When customers contact their insurer, it’s rarely good news. They expect quick resolutions and clear communication—but rising property claims are making that more challenging.
Natural catastrophes and secondary perils like hail, floods, and wildfires are driving up the volume of claims. Swiss Re Institute had forecasted that insured losses from natural catastrophes would reach USD 146 billion in 2025. While the actual figures from last year are yet to be reported, one thing is certain: these events will continue to put strain on insurers, triggering higher premiums and longer claim cycles, ultimately affecting customer satisfaction.
J.D. Power found that property and casualty insurers can counter the challenges of longer claim cycles and rising premiums by simplifying and streamlining customer communications. Their research shows that customer satisfaction scores are nearly twice as high when insurers deliver clear, seamless interactions.
To retain customers and protect brand trust, insurers must prioritize exceptional customer experience (CX), starting with proactive, timely communications. Forrester predicts this will be a top focus in 2026.
Here are three trends that will shape CX for insurers:
Trend 1: Rising claims mean more customer communications
IDC reported that the volume of customer communications has grown by 18% in 2025 across industries, with consistent growth over the last three years. As claims surge, the volume of communications will also go up to keep up with proactive and timely customer communications.
With this, insurers will have to think about the performance of their customer communication management (CCM) solution and assess if it can scale to meet rising demand.
Trend 2: Modernizing business-critical systems means faster, connected CX
Gartner reported that modernizing business-critical systems and capabilities was a key priority for 63% of senior insurance leaders in 2025. Legacy systems will continue to challenge the industry in 2026, creating inefficiencies in business operations and roadblocks to integrate new technologies with existing systems.
Insurers are accelerating efforts to modernize and consolidate their core business applications and software infrastructure. This transformation is essential to build a foundation for personalized, omnichannel experiences that meet evolving customer expectations.
Trend 3: From customer communications to conversations with AI
As per IDC, 42.5% of organizations believe that AI-enabled solutions for customer communications will deliver better customer experiences.
In Q2 2025, 45% of senior insurance leaders were implementing AI capabilities, up by 4% from Q1 of the same year, according to a Gartner report. This suggests that AI will continue to grow traction in the industry in 2026. Customers will expect their insurers to deliver faster, smarter, and more personalized integrations. AI-enabled communications will play a big role in turning static communications into dynamic conversations.
How OpenText and Guidewire help
OpenText™ Communications, the #1 CCM vendor, integrates seamlessly with Guidewire PolicyCenter, ClaimCenter, and BillingCenter. This cloud-first, AI-powered solution enables insurers to:
- Deliver communications 10x faster to keep pace with rising volumes
- Automate the design and delivery of personalized messages directly from Guidewire
- Accelerate compliant and engaging content creation with Experience Aviator, OpenText’s generative AI for customer success
OpenText Communications is now available for Guidewire PolicyCenter and ClaimCenter, with BillingCenter coming soon.
