effort to get the claim resolved. When homeowners insurers miss the mark on these two factors, overall satisfaction decreases by 85 points and customers become 13.5 times more likely to shop for a new policy.
     
  • Technology helps, but claimants not ready for fully digital claims: Digital solutions for first notice of loss (FNOL) and estimation, along with self-service account management tools are having a positive effect on convenience and speed of the claims process, but few claimants say they are ready for fully digital claims. More than one-fourth (27%) of customers still prefer the entire claims process to be handled offline and just 4% say they would prefer a digital-only claims experience.

Study Rankings

Amica Mutual ranks highest in property insurance claims experience for a ninth consecutive year, achieving a score of 902. The Hartford ranks second with a score of 896, followed by Farmers with a score of 893.

The U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study measures satisfaction with the property claims experience among insurance customers who have filed a claim for damages by examining five factors (listed in order of importance): settlement; claim servicing; FNOL; estimation process; and repair process. The 2020 study is based on responses from 6,025 homeowners insurance customers and was fielded between April and December 2019.

For more information about the U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, visit  https://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/us-property-claims-satisfaction-study

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power has offices serving North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, J.D. Power; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
John Roderick; Huntington, NY.; 631-584-2200; [email protected]

2020 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study
Media Contacts