Carriers in Japan Must Buck Their Reputation

Research finds that Japanese consumers have a poor view of the insurance industry, but carriers can show that it's unwarranted in their response to the earthquake.

I reported on a customer experience survey from IBM this morning; and in light of recent events, one particular stat stood out to me: Of the 20 countries in which consumers were surveyed, the one with the lowest trust in the insurance industry was Japan.

Trust in the Insurance Industry by Country 2010

With that country facing its worst catastrophe since World War II, I'm hopeful that carriers will be able to improve on their reputation in the country by treating claims with appropriate respect and empathy. Emotions can run high in the days and weeks after such a disaster (I've blogged before about the negative perception of BP's claims process), but when you're starting from such a low point, it should be easy to go up.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio