Small Businesses Want More Self-Service Workers’ Comp Tools: Survey

Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of America’s small business owners believe workers’ compensation carriers could improve their customer service if they offered more online or self-service tools. Better communication and faster claims resolution also topped the list of small businesses’ desired improvements business, according to the survey by small business insurer EMPLOYERS.

The survey of 500 small businesses found that 67 percent of small business owners are “extremely likely or somewhat likely” to use a self-service online portal from their workers’ compensation carrier to review policy information, make policy changes or make payments.

Small business owners also expressed an interest in using a mobile app for managing their policies. The most important features were the ability to view payment history (34 percent), submit claims (32 percent), make premium payments (31 percent) and track previously submitted claims (31 percent). Almost 60 percent of small business owners indicated that they were extremely or somewhat likely to use a mobile app for submitting claims, tracking claims, making payments, or viewing payment history.

Most small business owners (76 percent) said that an identical experience across desktop and laptop computers, smart phones, and tablets was very or somewhat important.

“Mobile and self-service technologies have penetrated all aspects of our lives, so it’s not surprising that small business owners would want their workers’ compensation insurance carriers to use those tools to improve responsiveness and convenience,” said Ty Vukelich, vice president, Corporate Marketing at EMPLOYERS. “For a long time, the customer experience has been an afterthought in this industry. The new generation of small business owners is digitally savvy, so now is the time for the industry to get focused on the customer and deliver the kinds of experiences they want.”