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In my professional opinion, the insurance industry can benefit significantly from the movement into mobile technology. Why do I think so? Well, because it’s plain and simple: the mobile platform can transfer your business directly in the hands of customers, and lead to a significant competitive advantage.
Like most owners, I don’t know a whole lot about mobile apps. It’s pretty simple to think that all apps are relatively the same and once your agency has one, you’re all set. But unfortunately that’s not the case. Your customers will know the differences between apps and if there isn’t any value to your app, then your customers won’t use it- that simple.
Here are some statistics to think about:
- 3 out of every 4 of your customers are already using smart phones.
- These customers spend roughly 2.5 hours a day on their mobile devices.
- 80% of those 2.5 hours is spent inside of apps.
- App use in 2013 was 115% higher than it was the year before.
- Utility and productivity apps saw an astonishing 149% increase in usage year over year.
To sum up, people use their smartphones and apps, not only for leisure, but to actually be productive!
I’ll be the first one to tell you that our app is engineered to meet both the marketing and sales needs of my agency. Additionally, the app also allows our customers to have better communication and an overall more positive experience with the agency itself. Overall, the app provides priceless information and resources to our customers while simultaneously giving our agency key marketing and sales statistics that we can use to make ourselves better.
Other app goodies include:
- Important bill and claim phone numbers & links
- Auto insurance ID cards
- Claim assistance kit and accident report
- Home inventory app within-the-app
And here’s one of the best parts about the app if you’re an owner like me- the sign-up process could not have been easier. As all of the owners out there know, we’re pretty darn busy, so for this to be as easy as it was makes all the difference.
Without question, it’s time for your agency to keep up with the demands of today’s insurance market, and the first step in the right direction is through an agency mobile app. It’s time to prove wrong last year’s McKinsey report on the future of P&C insurance distribution, which predicts “the end of an era for the local insurance agent.”
