Target Group’s latest whitepaper Myth v Reality: The Expectation Gap in the UK Insurance Industry has found that 40% of consumers do not believe that insurers treat customers well.

This is despite that 69% of insurance customers saying they are likely or very likely to recommend a friend or relative to their current insurer.

The whitepaper, which is based on a survey of 1,000 UK consumers, also reveals that 20% of respondents admitted that they didn’t even look for important information, like how to make a claim, at the point of purchase.

49% of insurance customers said that finding the cheapest product on the market was either important or essential while 39% cited value for money as the most important factor when picking a policy. Further important findings revealed that 73% of insurance purchases now involve price comparison websites and 32% of respondents researched their most recent insurance provider using a smartphone or tablet.

Bill Alley, co-group CEO Target Group, said: “The findings of our latest white paper present an interesting challenge for UK insurers. While nearly three quarters of respondents are more than happy to recommend their current insurer to friends or family, over a third still believe the industry doesn’t treat its customers well overall.

“Our findings suggest that this could be down to a combination of residual impressions of the industry left by the financial crisis, negative personal experiences in the past and a lack of engagement by policyholders when it comes to finding out important information such as how to make a claim.

“The question insurers need to address is how they turn initial goodwill from customers into mutually rewarding and long-term relationships. With the prevalence of price comparison sites reducing the direct interaction insurance brands have with their customers, it’s vital that omni-channel technology and practices are adopted to make the most of each touch point with the customer to leave them with a positive experience.”