Auto and home insurers’ investments in mobile app features and refinements have led to a significant rise in customer satisfaction scores, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Claims Digital Experience Study.

The study revealed that overall satisfaction with the auto and home insurance digital insurance claims process is 871 (on a 1,000-point scale), up 17 points from 2023. This increase is attributed to the introduction of new features such as automatic collision reporting capabilities, enhanced image upload, and body shop selection tools, according to J.D. Power.

“The digital channel has now surpassed traditional phone-based communication as the most satisfying way for insurance customers to submit a new claim,” stated Mark Garrett, director of global insurance intelligence at J.D. Power. He further emphasized that while the insurance industry has made significant strides in digital claims reporting, there is still room for improvement, particularly in helping policyholders navigate between digital and offline channels.

The study, now in its fifth year, evaluates digital experiences among property/casualty insurance customers throughout the claims process. It examines the functional aspects of desktop, mobile web, and mobile apps based on four factors: visual appeal; clarity of the information; navigation; and range of services.

Insurers made an average of 6.75 updates to their mobile apps in 2023, an increase from 5.72 in 2022, according to Michael Ellison, president of Corporate Insight Inc., which partnered with J.D. Power on the study.

“The industry is reaching an important tipping point in which digital channels—particularly mobile apps—are the primary conduit to insurance customer engagement,” Ellison stated.

While 84% of claimants said their insurer provides an easy digital communication process, just 39% said their insurer always responded in a timely fashion to emails and text messages.

Nearly 20% of customers said they used more than one channel when they had a question about their claim, which the study noted was a frustration point that reduced satisfaction by more than 100 points. Among those who used more than one channel for the same topic, email, apps and phone calls were the most frequently cited.

More information about the J.D. Power study can be found here.