The champagne has been drunk, the New Year’s treats are gone, and everyone in the Netherlands once again has health insurance in place. Time for Independer to start the next health insurance year. This always begins with an analysis of the previous season. More and more visitors are using Independer via mobile rather than desktop. Conversion can still be improved here. A major decision is made: the entire online funnel will be redesigned with a mobile-first approach.

It also becomes clear that while Independer is highly successful in attracting new customers, its support for existing customers could be even better and more personal. In the previous season, a small group of customers were sent emails showing how much they could potentially save. The results were positive, leading to the development of the Independer savings service.

Once these (and other) plans have been developed, all teams within Independer get to work. They develop new templates to make customer communication more relevant and personalised. The online funnel is redesigned and then extensively tested with users. One team spends two quarters working on this. “These are the months when we do a lot of work behind the scenes,” says Youri van der Avoird, business manager for Health.

The IT team has a lot of work to do – too much, as it turns out this month. Adjustments are needed. “People from other teams step in to help meet the deadline,” says Mars Samsom, director of Marketing and Customer Engagement. “This has a major impact on the organisation. But we have no choice, because 12 November is fast approaching.”

First comes Budget Day. From that moment on, public debate about health insurance in the Netherlands begins again. Independer uses this day to be visible in the media. A large-scale study is also launched to understand what people do and do not understand about health insurance.

One week after Budget Day, DSW is the first insurer to announce its basic premium. Many others wait until the very last moment. Independer negotiates with insurers about partnerships. These negotiations have been ongoing throughout the year, with the final contracts only being signed in the week of 12 November.

On 12 November, tension is high for everyone working at Independer. All preparations from the past months come together over these two days. Everything that has been built is ready. “We have essentially set up the shop, but we have no idea what the offer will look like yet,” says Samsom. “That is a unique situation you do not see in any other market.”

As the evening progresses, anticipation grows. Insurers are required to announce their basic premiums for the coming year before midnight. Most of them do so only in the final fifteen minutes. Independer immediately begins uploading the new premiums and policies. As soon as that is done, the shop opens.

The tone in the media suggests little has changed, with only a modest increase in premiums. But in reality, the differences between policies are greater than in previous years. This means there are still significant savings for customers. This makes it all the more important to inform them properly, especially as a different picture is being presented.

A week later, on 19 November, insurers also announce their supplementary policies. Now the shop can be fully stocked. The new premiums receive extensive media coverage, driving large volumes of traffic to the site. Van der Avoird: “This allows us to test, optimise and prepare the funnel for the period that really matters: December.”

At the same time, Independer launches its large-scale campaign. This begins with educational content based on the large study, aimed at increasing consumer awareness of myths and facts about health insurance. Independer has also introduced an AI assistant – the first of its kind among comparison platforms in the Netherlands – to help visitors choose the right policy.

Traffic to the site increases significantly throughout December. More and more Dutch people compare policies and take out new ones via their computer or phone. The final days of the year are always the most intense. Samsom: “The real acceleration starts the day after Christmas and continues through to New Year’s Eve. We increase media pressure and use all channels: print advertorials tailored to the audience, brand campaigns, radio activations and social media, which allows us to reach many younger people.”

Not long ago, as many as two hundred people were answering calls on New Year’s Eve, with all of Independer’s staff called in to support customers. “That is no longer necessary, as we have digitalised much of the process,” says Samsom. “We now have a chatbot and a clearer website, so far fewer people are needed.” Nowadays, there are more live chats (5,000) than phone calls (4,000) during the health insurance season.

This is the busiest day of the year – the final day on which people in the Netherlands can switch health insurance. The numbers rise rapidly. Van der Avoird: “Between three and four in the afternoon, around 6,000 policies are taken out in a single hour. That is almost two per second.”

The call centre closes at five o’clock. The online shop remains open until midnight. “By then, we know where we stand. Most of us go home to celebrate the New Year. Some colleagues remain on standby in case action is needed. Otherwise, we let things wind down naturally – with an ‘oliebol’,
a traditional New Year’s treat, in hand.”