Company: Squaremouth, St. Petersburg, FL
Company Description: Squaremouth is a travel insurance comparison company that helps customers instantly search, compare, and buy travel insurance policies online. With over 100,000 verified customer reviews, Squaremouth allows customers to compare travel insurance policies from every major provider in the US. To date, more than 2.7 million travelers have used Squaremouth to find and purchase travel insurance.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Financial Services - Up to 100 Employees
 Nomination Title: Squaremouth
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated department, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 236 words used.
Maintaining A Strong Reputation: Squaremouth’s commitment to customers can be seen in the way in which past users rate their experiences. We take customer feedback very seriously, and are committed to maintaining our strong ratings across third party sites like ResellerRatings.com.
https://www.resellerratings.com/store/Squaremouth_com
Improvements to the Site: Input from customer service has been at the heart of some of the biggest improvements to the site in the past year. Their customer knowledge, anecdotes, and experience with the site has contributed to improvements to the user experience and the site’s conversion rate. One example is the site navigation, which now includes quick access to the benefits and resources that matter most to users. https://www.squaremouth.com/
Recognized For Industry Contributions: As a result of the hard work and dedication of the customer service team, Squaremouth has been nominated a finalist by ITIJ for Outstanding Industry Contribution of the Year. Squaremouth’s application focused on “Downselling,” a practice spearheaded by the customer service department. https://awards.itij.com/2023_finalists/
Responding Quick to Current Events: Events that impact travel can happen within a moment's notice. On the back of extreme weather events, terrorist attacks, and other significant occurrences, Squaremouth’s customer service team receives calls from current and potential customers with questions regarding travel insurance coverage. Commonly asked questions are efficiently passed to the Marketing team, where they turn into Current Event Pages: https://www.squaremouth.com/current-event-information-centers/events
- Briefly describe the nominated department: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 175 words used.
Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison website founded in 2003, allows customers to easily find, compare, and purchase highly rated travel insurance policies from our carefully-vetted vendors. With a commitment to the user and a deep-seeded dedication to outstanding customer service, Squaremouth has helped more than 3.2 million travelers protect their trips from the unexpected.
Squaremouth’s unique approach to customer service has been a key driver to the company’s success. For more than 20 years, the company has prioritized customer satisfaction over profits through “downselling,” our practice of always recommending the lowest price travel insurance policy that meets the customer's needs.
Squaremouth has experienced high growth in recent years, specifically when it comes to new travel insurance customers. In response, our team has invested heavily in continuing that trajectory without sacrificing the award-winning service provided to every user that comes to Squaremouth.
These investments include recruiting, onboarding, and training of new customer service hires. By focusing on these key areas, Squaremouth plans to maintain its position as the country’s most popular travel insurance marketplace.
- Outline the department's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Squarmeouth’s customer service department has experienced significant growth in the past two years. In response to a 200%+ spike in call volume following the pandemic, our customer service team has more than doubled, increasing by more than 109%. In addition, Squaremouth’s customer service team has strengthened in the following areas:
Invested in Training & Development
Training is an essential part of employee onboarding at Squaremouth. As the travel industry has evolved, as has our training programs. Today, all employees regardless of their department must complete this training, which provides in-depth insight into the industry, our customers, and Squarmouth’s values. This enables new hires to solve customer problems and bring innovative solutions to the table.
Worked Cross-Departmentally to Create A Better User Experience
Squaremouth’s call center speaks to users in real-time, and is able to receive feedback as users navigate through the website and checkout process. As Squarmeouth prioritizes the customer experience, the customer service department has collaborated closely with the Development team to address customer issues regarding the website. The team also works closely with the Marketing and User Experience departments to develop resources that answer the most common customer questions.
Implemented Structured Feedback Loop
To maintain high performance levels, Squaremouth’s customer service team has increased the frequency in which it conducts performance reviews. This initiative was put into place to aid with employee onboarding and satisfaction. As a result, the department has seen improved individual and team metrics regarding call abandonment, chat response time, and call center quality scores.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the department's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 234 words used.
Since its inception, Squaremouth has committed itself to exceptional customer service. As a result, the company maintains a 4.88 out of 5 star average lifetime customer satisfaction rating - with 99% positive reviews - through third party review company, ResellerRatings.com. This makes Squaremouth third highest ranked company in the site’s Finance and Insurance category.
Squaremouth’s customer service team has also seen improvements across internally tracked metrics. Over the past 12 months, Squaremouth has been able to decrease customer abandonment rates by from 15.7% to 8.2%. Our chat response time has also seen a 22% decrease, from 68 seconds to 53 seconds.
In addition to customer service metrics, the department’s contributions can also be seen in the metrics tracked by other departments across the organization. With valuable input from customer service, Squaremouth’s Development team has been able to make significant improvements to the site's usability. These updates, which include new search functionalities and navigation, improved the site’s conversion rate by over 16% year-over-year from 2022 to 2023.
In collaborating closely with Marketing, Squaremouth’s Customer Service Team has helped launch many helpful resources that answer common questions. Examples include our Current Event pages, which address how travel insurance can aid travelers impacted by recent natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other events that impact travel, along with FAQs and Help Center content in response to conversations customer service has had with Squaremouth users.
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