Car Insurance Providers Q3 2024 Call Centre Rankings

Executive Summary

The Q3 2024 public report provides a glimpse into the customer experience (CX) performance in the car insurance sector, based on key metrics: Overall CX Scores, Agent Mastery Scores, Accessibility Rankings, Average Wait Times, and Calls Answered.

Business-specific results and overall sector trends are highlighted below.

ACXPA Subscribers (free) and Members (paid) have access to additional insights and we also offer a paid benchmarking service for car insurance providers that provides them with access to over 80 metrics for their contact centre and any five nominated competitors.

1. Overall CX Scores

Sector Trends

• The sector-wide Overall CX Score for Q3 2024 was 44.3%, a marginal improvement from 42.0% in Q2 and still well behind other industry sectors (ranked 6th out of the 7 industry sectors we measure).

• Improvements in accessibility, driven by shorter wait times, helped offset declines in Agent Mastery which has declined for three consecutive quarters.

• Disparities in performance across the industry remain significant, with leaders like YOUI achieving 60.9%, while underperformers such as RACV Insurance scored 30.2%.

Business Highlights

• YOUI has consistently led the sector every quarter since we commenced in 2023, with strong accessibility and agent mastery driving their 60.9% Overall CX Score.

• Budget Direct showed the most improvement from Q2 to Q3, rising to 36.7% from 46.4%, reflecting efforts to enhance accessibility and responsiveness.

• RAC Insurance experienced a sharp decline, falling to 34.7% from 48.0% in Q2, driven by reduced agent performance (measured via our Agent Mastery rankings).

2. Agent Mastery Scores

Sector Trends

• The sector’s Agent Mastery Score remained static, increasing marginally from 44.4% in Q2 2024 to 44.7% in Q3, ranking the car insurance providers last of all industry sectors.

• Declines in key behaviours within the ENGAGE and ENERGY competencies, such as Intent and Control, contributed again to the consistently low results.

• Variability in agent performance highlights the need for focused training and consistency across employees, even with the leader YOUI, with individual calls ranging from 47.1% to 85.0%.

Business Highlights

• YOUI maintained the highest score at 54.6%, showcasing consistent performance across all competencies, particularly EDUCATE and CLOSE.

• Allianz rebounded slightly from  36.4% to 38.3% in Q3, however this was the lowest Agent Mastery score for any car provider in Q3 2024.

• RAC saw a decline to 40.6%, down from 48.0% in Q2, their lowest result to date and the third consecutive quarterly decline reflecting challenges in training and coaching of employees in industry best-practice skills.

3. Accessibility Rankings

Sector Trends

• The sector’s Accessibility Ranking improved to 54.3% in Q3 2024, up from 49.2% in Q2, driven by shorter wait times and improved menu navigation.

• Businesses with efficient queue management and call routing performed better, highlighting the critical role of operational efficiency.

Business Highlights

• Allianz led the sector with a standout Accessibility Ranking of 83.1%, reflecting seamless customer access and strong call management.

• RACV has ranked last for accessibility in every quarter since we commenced in August 2023, and in Q3 2024 their result of 4.4% was the lowest of all contact centres nationally that we assess. Whilst their wait times have improved to their quarterly result of 03:38 minutes, poor menu design and experience have consistently been an issue.

• NRMA struggled, with accessibility falling to 33.3% from 50.7% in Q2, primarily due to prolonged wait times (+03:40 seconds from Q2).

4. Average Wait Times

Sector Trends

• The sector-wide Average Wait Time dropped significantly to 100 seconds in Q3 2024 from 158 seconds in Q2, reflecting meaningful progress in queue management, although still more than the 2023 average of 00:55 minutes.

• Businesses with optimised menu systems and efficient call routing achieved shorter wait times, enhancing overall accessibility.

Business Highlights

• Allianz continued to excel and lead the sector for the 2nd consecutive quarter with the shortest average wait time of 10 seconds, demonstrating operational excellence.

• AAMI made significant gains, reducing wait times to 50 seconds from 185 seconds in Q2, contributing to their improved accessibility ranking.

• NRMA saw wait times increase to 4:46 minutes (286 seconds), an increase of 109 seconds from Q2, reflecting operational inefficiencies that also impacted their overall CX score.

5. Calls Answered

Sector Trends

• The sector-wide Calls Answered rate remained relatively consistent at 90.5% in Q3 2024, an increase of 3.2% from Q2, highlighting reasonable responsiveness across the sector.

• High rates of calls answered correlate with stronger accessibility rankings, reinforcing the importance of customer responsiveness, particulary in a competitive environment.

Business Highlights

• AAMI, Allianz, Budget Direct and RACV Insurance achieved perfect 100.0% Calls Answered rates, setting benchmarks for responsiveness.

• AAMI made significant improvements, increasing their rate to 100.0%, up from 77.8% in Q2, aligning with broader accessibility gains.

• NRMA struggled, with their Calls Answered rate dropping to 66.7%, reflecting challenges in managing demand and maintaining service levels result in lost sales opportunities and revenue, as well as potential damage to their brand with new customers unable to get their call answered within 10 minutes.

Conclusion

Q3 2024 was a mixed quarter for the car insurance sector. While accessibility and wait times improved, persistent low results for Agent Mastery highlight the need for consistent training and development.

Standout performers like YOUI and Allianz demonstrate what is possible in the sector with a focus on accessibility and responsiveness, setting the benchmarks for the car insurance sector, but still well short of industry best-practice.

Addressing gaps in agent mastery and queue management will be critical for driving sustained improvements that given the nature of the calls (new business opportunities), will deliver better experiences for customers and improved revenue and market share for the car insurance companies.

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HIGHEST/LOWEST RANKINGS FOR Q3 2024 (Car Insurance Providers)

The High/Low Rankings below provide a snapshot of the range of performance across the car insurance providers for eight selected metrics—just a small preview of the 80+ metrics available in the Car Insurance CX Benchmarking reports.

Additional Averages Included:

To provide a broader context, we’ve also included:

• The Car Insurance Providers Sector Average, offering an overview of the sector’s overall performance.

• The Australian Call Centre Industry Average, enabling you to compare how the car insurance providers stack up against other Australian contact centre industry sectors.

Report Downloads & Lifetime Averages

Benchmarking Data for Other Industry Sectors

In addition to the Car Insurance Sector information we publish, you can also view Australian Call Centre Industry Benchmarking data for additional industry sectors – click the links below to learn more and view data.