MEDIA RELEASE: Orion Travel Insurance enlists the help of anthropologists to reinvent purchasing travel insurance online

Well before the uncertainty of the pandemic, Orion Travel Insurance, a CAA company, decided to change the way travellers access travel insurance online.

Working with a team of anthropologists, the goal of the redesign was to better understand how humans think about travel and safety. Researchers scoured opinions online, analyzed media and sat down with travellers to document their feelings around travel.

“The traditional way of building an online quoting system just wasn’t sufficient,” says Kellee Irwin, VP, Orion Travel Insurance Company. “We didn’t feel that the online experience was putting the needs of the traveller first, so we turned it on its head and approached things differently. We are confident that this new approach to accessing travel insurance and information about travel insurance online is going to be an industry game-changer.”

Traditionally, online quoting systems for travel insurance have been designed with business needs at the forefront, rather than designed to reflect what customers need to confidently purchase the appropriate protection.

“As a company founded to deliver the protection that our members deserve, this antiquated way of doing things wasn’t good enough. Our mission was to create an online buying experience that was inspired by what it’s like when a traveller engages with a CAA Associate at a store,” adds Irwin.

The end result of this in-depth work is the launch of a reinvented online travel quote and purchase system that makes learning about and buying travel insurance an easy and seamless experience for travellers.

"Our research told us that travellers want to feel like 'their own best expert'. This new online experience enables travellers to explore and learn about the different types of travel insurance and compare the cost of various levels of protection all at their fingertips," says Irwin.

The new system helps customers clearly understand the protection they are viewing and why qualifying questions are being asked. No longer will customers be forced to click through a series of prompts, only to discover that their selections do not reflect their needs and they must start all over again. As they explore coverage and learn more about what protection is right for them, travellers can get to a price in just seven clicks. Plus, they can alter their choices and the system will give updated quotes in real time. It also allows customers to use our SMART FAQ search engine in which the customer enters a question and immediately receives a matched answer.

The new online buy flow is now in effect, click here to experience Orion’s reimagined online travel insurance system.