While 2016 reached a 10-year high in terms of catastrophic events, for insurers it was an opportunity to show what they do best, and policyholders agreed, as overall customer satisfaction among those who filed a claim rose 1.5 percent. This was especially good news since the 2016 survey showed the first drop in five years.

The J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Survey asked 6,645 policyholders who filed a claim in 2016 about their experience. Satisfaction with the process was measured using five different areas: settlement, first notice of loss, estimation process, service interaction and repair process based on a 1,000-point scale.

'All-time-high'

The overall satisfaction score rose 13 points to 859 from 2016 to 2017, which J.D. Power says was an “all-time high” for the study. Driving the increase was the settlement factor, which comprises the settlement amount, estimation process and service interaction. These satisfaction levels were comparable to those found with auto claims, which has traditionally scored higher than property claims.

“Following the significant declines in customer satisfaction found in the 2016 study, property and casualty insurers have redoubled their efforts to improve the settlement process and fine-tune their customer interactions, efforts that have been clearly recognized and appreciated by homeowners who experienced significant losses this past year,” said Greg Hoeg, vice president of U.S. insurance operations at J.D. Power in a press release.