At Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide, customer satisfaction is no small thing, but intently focusing on it is what enables the insurance and financial services provider to ensure the biggest things of all, says Chief Customer Officer, Amy Shore.

“To protect people, businesses and futures with extraordinary care, we have to focus on every detail of the customer experience so that we can be there when they need us most,” said Shore. “As an enterprise, it’s not enough to have a customer-caring culture, we have to be customer centric.”

Getting the details of customer service right is a focus for Nationwide. From expanded online and digital self-service offerings, to texting capabilities and educational resources and tools, Shore said Nationwide has been creating more value for members in the details of customer interactions than ever before.

“The past year has only accelerated consumers’ expectations of being able to do business with us, and every other company, quickly and easily,” Shore said. “We’re responding with new and enhanced capabilities that enable us to provide the experiences that customer value most. Our research shows that making interactions effortless, personal and reassuring is what counts.”

Over the course of 2021, Shore noted that Nationwide launched convenient, easy to use conversational texting capabilities for personal insurance members that enable them to connect with their claims representatives. Instead of having to call, customers can quickly text to follow up on an auto or property claim, or share documents, photos and estimates.

Nationwide has also expanded its use of virtual claim handling tools. Pre-COVID, approximately 50 percent of homeowner claims were handled virtually. In 2020, the company expanded its use of remote capabilities to increase that to 93 percent. Shore said the use of virtual claim handling tools continue in 2021 because they not only speed up the claims process for customers, but they also allow Nationwide to handle multiple loss events, like hurricanes or wildfires, with claims professionals from across the country. In turn, this improves availability and response times.

“Our expanded use of remote inspection tools allows us to put our customers at the center of the claim experience by contacting them quickly, keeping them informed and partnering with them to settle their claim in a fast and reassuring way,” Shore said, pointing to faster year-over-year response times.

In the property and casualty insurance division, new customer flexibility options have been implemented. For commercial lines insurance customers, Nationwide has begun deploying virtual risk assessment and consultative services. These virtual services allow customers to connect with Nationwide through their smart devices to provide risk assessment tours of their operations when it is most convenient for them.

Nationwide has also introduced a new “Work From Home Insurance” product that is a package of auto, home/renters, and identity theft coverage options for consumers working and living in today’s new world. The insurance industry’s first-ever protection bundle designed for those working from home will be available in more than 30 states across the country this summer with plans to include additional states and coverages in the future. The offering is available online only and allows consumers to get a quote for the bundled insurance package in just a few easy steps.

In Nationwide’s financial services operations, two new industry recognitions and the introduction of new products are examples of how Shore said the company has stepped up to both meet and exceed expectations.

For the second year running, DALBAR, a leading independent rating firm for customer experience in the financial community, awarded Nationwide retirement solutions with its Customer Experience Excellence Award, which is conferred on companies that provide superior care and high-quality customer interactions that exceed industry standards. This was followed with an award in June from Money Magazine that recognizes Nationwide as the life insurer with the highest customer satisfaction rating in its annual ranking of the 15 Best Life Insurance Companies.

Meanwhile, Nationwide continues to pursue new financial products that offer customers choice and security, Shore said. In May, the company announced the addition of three new indices to its Nationwide Defined Protection^® Annuity, followed by news in June that it had expanded its relationship with AllianceBernstein to offer an in-plan income guarantee to its large retirement plan clients. Combined, Shore said these new solutions provide Nationwide retirement clients with more options and security to plan for their futures.

To learn more about Nationwide insurance products and financial services, visit www.nationwide.com.

Related News:

• Money.com honors Nationwide’s life insurance for highest customer satisfaction (July 7, 2021)
• Nationwide expands relationship with AllianceBernstein to offer in-plan income guarantee to its large retirement plan clients (June 21, 2021)
• DALBAR recognizes Nationwide for Superior Term Life Website Experience (May 11, 2021)
• Nationwide Defined Protection® Annuity now adds three new indices (May 10, 2021)
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions again recognized for outstanding customer experience (March 25, 2021)

“Despite going through a year like no other, our ever-evolving response to meet customers’ needs has never been greater, and it’s creating permanent and meaningful changes in how we’re doing business,” said Nationwide Chief Customer Officer Amy Shore. “The interactions our customers have with us should be effortless, personal and reassuring. We also want our members and partners to feel at ease when they interact with us, and that their time is respected.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic drove a shift to online interactions between consumers and businesses, Shore said Nationwide focused in 2020 on accelerating effortless experiences for its customers, creating more personalization and providing services that reassure customers that they are protected.

Effortless Interactions
“Our approach has to start with an even better understanding of customer needs,” Shore said.

A notable example related to their desire to save time, Shore said, can be found in the process of purchasing multiple types of insurance policies, such as auto, home and life through Nationwide Express, a digital tool for agents and online members. In the past, this process would take 30-40 minutes to quote and bind. In 2020, the company streamlined the process by eliminating overly detailed or unnecessary questions, resulting in a quote/bind process cut down to 10 minutes. Combined with other recent enhancements to the tool, these changes are proving to be a boon for both members and Nationwide’s independent agent network.

