Co-op Insurance, the insurance arm of the Co-op Group, is giving customers a car insurance estimate within 30 seconds via a Facebook Messenger chatbot.
Available 24/7, the chatbot trial asks four questions, with multiple choice answers, then provides an estimated quote based on average policy data from the Group’s existing car insurance customers.
Potential customers can then complete the full quote on the Co-op Insurance website.
The questions relate to their age, location, who will be driving the car and value of the vehicle to be insured. The chatbot then compares this information against the Co-op Insurance database of customers from the previous year and calculates an average of what people who fall within the same categories pay for their car insurance direct from Co-op Insurance, excluding any optional extras.
“In order to keep up with changing consumer behaviours we cannot afford to shy away from digital innovation, and creating the Co-op Insurance chatbot is one of the ways in which we’re hoping to do just that,” said Charles Offord, director of distribution and marketing for Co-op Insurance.
“Customers want quick and easy access to information without compromising on customer service and we’re confident that through our chatbot we can be there for our customers at a time that best suits them and their busy lifestyles.”
The move will also free “free up more time” for contact centres to speak to customers who prefer a more traditional means of communication, he added.
“We’re thrilled to be trialling the Co-op Insurance chatbot, a first for the motor insurance industry and will continue to look at new ways in which we can innovate within the sector.”
