Users opting for insurance policies online beware. Only five out of the 33 websites offering insurance products online give a right policy suiting the financial and other requirements of subscribers.
Poorly designed
A report prepared by city-based Kern Communications Pvt. Ltd., based on user experience, brought out that a majority of the online insurance sites are poorly designed and do not offer enough information about policies, contrary to IRDA guidelines that they should be easily understood.
The User Experience Index, prepared on a scale of 100 , revealed that the best site could manage to get 53 points. “There are huge variations in calculation of human life value of the policy. An individual can opt for insuring his or her life from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 2 crore without a clue on the premium to be paid,” Kern Communications founder Ripul Kumar said. The company will release its report covering this aspect on Thursday.
No proper guidance
Speaking to The Hindu , he said the insurance sector was on a growth trajectory.
It was, however, suffering for want of proper guidance to subscribers to choose the best product available.
“Online insurance is cheaper, but absence of standardised procedures is hitting the segment,” he said.
Kern Communications has focussed on analysing the aspects and making recommendations for companies to improve their systems.
The study was based on feedback from users, insurance experts and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority representatives, but was different from traditional market research trends which do not take user experience into account.
Research revealed that online websites do not give any recommendation whatsoever about the policies they offer and the benefit users will secure by opting for a particular policy.