Personalized Solutions
“We are listening to customers and they are telling us they want us to be easy to do business with and they want to be able to take care of some types of transactions themselves rather than having to call,” Shore said. “They want to work with us in their preferred way, which often means more digital.”

Responding to customer desires for more self-service, Nationwide implemented in 2020 the CARES Act Virtual Assistant. The CARES Act is a federal economic stimulus law that enables people to take loans or distributions from their retirement accounts without penalty in order to cover unanticipated pandemic costs. The CARES Act Virtual Assistant helps members accessing Nationwide retirement solutions quickly find answers around the CARES Act. It also enables participants using the Nationwide My Retirement mobile app to view and self-manage loans or distributions they take from their retirement accounts.

Reassuring Protection
Protection was on the minds of everyone in 2020 and continues into 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shore said.

Nationwide’s ongoing focus on member protection led to improved processes for beneficiaries of Nationwide Financial products so that death benefits are now paid out faster. Additionally, Shore said the company continued its vigilant stance on fraud prevention in 2020, which was especially important as the nexus of need and increased government pandemic and unemployment payments fueled an increase in fraud attempts from bad actors.

In an effort to provide its commercial members with as much protection as possible, Nationwide published resource articles on ways for businesses to prepare for and mitigate coronavirus-related issues. Topics range from the importance of documentation and journaling business operation changes during the pandemic to setting up restaurant delivery operations and even safely bringing employees back to facilities.

For Nationwide agricultural members, the company developed educational insurance resources that address COVID-19 and financial risk management. Topics focused on contingency planning, liability concerns, succession issues and accounts of how farmers have found strategies to navigate through the pandemic.

“Nationwide is dedicated to protecting people, businesses and futures with extraordinary care,” Shore said. “That starts with anticipating their needs, helping them think through how they can be prepared and being there if or when something happens.”

NORA is Nationwide’s Online Response Assistant, and her helpful and optimistic personality evolved from our original AI-driven chatbot launched in Aug. 2020. Through collaboration, the Digital Assistance team created NORA to enable customers to get answers 24 hours a day without having to call us – a service that many customers prefer as the world becomes more digital. Examples of what NORA can do include securely resetting a password, checking on a claim status, or obtaining links to product information.

“We wanted our customers’ online interactions to feel as close to the real thing as possible, rather than having an experience that might seem disconnected or robotic,” says Chetan Kandhari, chief digital and innovation officer. “NORA has been designed to be an automated extension of the daily conversations Nationwiders have with our customers, conveying our reliable, supportive approach.”

Helping to bring her to “life,” NORA has a backstory. She and her husband, who is a residential contractor, have two kids. NORA is an insurance broker and her family owns a small business. All of this, and more, sets the stage for how she engages with customers. In addition to the identity that shapes NORA’s conversations, other differentiators include:

• her ability to interpret what the customer is trying to say and direct him/her to the correct answer or transaction
• the complexity of what NORA can and will do
• the ability to engage an insurance service professional in a Live Chat for password reset issues

“This is a great example of how making it effortless for our customers to interact with Nationwide can help create extraordinary experiences for members,” says Amy Shore, executive vice president and chief customer officer.

Stay tuned as NORA is learning new capabilities regularly.

The year 2020, marked by extreme weather and a global pandemic, has been one of the profession’s biggest tests. At Nationwide, it’s one the company has been working hard to learn and grow from, says Nationwide Chief Customer Officer Amy Shore, by viewing every decision through the lens of how it can maintain and improve the experience that Nationwide customers have.

“Coming into 2020, Nationwide’s goal was to be intently focused on our mission that we exist to serve our customers and that we protect people, businesses, and futures with extraordinary care. And then came COVID,” Shore said. “We had to quickly pivot to ensure that all of our associates had what they needed to serve our customers and work from home, while never losing sight of continuity and quality of service.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, Nationwide initiated multiple large shifts simultaneously to protect its employees and customers, Shore said. To preserve health and well-being, the company moved nearly 98 percent of its workforce to a work-from-home model in a matter of days. At the same time, Nationwide simultaneously accelerated the digitization of its underlying processes to continue customer experiences in a touchless environment.

For example, Shore said that Nationwide made it easier for customers to pay their bills or receive payments online. For its independent agent network, the firm introduced a new Nationwide Express® mobile app, which allows agents to complete an auto quote in as little as 60 seconds, greatly simplifying the member experience.

The company also allowed customers who needed help to pause their insurance premium payments, as well as providing relief for customers on their monthly auto premium payments.

Shore noted that Nationwide’s financial services division introduced new products and services designed to help its customers during this difficult year. Teaming up with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), Nationwide created a My Medicare Matters® tool to help members make informed and confident decisions about their healthcare coverage. It also launched the My Retirement mobile app for public sector plans, which helps members manage their accounts and has become one of the highest rated apps in the industry (Apple rating: 4.8/5, Android rating: 4.7/5).

