Paymentshield is adding chatbot technology to its network of over 78,000 advisers.

The adviser chat service follows the implementation of a customer chatbot launched in July 2020. Since then, over 20,000 policyholder queries have been handled.

The general insurance firm has introduced the chatbot technology to serve an increase in complex customer and adviser queries. In 2020, Paymentshield handled over a quarter of a million calls, with the average call length increasing to 6 minutes 41 seconds.

The mobile-first chatbot, delivered in partnership with Helpshift, is available through Paymentshield’s Adviser Hub and its adviser website.

Advisers can use the new service to receive “instant” answers to enquiries about quotes, claims, and commission, freeing up skilled contact centre operatives to handle more complex cases, as well as to complete some transactions on any Paymentshield products.

Jon Bowen, customer director at Paymentshield, said: “It’s great to be delivering capability that enables advisers to better support customers by making it easier interact with us when and on what platform – mobile, tablet, PC – they want to. As their customers’ needs continue to grow more complex, advisers need more support. Our latest tech investment is designed to address this by providing advisers with ease, speed and greater functionality, all bolstered by the expertise of our contact centre staff.

“This latest customer strategy initiative enables us to maintain our excellent service levels – as shown by our 4.6/5 satisfaction score among policyholders who’ve spoken to a member of the Paymentshield team.

“The chatbot crucially enhances our advisers’ digital experience, but it is also about people as much as it is technology. Customer service is about caring for people in their time of need; events over the last year have caused unimaginable stress for many, and our hope is that this chatbot helps to make the customer experience as positive and stress-free as possible.”