Talk the Talk: Engaging Users to Maximize Their Telematics Experience

Telematics programs are all about improving driving behavior, and recent research shows that users who are more frequently engaged in their programs are more likely to undergo habitual, long term driving improvements.

Smartphone telematics begins with the device in everyone’s pockets: insurers can meet end users where they already are. Regular engagement can help maximize discounts, improve customer relationships with insightful and valuable interactions, and solve any technical problems preventing users from realizing their full benefits. What’s more, telematics programs create safer drivers, something that’s good for the insurer and good for the insured.

Providing reliable feedback to drivers is one of the most important capabilities that smartphone telematics has to offer. The biggest challenge is ensuring drivers engage with the feedback provided – and stay on the platform long enough to make beneficial change. Carriers should incorporate engagement techniques like consistent positive messaging, rewards, or gamification, which makes otherwise mundane interactions more exciting for users, especially on the mobile app front.

Combining extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, gamification is the application of game-like elements to non-game products or services to increased engagement. Extrinsic features like point scoring, badges, and rewards, attract people to the product, while intrinsic features like contests, social sharing, and feedback encourage continuous interaction.

Different rewards can serve different purposes and speak to different human needs. It’s important to organize, time, and vary the motivations to build a sense of compulsion for the user to engage with the program.

Additionally, there are many ways in which personalization can aid in adoption, implementation, and habitual behavior change. A 2018 survey by Salesforce Research indicates that 79% of consumers find the experience a company provides to be as important as its products and services. Experts in the telematics industry recommend the following three strategies for successful outreach to end users:

  1. Tailor messaging in response to past behavior – 59% of customers say that tailored engagement based on past interactions is important, and place high importance on personalized communication.
  2. Reach out to users through multiple channels – Consider multiple channels and bundling communications to reach end users in a variety of ways, including in-app, push messaging, SMS/text, email, and more.
  3. Send actionable messages that focus on the users – Research shows that approximately one in four users who receive outreach react within 24 hours.

Ensure your end users are set up for success, and help them maximize their programs’ benefits by optimizing communication strategies.

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