NU Online News Service, June 24, 1:15 p.m. EDT
Traditional insurers' websites are beginning to get the better of the online direct-to-consumer auto insurers, as The Hartford outshined 16 other competitors in an analysis by a technology consulting firm.
New York-based Change Sciences said in its analysis of 17 insurers' auto insurance websites, The Hartford beat out the other insurers in usability and information available for consumers.
"The Hartford scored best in our research because the site requires low user effort while being highly informative and persuasive," said Pam Pavliscak, partner, Change Sciences Group in a statement released by The Hartford.
"It does this by practicing what we call hyper usability, working to ease the burden of data entry and navigation wherever possible, while providing prospects with the right information at the right time," she added.
According to a summary of the report, the three top sites were The Hartford, Liberty Mutual and Progressive.
The report, available in full for $4,999, said this is the first time in the five years of evaluation that a traditional carrier has topped the list, indicating they "are clearly beginning to catch up and even in some cases, surpass major direct-to-consumer players like Progressive and GEICO."
Change Science said that last year almost all carriers added interactive tools that aimed to help consumers with coverage options and make recommendations. Few have figured out how to make those tools quick and easy, leading to a quote.
The report adds that "only a few sites excel at keeping consumers motivated throughout the entire quote process."
The report notes that 76 percent of sites fail to answer at least one question consumers have and that all sites lack some content that consumers consider persuasive.
Additionally, 59 percent of sites are challenging to navigate, and 47 percent ask consumers to do things they consider annoying, according to the report.
Of the 17 major insures in the report, GEICO's site was ranked sixth in overall site performance. State Farm was seventh, and placed 11th.
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