Celent looks at the results of recent customer relationship management (CRM) implementations and draws out key learnings.

The insurance industry faces multiple challenges that make improvement in customer management a priority. First, most transactions take place in a complex ecosystem where ownership of the end customer relationship is murky. Coordination between intermediaries and insurers is difficult, and there are many opportunities for suboptimal customer service. Additionally, customer expectations are being changed and shaped by consumer purchasing experiences in other industries. New service models deliver more efficient and intimate engagement from companies such as Amazon.

A new report, Insurance CRM: Keys to Implementation,documents the lessons learned from recent automation investments. Celent invited a select group of North American insurers to participate in an online survey. Each had recently implemented one or more components of a CRM solution. The results detail the scope of their efforts, identify key success factors, and recommends actions for others to take.

“Insurers are fighting decades of habit, transitioning from a product-centered to a customer-centered sales and service approach,” says Mike Fitzgerald, Senior Analyst with Celent’s Insurance Group and author of the report. “Many are investing in CRM in order to meet customers’ new expectations and improve coordination across and within the distribution chain.”