By: Kathleen A. De Riso, Vice President, Travel Services, Crum & Forster
As a travel supplier, you know that offering your customers reliable travel protection allows them to travel with greater confidence and peace of mind, ultimately creating a positive experience that reflects well on you. Yet, despite the clear benefits, many travelers still skip purchasing travel insurance.
How can travel suppliers help their customers understand the value of travel protection and boost buy-in? To gather insights on effective strategies, we recently spoke with leaders at two insurtech Third Party Administrators – Clay Coomer, Head of Global Marketing, and Lisa Conway, Chief Insurance Officer, at battleface; and Peter Smith, SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Cover Genius—as well as Marc Flood, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Crum and Forster. Read on to learn:
- How embedding insurance into buyer journeys can simplify opt-in and open doors for cross-selling and upselling.
- How leveraging your role as a trusted travel supplier can help ease travelers’ concerns and drive conversions.
- How modern technology is key for boosting attachment of insurance.
Boost travel insurance buy-in with a synchronized plan
Our experts agree that travel suppliers should tap into a mix of tech, marketing, and storytelling to boost the visibility of their travel insurance offerings and educate their customers on its value to generate higher conversions. Here are five strategies they recommend for travel suppliers to increase their travel insurance participation:
Embed travel insurance into buyer journeys for optimal attachment
“Over the last several years, many travelers purchasing trip protection simply tick a box at checkout for their flights, cruises, hotels, or vacation rentals,” explains Clay. “That’s in part because embedding reduces friction and mental load during the decision-making process for the consumer.” He adds that embedding insurance into the buyer’s journey taps into the emotional aspect of trip planning by reaching travelers when they’re more invested in securing their travel plans. Informed operators can also leverage these moments to cross-sell and upsell, recommending more robust packages or add-ons, enhancing both customer value and revenue.
“Embedded protection isn’t a new concept – it’s a long-standing practice that has proven valuable across various industries, including travel,” explains Peter. “What’s new is the ability to tailor protection to a traveler’s specific needs through bundled and unbundled options.” Peter adds this personalization is particularly effective at capturing younger demographics, like Gen Z, who have grown up with smartphones, apps and tailored content, and expect the same level of customization from travel companies they trust with their travel plans. This approach, he says, allows tour operators to provide a customized experience that caters to the unique needs of each customer. “Travelers enjoy a seamless, frictionless experience and travel suppliers can increase ancillary revenue by delivering more relevant and appealing options.”
Follow up with consumers who decline coverage
“It may sound simple, but you’d be surprised at how many travel suppliers overlook one of the oldest, and reliable, practices in the book for boosting conversions,” shares Marc. “Email drip campaigns to consumers who waived insurance coverage at the time of deposit or received a quote but never acted on it are a great way to reconnect.” For example, a reminder like: ‘Hey valued customer! Your trip starts in 90 days. You can still purchase travel protection before your final payment is due’ can be very effective. While it’s important to be considerate of the number of communications you send, ‘last-chance’ messages can help ensure travelers get the protection they need and increase conversions for suppliers as well.”
Highlight travel protection on your website and in your marketing materials
“I get it: as a travel supplier, the last thing you want to do is sell fear,” says Marc. “Instead, he suggests getting creative with messaging. “I’ve seen some brands use prompts on their websites and in sales materials like: ‘X number of customers have purchased travel protection from us today’—essentially saying, ‘Other consumers like you have opted in. Maybe you’d like to reconsider.’”
“Travel protection is often a discretionary purchase. And a great way to ease customer concerns is by offering clear, transparent, and easy-to-understand information,” adds Peter. “Customers feel that searching for the right protection is a daunting task, and they would prefer the convenience of being offered relevant information and protection from brands they trust, such as airlines and travel suppliers.”
Use customer-centered storytelling
Another approach Marc recommends is providing educational content and customer stories. “Instead of speaking doom and gloom or using fear, showcase stories from other travelers just like them,” he says. “Position these customers as the heroes of their own stories and focus on how their choice to buy travel protection saved them or their trips.” He adds that another benefit of these stories is their versatility—they can live on your website and in sales materials or be repurposed for email campaigns.
Upgrade your tech to help ensure seamless sales and support
A tech upgrade can enhance operational efficiency and empower travel suppliers to turn travel insurance sales into a reliable revenue stream. According to Lisa, there are two ways to achieve this. One is by upgrading internal platforms to ones that seamlessly integrate and exchange data with insurers’ systems via API. And another, by partnering with providers that have developed solutions compatible with existing technology. “Given how common legacy tech is in the industry, we suggest finding a provider who has a platform that can easily connect with both legacy and newer technology platforms.”
Emphasis on value-add elevates travel protection buy-in
Consumer attitudes toward travel insurance are evolving rapidly. “Post-pandemic, awareness of travel insurance has increased, and media coverage has become much more positive,” shares Lisa. “Combined with greater customization and easy embedded solutions, travel protection is more appealing to consumers which has increased purchase rates.”
“It’s a win-win,” concludes Marc. “Customers get the protection they need, and operators gain revenue through commissions and partnerships, while boosting the overall travel experience.”
About the Author
Kathleen A. De Riso is the Vice President of Travel Services at C&F where she enjoys creating custom travel insurance offerings to meet the unique needs of her clients. With a career spanning several decades in travel insurance, Kathleen has held prominent leadership roles in Underwriting, Operations, Account Management and Claims. Her experience has provided her with a holistic understanding of travel insurance —and what makes it function seamlessly for tour operators, Third Party Administrators, and travelers alike.
About Crum & Forster
Crum & Forster, rated “A” Excellent by AM Best (2024), is a national commercial property and casualty group of insurance companies. Since 2000, Crum & Forster’s Accident & Health Division has offered a diverse portfolio of specialty insurance and reinsurance products nationwide. We place a strong focus on product development and creative distribution methods, along with excellent client service and support. In addition, our ability to provide international Accident & Health solutions through our innovative captive structure as well as through various partnerships with affiliated entities demonstrates our dedication to providing alternative strategies in an ever-changing insurance market. Follow us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram. The C&F logo, C&F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company.
About Cover Genius
Cover Genius is the global insurtech for embedded protection. Through XCover, its award-winning global distribution platform, it protects the customers of the world’s largest digital companies with seamless, end-to-end experiences. Licensed or authorized in over 60 countries and all 50 US States, the insurtech enables partners to embed and sell multiple lines of insurance and other types of protection, resulting in an industry-leading post-claims Net Promoter Score (NPS) and more than 30 million happy customers. For more information, visit covergenius.com.
About battleface
Founded in 2018, battleface has been widely known for two things: evolving its products and services to align with the ever-changing needs of travelers and obsession over the customer experience. battleface is powered by its flexible and adaptable global technology and the travel industry expertise of its people with diverse backgrounds in underwriting, sales, product development, and travel assistance and claims services.
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