December 4, 2024
6 minute read
In today’s fast-paced insurance world, timely roadside assistance can make or break customer relationships. NPS Prism consistently identifies "emergency assistance" as a key Moment of Truth for customers, with around 6% requesting help in the last year. This interaction not only impacts immediate satisfaction but also drives long-term loyalty and retention.
Why Emergency Assistance Matters
Roadside assistance is a crucial touchpoint—one positive experience can turn a neutral customer into a Promoter, while a negative one risks creating a Detractor. Detractors are more likely to switch providers or shop for alternative policies.
The effect is clear: Promoters (67% of respondents) with positive emergency assistance experiences have a relationship NPS (rNPS) of 72, while Detractors (12% of respondents) score -16. The same trend applies to auto product NPS (pNPS), with Promoters scoring 77 compared to -28 for Detractors.
The emergency assistance experience also significantly influences key brand attributes. Trust in the brand is notably affected, with 88% of Promoters viewing their insurer as trustworthy, compared to just 37% of Detractors. This pattern extends to customer support, where 88% of Promoters feel their queries are addressed effectively, while only 37% of Detractors agree. Additionally, 89% of Promoters believe their insurer provides the right products and services, in contrast to 43% of Detractors.Emergency Assistance and Customer Retention: The Likelihood to Switch
Emergency assistance doesn’t just impact satisfaction—it also drives retention. Detractors are 2.6 times more likely to switch insurers than Promoters, with 21% expressing an intention to switch versus only 8% of Promoters.
This is even more pronounced among long-term customers: Detractors with over five years of policy history are three times more likely to switch. Nearly half (46%) of Detractors (vs. 29% of Promoters) have shopped around for insurance in the past year, with dissatisfaction in customer service and claims cited as key reasons.
The experience with roadside assistance becomes a defining factor in customer loyalty and retention, making it a key moment for insurers to either reinforce or damage their relationship with customers.
Key Drivers of a Positive Emergency Assistance Experience
So, what exactly drives Promoters in this critical episode? Several factors stand out:
- Ease of Completion: Customers who found the process "extremely easy" reported a 74-point boost in NPS
- Timely Help: Receiving assistance within two hours resulted in a 55-point increase in NPS.
- Minimizing Interactions: Satisfaction drops when customers have more than two interactions to resolve their issue. eNPS is identical when customers have one or two interactions to complete the process (62), but see a steep drop off in experience with three or more interactions (15)
- Responsive Representatives: Customers who felt reps were highly responsive saw an 81-point NPS boost. Immediate connection (55-point boost) and follow-up (57-point boost) also had significant positive impacts.
For insurers, roadside assistance is more than just a service—it’s an opportunity to build lasting loyalty. By focusing on ease, responsiveness, and minimizing customer effort, providers can turn this critical Moment of Truth into a driver of advocacy. A single bad experience could push customers to look elsewhere, while a positive one can cement their loyalty for years to come.
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Insurance