National Leave a Review Day: Why customer feedback fuels better experiences

In today’s experience-driven marketplace, customer reviews are a cornerstone of business success. They offer authentic perspectives that potential buyers won’t find in branded material. As more and more customers seek out reviews before purchasing a product or service, the power of these testimonials can’t be underestimated.

National Leave a Review Day on October 22 highlights the growing influence of customer reviews on the broader economy. This day encourages consumers of all kinds to share their experiences, giving businesses the insights they need to thrive in a competitive marketplace.

Here at Assurant, we’re committed to focusing on what creates the most value and serving clients and customers with passion and purpose. By actively listening to and engaging with feedback, we make sure that we’re building and perfecting the services that clients and their customers find valuable. Reviews, whether positive or critical, shape our purpose and inspire us to grow.

Why reviews matter

These days, reviews are more than just ratings; they serve as a guide for improvement, a means to build credibility, and a way to make customers feel heard. Even critical reviews offer opportunities for learning and growth. Reviews provide businesses with a direct way to gather feedback from their customers, highlighting what’s working well and where improvements are needed. Behind every review is a genuine customer experience. Not only does this give you a chance to address their concerns, but it also shows that you’re listening to your customers, which builds trust.

In 2024, Assurant achieved an average customer satisfaction rating of 4.31, serving over 300 million consumers. We strive to deliver superior customer support by employing a systematic, data-driven strategy to pinpoint and reduce friction points for both employees and customers. Our customer service teams are essential to these efforts, prioritizing empathy for customers and solving complex problems more efficiently as we transition manual and repetitive tasks to AI automation.

Our AI capabilities, which include automated sentiment analysis, complaint identification, and quality scoring, equip our people with the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction. When we introduce more sensible workflows, employees feel more empowered to advocate for the customer and are less bogged down by repetitive, multistep tasks.

Real impact: feedback in action

When you’re an expert at what you do, it isn’t easy to imagine how a customer might engage with your product or service. That’s why we at Assurant value each piece of feedback we receive — some of which have even prompted tangible improvements in our workflows and messaging.

Connected Living

In our Connected Living line of business, we discovered ways to reduce the effort required to activate a replacement mobile device by leveraging AI analysis of customer feedback. Our new approach enables us to work more effectively with our clients to identify the root causes of problems, take swift and appropriate action, and enhance the overall customer experience.

Global Automotive

Expanding our self-service options enables customers to complete requests at their convenience through their preferred digital channel. In the Global Automotive sector, we streamlined our Vehicle Care Plan portal by implementing self-service reimbursements, which reduced customer effort and minimized turnaround time for reimbursement processing.

Global Housing

Another enhancement to convenience came in the form of assuranthomeinsurance.com, an omnichannel sales experience where customers can easily start and complete a quote directly or alongside an agent.

Social Listening

Customer sentiment isn’t only expressed on review platforms. That’s why our social listening and care team evaluates customer sentiment on other digital channels and ensures that those contacting Assurant on social media are guided to the resources they need. Collecting feedback outside of review platforms provides a broader perspective on how we can enhance experiences for our clients and their customers.

Looking ahead: continuous improvement

It’s crucial to remember that reviews aren’t one-and-done. Following up with customers who have left reviews, letting them know their feedback was considered, and continually seeking new ways to improve can extend the positive impact of a review far beyond its initial reach. It also serves as proof that you’re listening as closely to the criticism as you are to the praise, which encourages customers to keep you in the loop.

Assurant continues to invest in technology, analytics, and customer experience teams to better understand, evaluate, and respond to feedback. Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and our commitment remains the same: to stay on the cutting edge so that our clients and customers receive the best service. We aim to responsibly expand generative AI implementation where applicable, scale our business capabilities, and champion next-generation products and services. To ensure the seamless integration of new tech, we’ll continue to increase digital enablement and implement initiatives that reduce customer friction.

Customer reviews are invaluable to our continued growth and success. They provide clear signals about what’s working, where we can improve, and how we can deliver more meaningful value to our clients and their customers. We’re grateful for every review shared and remain committed to actively listening, analyzing insights, and translating feedback into tangible enhancements throughout our enterprise. This continuous feedback loop is central to our culture, and we’ll continue to invest in our people, in processes, and in improvements that elevate the customer experience at each touch point.