Who doesn’t have a smartphone on them? The truth is, today, people and their smartphones are practically inseparable. Statistics say that “90% of smartphone users have their device within arm’s reach 24/7”. No wonder global online shopping traffic is led by smartphones. This trend calls for mobile-first strategies put in place in the insurance industry. Why? Because mobile means convenience, accessibility, and ease of use for customers. 

Imagine a car insurance policyholder gets into an accident: they need quick access to their insurance for a First Notice of Loss (FNOL). A mobile app makes this incredibly easy, reducing stress and saving time. Plus, with on-demand insurance options available through mobile platforms, users are free to manage their coverage whenever they need it. That’s a whole new level of flexibility. 

Indeed, insurers are reimagining customer experiences through intuitive apps, personalised IoT solutions, and enhanced engagement on mobile platforms. 

Discover how these innovations are setting new standards for convenience and customer satisfaction in insurance services, ensuring the users’ coverage is as accessible as their favourite apps.

The Importance of Mobile-First Strategy in Insurance

First things first. What is a mobile-first strategy? A mobile-first strategy centres around building digital products and services with a main focus on mobile devices before scaling them to other platforms.

Why should insurers care? As more people rely on their smartphones for daily tasks and demand seamless digital experiences, a mobile-first strategy has become critical in the insurance industry, too. We can expect that by 2025, the number of mobile phone users will reach 5.8 billion worldwide.

This trend holds major implications for insurers. Like what? Well, for example, already in 2021, 77% of insurance customers preferred submitting claims via mobile apps rather than in person or over the phone. Now, we can expect an even more staggering number. Insurers have no other choice but to prioritise mobile experiences to meet customer expectations and not fall behind more agile competitors. 

But we still just barely scratched the surface. Adopting a mobile-first approach isn’t limited to boosting customer satisfaction and engagement. This strategy has multipronged benefits in insurance. Here are some other aspects this approach brings to the insurance table.

Designing Intuitive Mobile Apps for Policy Management and Seamless User Experience

Building user-friendly mobile apps for policy management is significant for modern insurers. Why? Because the success of mobile-first strategies in insurance is heavily dependent on a seamless user experience (among other things)—we’re talking intuitive, responsive, and easy-to-navigate mobile apps, as well as all the features users need for smooth policy management. It’s something that should always be on insurers’ radar. Key components here include:

• User-Centric Design: Insurers should do some digging to grasp what their users need and build the app around those insights. Crucial features like easy policy renewal, claims filing, and real-time assistance should be front and centre.
• Accessibility and Convenience: With mobile apps, accessing policy information should be a breeze anytime and anywhere. Enhancing the overall UX involves features like biometric login, push notifications for updates, and in-app customer support being just a tap away.
• Consistent Design Language: Mobile app? Web browser? No matter—or at least it shouldn’t with a uniform design language in place. This guarantees users have the same, smooth experience across all digital platforms.
• Fast Loading Times: It’s critical for insurance mobile apps to be swift and responsive, with fast loading times and minimal lag. An app that doesn’t run smoothly is likely to leave users frustrated and ultimately ditching it.
• Responsive Design: A smooth user experience can’t be achieved without flexible and scalable interfaces. Responsive design is essential for ensuring your website looks great on any device, from large desktops to smaller tablets and smartphones. It’s not just for web experiences, though; it’s also key for mobile platforms. By making sure your design adapts smoothly to different screen sizes and orientations, you create a more user-friendly experience of your product. That’s something applying responsive design principles should take care of.

Mobile users spend 88% of their time on mobile apps compared to mobile websites.

Leveraging IoT and Telematics for Usage-Based Insurance

Today, there are so many innovations are reshaping the insurance industry. Two of them are Internet of Things (IoT) devices and telematics. These technologies enable usage-based insurance (UBI) models. This means insurers can now track real-time data on user behaviour, making risk assessments more precise and insurance offerings personalised.

