Devoted to online marketing, viral marketing, and web marketing

A good example of where the mass customization trend is going can be shown by the recent results that PMA received from a survey conducted by J.P. Murphy and Co., a Malvern, Pa.-based marketing and opinion research firm.

The survey was based upon the quality of customer service that the insurer offered in areas including claims processing, risk assessment, risk management and cost control.

"PMA, which provides mid- and large-sized employers with workers' compensation, commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and general liability insurance, scored an "excellent/good" rating of 90% or above in 14 service categories.

"These include ease of doing business with PMA, ease of reporting claims to the firm, quality of local service, treatment of claimants, overall claims management, understanding your business, and timeliness of claims processing and payment. Further, 95% of the insurer's clients said it had exceeded, fully met or generally met their service expectations, according to PMA, which, along with J.P. Murphy & Company, revealed selected results from the survey."

Here are a couple of reasons that PMA received such high results:

Control of costs and a loss reporting system in place.

Online lost reporting system. This allows the customers to complete an electronic form on the PMA Web site, which is than immediately transmitted to the customer service center. There is then an immediate issuing of a confirmation that includes the new claims number.

They tested it out on a limited number of customers in 2001, then when satisfied with its performance, rolled it out to all their clients in 2004. In the first year 25% of PMA's claims came in through this new online service, now it is the primary choice that their customers us which is up to 51% now.
 
The result has been terrific for those using the service as it keeps the cost of claims way down. The figures are extraordinary as the average claim, if it is processed within the first 3 days costs $5,000 and the same claim is $14,000 if taken care of after 20 days. In the case of PMA's customers, they are able to be handled within four hours.
 
One of the extraordinary things about this is that it not only offers superior service and customization for their customers, but does it with very little use of resources.
 
Craig Weber, a senior analyst in the insurance practice at Celent LLC, a Boston-based research and consulting firm says "There is inevitably tension between cost and service, and the trick is to give clients the sense that you value the relationship without spending a fortune on staff and other tools, That's what is great about self-service tools."
 
By making these options available, customers are now offered convenience without the less-valuable manual work. Now with the availability of self-service, customers can personally enter their data, look up values, and check on how the claim is coming along including a lot more. The ultimate customization, or is it?

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