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Putting people at the center in a world of chatbots: why some insurers are losing sight of the customer journey



By Angelika, advisor & trainer Data & AI Literacy


Frankwatching (https://www.frankwatching.com): take a critical look at the customer journey and your customer contact strategy and determine where chatbots and voice assistants have added value, and where they don't.

 

The advance of AI in business services is unstoppable. Increasingly, when we have questions or problems, we are greeted by a friendly but clearly digital voice or a chatbot that promises to help us quickly. But what happens when technology falls short and the human dimension disappears? My recent personal experience with two major insurers (OHRA & A.S.R) shows that the use of AI without a "human in the loop" leads to great frustration and a failing customer journey. It has frustrated me enormously as a caregiver and advocate of my father.


The AI takeover at customer contact centers

Large insurers in the Netherlands are fully committed to automation. The customer contact centre, traditionally the place where you spoke to an employee, is rapidly being taken over by AI-driven systems and chatbots.. Companies such as Nationale-Nederlanden work with digital assistants such as 'Sanne', and Achmea uses 'Stormbot' for the settlement of claims.


The promise is efficiency: 24/7 availability and faster handling of "simple" questions. For companies, this also means significant cost savings and a response to the tight labour market. But the reality for customers is often far messier. The National Voice Monitor 2025 (source: Frankwatching, 19 March 2025) shows that poorly functioning chatbots are one of the biggest frustrations for almost half of consumers.


Frustration from my own experience: An impossible task

How painful the lack of human contact can be, I recently experienced firsthand. Unfortunately, my father can no longer return home, so we were forced to cancel several insurance policies on his behalf. What should have been a simple administrative task turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare.


At the two large insurance companies, it turned out to be simply impossible to arrange the cancellations through the regular digital channels. The chatbots did not understand the nuance of the situation. They got stuck in standard response loops and referred me to online apps that did not fit our specific circumstances. And getting an actual employee on the phone? Not a chance.


When you are in an emotionally charged situation, the last thing you want is to fight an algorithm. You are looking for empathy, understanding, and a quick, human solution. The inability to break through the digital wall and reach a real person caused enormous frustration. It is the classic example of efficiency for the business, but a damaging experience for the customer, and certainly not one worth repeating. I simply gave up.


The importance of a customer journey and customer experience

This experience highlights a fundamental principle in business services: the customer journey and the customer experience are crucial. A good customer journey is not just a series of efficient processes, but an experience in which the customer feels heard and understood in the moments that truly matter.


If we look at how it should be done, the ANWB stands out, at least in my personal experience: the customer is genuinely placed at the centre. Research by Sia Partners (2025) also confirms that the ANWB offers the best customer journey of all insurers in the Netherlands. They are also ranked fifth in the Global Top 5 Digital Insurers of 2025. Why? Because they truly put the customer first. Although the ANWB also uses chatbots and digital tools, they have understood that the transition to a human employee must be seamless and accessible. The balance between technological efficiency and human empathy is far better there.


If we look at four parts of the customer journey (see table below), we can see the failing approach of large insurers compared to the successful approach of the ANWB.


Part of the customer journey

Failing approach (large insurers)

Successful approach (ANWB)

Accessibility

Chatbot as an impenetrable wall

Digital channels first, people as fast backup

Empathy

Canned answers without context

Understanding the customer's specific situation

Troubleshooting

Getting stuck in pre-programmed loops

Flexibility to step outside the standard frameworks

Customer feeling

Frustration, powerlessness, number feeling

Heard, helped, appreciated


The "human in the loop" is indispensable

All in all, we can say that there are companies that get it right: they have mapped out the customer journey well and respond adequately to the needs of their customers. Other companies, such as the two large insurers in my example, unfortunately miss the mark entirely.


The use of AI and automation is not inherently wrong, but it should never come at the expense of the human dimension. In business services, putting people first is an absolute advantage, in my view. This means there must always be a "human in the loop": a system in which human intervention, supervision, or decision-making is an essential part of the process. This is exactly what I stand for, and it forms a significant part of my training in the field of Data and AI Literacy, as well as the serious data training courses I deliver together with our Business Data Challengers partner, Smart Training Center and the Data Voyagers.


When a customer gets stuck, has a complex question, or is in a vulnerable situation, technology must immediately make way for a real human being. Only then can companies find the balance between efficiency and truly valuable customer experience. It is time for insurers to realize that an algorithm can never replace the warmth and understanding of a human voice.


To close this article:

My father's situation was not unique. Every day, people in vulnerable or complex circumstances run into the same digital walls. They do not need a faster algorithm. They need someone who listens. Companies that understand this are not just better at customer service. They are better companies. And in the end, that is what people remember.



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