Nowadays, almost everyone is looking online for just about
everything they need - including home, auto, and health insurance -
although sometimes a person needs to sit down with an actual flesh &
blood insurance agent in order to acquire the type of insurance
coverage he/she seeks. Over time, the physical face-to-face requirement
of many insurance companies has been replaced with applications through
the mail, via fax, email, phone, electronic signatures, and now the
creation of Self-Service Insurance and Self-Serve Insurance.
At
this point, the difference in the insurance industry between
"Self-Serve" insurance and "Self-Service" insurance is primarily as
follows: Self-Service insurance allows customers to "service" their
policies already in force. A person can go online to find information,
request changes, or file a claim. Self-Serve insurance is like a "serve
yourself" buffet where people can view multiple plans and prices, choose
what will meet their needs, then sign themselves up directly online
without an agent's assistance.
Of course filling out an online
application is subject to the Underwriting department's final approval
at that particular insurance company; nevertheless, since new insurance
coverage is based upon the accuracy and honesty of the one filling out
the online form, and payment of claims could be cancelled for
falsification of the facts, it is to everyone's advantage for that new
potential customer to be relaxed, able to take his/her time, and have
all the necessary paperwork on hand to complete the process. (example:
physician's name, address, date of last visit, prescription information,
etc.)
Since Self-Serve insurance forms can be completed online,
24/7 at the enrollee's convenience, it stands to reason that the
majority of online shoppers will do an outstanding job when filling in
the blanks. It's like having a take-home test where all the questions
and answers are easy because they're all about you. (your home, your
car, your family, your life)
With today's technology, if a person
accidentally skips a blank, the computer program alerts the enrollee to
that error before continuing onward. When finished, you know you're
finished, and simply have to wait for an email or letter of acceptance.
Examples of well-known insurance companies that use this technology include Progressive®, esurance®, and eHealthInsurance®.
The
Self-Serve platform allows consumers to simply go to one (1) online
location in order to compare plans side-by-side that could meet their
needs, from multiple insurance companies, before making a final
decision. This can save time, money, and frustration.
In Summary:
Consumers now have more choices and options when deciding how they will
make an insurance purchase. Today's technology allows easier policy
maintenance, as well as online acquisition. So is Self-Serve Insurance
the wave of the future? It appears to be a friendly beckoning wave of
today.
