Pekin Insurance Boosts Customer and Adjuster NPS with Hi Marley

Pekin Insurance strives to establish the standard of excellence among insurance providers by being innovative, financially strong, and exceeding customer expectations. As part of this vision, Pekin partnered with Hi Marley to enhance the overall claims experience and improve communication across lines of business, including property, auto and workers’ compensation.

“In today’s fast-paced world, seamless communication is not just an option; it’s a necessity,” said Charlie Norder, Vice President of Property & Casualty Claims at Pekin Insurance, “By partnering with Hi Marley and integrating their innovative conversational platform powered by SMS, we offer our customers a way to connect with us in real time, ensuring their needs are met promptly and efficiently.”

Enhanced Communication Options Increase Customer NPS

Pekin tracks Net Promoter Scores (NPS) through surveys to measure the quality of customer and adjuster experiences. NPS scores can range from -100 to +100; a score above 0 is considered good, while a score of 50+ is excellent.

Since introducing Hi Marley, Pekin found a 40-point NPS difference between claims leveraging Hi Marley versus those that do not. And, by driving more volume into Hi Marley, total loss NPS jumped from 29 to 64.

One customer who rated their claim experience 5/5 stars said, “[Pekin] promptly and patiently guided me through the process. Submitting information was easy, and payment was received without hassle.”

Another satisfied customer wrote, “Everyone was helpful and attentive during this very stressful event. My claim was processed in a timely and professional manner from start to finish!”

“Most of the positive survey feedback spoke to the ease of the claims process in general, and Hi Marley plays a very integral role within that,” said Lindsey Vander Wiel, Claims Director at Pekin Insurance. “Everybody wants to text; nobody wants to make phone calls. So, giving our insureds another avenue of communication helps us exceed their expectations.”

Texting Fosters Stronger Personal Customer Connections

Ongoing text conversations not only help Pekin insurance professionals improve responsiveness but also build stronger, more trusting relationships with customers.

“We live in a world where people prefer to text, and I get more responses and make fewer contact attempts if I send a Hi Marley message letting the customer know exactly why I’m reaching out,” said Ana White, AINS, Senior Auto Claim Specialist at Pekin Insurance. “Texting makes it easier to provide more frequent updates, send media or ask quick questions. It opens up a direct line of communication while eliminating phone tag. It makes customers happier and makes our jobs easier, too.”

A customer whose neighborhood was devastated by a tornado rated their claims experience 5/5 stars, saying, “Pekin Insurance adjusters came right away after I called them and helped me with my claims for both home and auto. They were amazing. They returned every text message promptly. I can’t thank them enough for all of their help.”

Using text messaging for consistent communication and ongoing updates is also beneficial for workers’ compensation claims.

“In workers’ comp claims, the injured worker feels safe by receiving constant communication and checking in to see how the injury is healing,” said Nikki Ellis, Workers’ Comp Claim Specialist at Pekin Insurance. “Injured workers say they feel better knowing someone is advocating on their behalf with the quick response to questions asked and answered via text.”

Template and Translation Features Streamline Claims and Improve Cycle Time

Pekin streamlined the claims process by leveraging several Hi Marley features. Hi Marley’s translation feature, for example, breaks down communication barriers. It allows Pekin insurance professionals to communicate with customers across 25 languages without requiring a third-party service.

“Hi Marley improved our cycle time,” said Donald Hughes, Director of Claims at Pekin Insurance. “With the ease of use and features like translation, we’ve sped up the claim process and can respond to policyholders in the timeframes they expect.”

Ana agreed, “The translation feature is a huge time saver and very helpful for better customer service when it comes to insureds that would need an interpreter.”

Last year, Pekin also began to explore how to implement templates. Management collaborated with adjusters to develop templates for frequently used communications and standard messages.

“I use the templates almost daily,” said Ana. “Specifically, I use the ones we created for rental and payment instructions. We issue payments and set up rentals every day, and the templates not only save time but make the instructions consistent.”

Streamlined communications also improve customer satisfaction. One auto claimant said, “The auto claims specialist I worked with was a dream! I know I am not her only customer, but she treated me as if I was the only one that mattered. That is the epitome of customer service. She deserves Five Gold Stars for her fantastic professionalism and approachability. I could not be happier!”

Ease of Use, Efficiency and Call Reduction Enhance Adjuster NPS

Pekin also tracks internal NPS to measure the happiness and engagement of its users on the Hi Marley platform.

To strengthen adoption and ensure adjusters feel confident using the tool and understand its offerings, Pekin scheduled a Hi Marley refresher training session. Following the training, Pekin’s internal adjuster NPS increased by 20 points since last year to 82. With increased platform adoption, more Pekin adjusters became product champions and worked to help their teammates understand Hi Marley’s benefits.

“With Hi Marley, my desk phone no longer rings off the hook all day long,” said Nikki. “By implementing Hi Marley into my workflow, I decreased phone calls by 50-60 percent while still providing exceptional customer service and significantly improving my mental well-being. Without a doubt, Hi Marley is the most effective technology play by implementing text communication for claim handling.”

“The impact of Hi Marley is undeniable. We see what our NPS scores are, so we understand the benefit,” said Lindsey. “We’re all on board whenever we can help our adjusters streamline their workload and be more efficient.”