Should You Create an App for Your Insurance Agency?

If there are two things all your customers have in common, it’s that they all want convenience—and they all have SmartPhones. Most people actually prefer using one to opening the web browser on their phones.

There’s a big push for many companies to create their own apps for user convenience—and with the weight insurance customers place on convenience, it’s no surprise that the insurance industry isn’t an exception.

But do you your customers really want or need a mobile app from you?

Insurance customers want convenience from their insurance agencies—and an app can help provide that. Mobile apps streamline the process of paying bills, checking policy information, and getting in touch with an insurance agent.

However, one thing to bear in mind is that people don’t need to do these things every day. Most customers pay their bill once a month, and don’t have a reason to keep checking their insurance policy or getting in touch with their agent—it generally happens only when there is a specific need. As convenient as an app can be, customers may not use yours enough to make it worth their while.

Another reason to create an app—on your end—would be brand-building. Many companies develop apps to get their brand in front of people, get customers interacting with them, and stay in front of them on a daily basis. That’s a great reason to create an app—but there has to be a value provided to customers to keep them interacting with you. If their regular transactions—such as bill-paying or checking their policy—aren’t enough, what value can you bring to customers on your app that would merit checking it every day?

It’s expensive to develop and maintain a mobile app. To get the most out of your effort, it’s essential to give customers a reason to engage—not just every so often, but on a frequent basis. Sure, people use mobile apps a great deal—but would they use yours a lot, and does your business lend itself well to this type of technology?

There may be a great reason for your agency to develop a mobile app. It could involve notifying customers about savings they’re eligible for or other news and content that impacts them, as well as the status of their claims.

There are also creative ways to engage your customers that relate to more specific lines of insurance. For instance, if you sell auto insurance, you could develop an app that keeps customers posted on road construction, accidents, and traffic issues that they might face in their daily commute. If you sell health insurance, your app could help people track health and fitness metrics.

There are endless options. Whatever direction you choose, however, you may have to get creative in considering how you can provide value to customers.

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