In addition, creative companies are finding other ways to reduce some of the uncertainties and inconveniences surrounding the claims process. Although Internet shopping is in its infancy, online shoppers expect a high level of speed and service. If a site is difficult to use or if the shopping process takes too long, they move on. Right now, it can take 20 minutes to complete an application for a price quote or to buy a policy. Even as Internet shopping becomes routine, people will not sit at their computers all day to buy products.
Human beings are social animals.
They enjoy personal interactions. They will pick and choose what they purchase over the Web the way they selectively buy from catalogs. A public-opinion survey conducted by the Insurance Information Institute in May 1999 showed that most Americans prefer to purchase insurance from an agent rather than over the phone or online, because they value the personal contact. And insurance is not a simple subject. It has its own language.