Conifer Insurance Adds Texting to Improve the Customer Experience

Conifer is a specialty property and casualty insurer who has made customer service a keystone of their business. Whether it is homeowners insurance or niche industries like food and beverage or cannabis, they tailor insurance products to the insured’s unique needs and provide service that exceeds expectations.

Always looking for innovative ways to improve the customer experience, Conifer set their eyes on advancing communication. They wanted to offer their customers more ways to communicate – methods that would fit their needs and preferences. They landed on texting.

A texting solution designed for insurance.
More people across various demographics are using texting every day. Numerous sources report open rates for text messages are as high as 98% compared to only 20% of emails. Additionally, the average person responds to a text message within 90 seconds. SMS messaging is particularly useful when communications are time-sensitive and short, making it an ideal tool for adjusters to communicate with policyholders. The Conifer team felt that a texting platform built by a team with a deep understanding of insurance was the way to go, and they found Hi Marley.

Faster resolution time to benefit everyone.
With Hi Marley’s Insurance Cloud, adjusters and policyholders quickly share crucial data like photos, PDFs and contact information throughout the claims process, when time is of the essence. Jennifer Yert, Senior Vice President of Claims at Conifer, sums it up well – “With our property claims team, Hi Marley offers a simple communication tool to keep our customers continually engaged in the claims process,” she says, “And when loss information is quickly shared, the result is faster resolutions.”

Built in translation makes the experience more inclusive.
“As an adjuster, Hi Marley has really helped me in my day-to-day work life,” explains Rachel McMahan, Senior Liability Claims Analyst at Conifer. “But not only with claimants who prefer text communications.”, she adds. McMahan has found the platform to be extremely helpful with claimants who have different language preferences. “I had a claim where the claimant didn’t speak English and I had difficulty getting him on the phone. Instead of using a phone translation service, I used Hi Marley to communicate with the customer in Spanish.” Hi Marley’s translation feature enabled McMahan to both communicate better and keep strong records of all conversations with the claimant. “I was able to bring the claim to a quicker resolution because of Hi Marley. It bridged the language barrier and sped up the process for both sides – and it saved time and money from having to bring in a translation service.”

A direct line of communication.
With Hi Marley, Conifer’s adjusters can open a dedicated channel to the customer. No need for claimants to go through a phone menu and play phone tag. The policyholder can reach the adjuster directly and have a record of all communications concerning the claim in one place.

This is particularly useful for capturing and exchanging documents. Dan Hakemian, Liability Claims Analyst at Conifer, shares his experience working with an older customer in rural Georgia. “She was so far from any place where she could fax, and her phone charges for faxing documents was very high. We used Hi Marley and it was simple for her; we avoided costs and she was amazed we could exchange documents so quickly and easily.”

“It’s also a great tool if I’ve been having challenges getting someone on the phone to return a document such as a release form,” Hakemian adds. “I can resend it to jog their memory and make it easier to return by cutting out the step of email.”

And the documents are automatically added to the claimant’s record, notes Joni Shultz, Senior Property Claims Analyst at Conifer, saving even more time for the adjuster. “Documents can be sent back and forth and easily copied into the file.”

Another benefit? The policyholder has the rep’s number in her phone, should she need to reach out about matters in the future.

A money and time saving method of communication.
It’s a cascade effect. Getting information from the claimant faster improves customer service. Adjusters can communicate more quickly, setting up appointments and connecting the claimant to important third-party providers. Eliminating phone tag saves time and aggravation for everyone. Adjusters can use the time to focus on more complex problems and customer-friendly initiatives. Using texting also impacts the bottom line.

“It’s so important to have meaningful contact with the parties involved in a claim at our first notice,” explains Yert. “For instance, we know that the value of a claim triples with attorney involvement.” On the scene, photos give adjusters fresh, accurate information before facts and conditions have a chance to morph.

At Conifer, Hi Marley has quickly become a key tool in their efforts to resolve claims efficiently and memorialize key information, Yert says. “Ultimately, we want to streamline the claims process. Hi Marley gives us yet another way to do just that.”