• Telematics for Auto Insurance: Car insurance telematics uses devices in vehicles to keep track of driving behaviour—things like speed, braking patterns, and mileage. Thanks to this data, insurers can tailor premiums to actual usage, which promotes safer habits and ensures fairer pricing.
• IoT for Home Insurance: Smart smoke detectors, water leak sensors, security cameras and a whole bunch of other IoT devices play a crucial role in real-time risk monitoring and management. This data enables insurance companies to offer proactive services. Alerting homeowners of potential hazards and providing discounts for safety-oriented actions are just a couple of examples.
• Health and Life Insurance: With health apps and wearables, users can keep tabs on their physical activity, heart rate, and other metrics. This data can be then leveraged by insurers, so that they provide personalised health and life insurance plans. An additional incentive would be rewarding those policyholders who maintain healthy lifestyles.

Driving Future Growth and Sales Through Mobile Platforms

Today, the digital world and a mobile-first strategy are practically synonymous. So, it’s crucial for insurers to implement this approach to drive future growth and sales. One way to do so is by nurturing a good rapport with your clientele. And you can’t build lasting relationships and foster loyalty without effective customer engagement.

This is where mobile platforms shine—they give insurers a great opportunity to engage with their customers in meaningful ways, streamline operations, improve SEO, and upsell additional coverages and services. Here’s how these strategies can make a big difference:

• Personalised Communication: Mobile apps can send messages and offers tailored just to your customers, based on their actions and preferences. In-app messages, push notifications, and personalised content—with all this, you keep your customers in the loop and engaged. For example, if a customer has home insurance, you might want to recommend adding personal property coverage tailored to their recent activities and interests.
• Interactive Features: Yet another way to boost customer engagement and upsell opportunities is through interactive features like virtual assistants, chatbots, and seal-service portals. These tools offer instant support and assistance with common inquiries, significantly reducing the need for manual interventions.
• Community Building: Mobile platforms bring people together with forums, social media integration, and user-generated content. These tools help users connect, share experiences, and offer feedback, making it a lively and engaging space for everyone involved. Plus, in these communities, insurers can introduce new offerings, encouraging users to explore extra coverages and upgrades.
• Mobile Wallets: A mobile-first approach isn’t limited to just mobile apps. These wallet passes allow insurers to stay in touch with their customers and make it easy for them to manage their insurance info on the go. Plus, mobile wallets can send useful alerts, such as offering extra coverage when a customer plans a trip. It’s worth pointing out that mobile passes work seamlessly on mobile devices without the need for a separate app, thanks to native mobile platform support. This makes them quick to deploy and easy to maintain at a low cost.
• SEO Benefits: Once upon a time, people made sure their websites were mobile-friendly just for looks and hence, user experience. That’s history now. Things have changed—while keeping in mind the UX aspect is still paramount, now, it’s also about getting noticed. By focusing on mobile accessibility, you can improve the ranks on search engines like Google, driving more organic traffic to your site. This approach not only makes browsing easier, ergo, improving user engagement but also boosts your chances of standing out in a crowded digital market.

Leveraging Mobile Capabilities

There’s something about mobile devices that insurers happily harness to improve their services and customer experience. It’s the unique functionalities of these devices themselves. Here’s what they include:

• Location-Based Services: Based on the user’s whereabouts, insurers can deliver tailored recommendations. All thanks to GPS and location-based services (LBS). An example? Providing details on nearby repair shops or medical facilities.
• Camera and Scanning Features: Using the device’s camera significantly streamlines FNOL (First Notice of Loss) and claims submission. How? It’s simple. When an insured experiences a loss, they can quickly open their insurance app, snap photos of the damage with their phone, and start the claims process right away. This means no waiting to contact their insurer or finding a computer to upload the photos later. This provides more convenience right from the user’s device. Good riddance, paperwork.
• Push Notifications: Policy updates, payment reminders, promotional offers—users have all of this at their fingertips. Literally. All thanks to push notifications sent right to their phones.

Conclusion

Gone are the days when going mobile-first was an option. Now, it’s a must for insurance companies. For any industry, really. There’s no sidestepping it. Certainly not when today, around 4.88 billion people have smartphones, and by 2027, that number is expected to reach 6 billion. Embracing mobile-first strategy will help insurers be better positioned to meet the dynamic needs of their customers and set themselves up for a long-term success. 

Insurers need to make sure they’re ready to cater to their digital-savvy customers, providing seamless service anytime and anywhere they need it. It’s all about being there for mobile users on their preferred devices, making insurance simpler and more accessible than ever.

If you’re interested in leveraging technology for your insurance business, check out our article on transitioning from insurance to InsurTech.