CUSTOMER SERVICE: Vehicle-owners like follow-up

Chip Lackey of J.D. Power and Associates says too few consumers are receiving some sort of follow-up after their insurance claim and vehicle repair.
Based on J.D. Power’s 2011 survey of nearly 12,000 Americans who had placed an auto insurance claim within the previous 12 months, Lackey said 47 percent of these consumers said neither the repairer nor insurer followed up with them, and their satisfaction rating was 827 points (on a 1,000-point scale). This jumped up to 850 points for those 15 percent who received follow-up from the repairer, and to 880 points for the 28 percent who received follow-up from the insurer.
The most satisfied, at 923 points – nearly a 100 point gain – were those 11 percent who reported follow-up from both the shop and insurer.
Lackey suggested the follow-up could be as simple as a well-crafted, personalized email, perhaps co-branded between the repairer and insurer – one that also allows the consumer a easy way to provide feedback (perhaps through a survey) or request a follow-up.