Nationwide’s insurance division was equally busy launching new services in 2020, Shore said. In response to customers’ increased online presence, Nationwide introduced within the identity theft protection program for personal lines a cyber protection service to help guard its customers from cybersecurity threats and attacks. The company also expanded its SmartRide and SmartMiles rewards programs, which provide discounts to auto policy holders for safe driving behavior and driving fewer miles. For agribusiness customers, Nationwide implemented processes like virtual risk management services, web-based meeting platforms and remote underwriting using live video streams. The company also expanded its online business solutions series, a program designed to strengthen Hispanic small business owners’ operations by focusing on sales through social media, planning, and growth strategies. Additionally, Nationwide promoted the use of its veterinarian helpline offering for its pet insurance customers. The service connects pet customers to digital care for free, 24/7, and has experienced a 58 percent increase in use during the pandemic.

Combined, Shore noted the efforts are being noticed by customers. Nationwide tied for first place in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Life Insurance Study, a ranking of life insurance customer satisfaction, demonstrating strength in practically every category. Meanwhile, other internal Nationwide survey metrics have shown increasing customer satisfaction and trust levels.

“Delivering a great customer experience starts with our employees and the experience we provide them,” Shore said. “As we focus on providing our employees with the tools, processes and skills they need to excel in their roles, we know they will in turn deliver a great customer experience, no matter the challenges and opportunities the year throws our way.”

Nationwide has taken deliberate steps to respond to our members and partners during the

COVID-19 pandemic, while also preparing for the future. Consistent with our On Your Side® promise, we have actively responded by taking the following measures:

Property & Casualty

• Personal Auto – For customers seeking additional ways to manage their budget, Nationwide has expanded its availability of usage-based insurance products. Smart Miles^® and SmartRide^® are designed for each customer’s individual situation. Most usage-based insurance customers who are safe or low-mileage drivers are seeing lower rates right now, and these programs and the customized or lower rates they can provide are likely to become the insurance choice for many drivers in the years ahead. 

• Home and Auto – For those customers who deferred payments, Nationwide is now providing six-month payment plans for the deferred premium. For questions on those payments, home and auto customers can contact us at 877-669-6877, and business customers can reach us at 888-508-8622 for additional information.
• Business – We’ve recognized business customers may have incurred rapidly changing or new exposures in an attempt to remain viable. Nationwide has made coverage available for most existing restaurant and retailer exposures who now engage in delivery service due to COVID-19 restrictions. And, given the challenges created by COVID-19, you may request mid-term adjustments related to reducing exposures for your customers.
• Claims – Claims reporting continues to be available around the clock. We’ve continued to process claims in a way that keeps both our customers and associates safe. As with any situation, Nationwide will continue to review every claim submitted by customers on an individual basis. To check the status of a claim, you can visit our Track Your Claim page. For specific questions, please contact your claims representative at 877-669-6877.
• Pet – For our customers who have pet health questions but are unable to visit the veterinarian, our 24/7 vethelpline^® is always available at no charge: 855-331-2833. 

For the fastest service 24/7, we encourage customers to sign up for online account access. To take advantage of all online account management tools, including electronic payment options, visit www.nationwide.com. If you have concerns not addressed above, please use our Contact Us page that provides phone numbers by product for assistance.

Financial Services

We also recognize the spread of COVID-19 across the globe has created volatility in financial markets with impacts that will extend beyond 2020. For many of us, the thought of not reacting to market fluctuations is more challenging than ever. In times like these, Nationwide and our partners are here to talk with you about your options. Our goal is to minimize disruption and deliver the protection and service our customers and partners expect.

• Nationwide and our partners are available to talk with members, educating them about their accounts and helping to address their concerns.

• Retirement Plans - Customers may be able to receive temporary loan relief and penalty-free distributions due to recent legislation. Customers can visit the Nationwide Resource Center to access information, videos, tools, webinars and more to address questions regarding their retirement accounts and the options available.
  • Retirement Plans Resource Center for Private Businesses
  • Retirement Plans Resource Center for Government Entities

Community

Nationwide has almost 100 years of experience in being there for our members and partners. We continue to do so in this time of great need. In support of our communities and our mission to protect people, businesses and futures with extraordinary care, the Nationwide Foundation is providing $5 million in national and community response grants to assist non-profits as they manage through the current environment.

We’re all experiencing uncertainty in our lives that we could never have imagined, and it’s becoming clear that it will continue to be challenging to predict what’s ahead for the next several weeks or months.

So, today, if there is one thing that is certain, it’s that you are not alone. Nationwide and our partners are here for you. Please reach out to your financial professional, agent or Nationwide should you need assistance.

Take care of yourself, your family and friends. As always, thank you for your trust in Nationwide.

Sincerely,

Amy Shore
EVP, Chief Customer Officer