For the first time ever in the French insurance industry, young customers can now chat to their AXA agent via Messenger, Facebook’s instant messaging service. This new, 100% digital customer service is part of the insurance group’s Switch programme, launched in 2013, designed to provide simple, accessible services to its young clients. AXA talked about its digital initiative in an interview with L’argus de l’assurance, an online trade magazine for the insurance industry.
Following in the footsteps of Dutch airline KLM, French insurance group AXA is now using Facebook Messenger to reinvent the way it communicates with clients. This option will initially be available for clients who have signed up to the Switch offer, reserved for under 30s. The main advantage of the messaging service is that it’s easy to use – particularly for digitally-savvy 20-somethings.
As Thomas Rudelle, Head of Social Networks for AXA, explains on Le Journal du Net:
“Our philosophy is to keep up with our clients. It’s seemed logical to be one of the first companies to invest in a new environment like Facebook Messenger to talk to prospects and clients looking for information on AXA France’s products and services.”
COMMUNICATING WITH INCREASINGLY MOBILE, connectED CLIENTS
“With over 27 million active users a month, including 12 million a day on mobile devices, Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging services in France with under 30s,” says AXA. And recently, Facebook launched a new API that will allow brands to connect with clients and prospects and automate the conversations.
What happens is this: the first time a Switch contact logs on, they are automatically added to the user’s address book. The client can then ask questions about their car or home insurance contract, or request information on a product or service. An added advantage: for tracking a claim, Messenger has a feature that saves previous conversations.
The aim of this new service is to address AXA’s clients’ need for autonomy and independence. Because today’s increasingly mobile, connected users expect to be able to communicate with brands in a way that reflects their everyday habits and uses and connect with them anytime, anytime and on any device.
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ReinventING CUSTOMER SUPPORT: FROM mobile first TO api first
With KLM and now AXA, will Facebook Messenger become the channel of choice for one-to-one customer communication? Whilst most companies are opting for a mobile first approach as part of their digital transformation, others, like AXA, are staying one step ahead by using applications which are already part of the everyday routine of millions of users. This winning strategy marks a new milestone in the partnership AXA and Facebook signed two years ago. The group is now looking into the possibility of extending the web chat service to all its clients in the future.
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