View this article online: https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2004/03/29/40532.htm
Nearly a year after the Progressive group of insurance companies announced its national rollout of a new type of claims service that reportedly simplifies the vehicle repair process and saves time for customers and others following a crash, the company opens its 20th site in Miami on Monday, March 29.
In April of 2003 – after more than three years of market research and testing – Progressive became the first auto insurance company to reportedly take full responsibility for managing the entire vehicle repair process handling everything from selecting an auto body shop where the work is guaranteed to inspecting the repairs and keeping the customer informed of the progress.
The enhanced level of service works by:
*The customer calling 1-800-PROGRESSIVE to report their claim any time of the day or night and bringing his/her vehicle to the specially designed claims facility.
*A Progressive claims representative prepares a repair estimate, makes arrangements to have the vehicle transported to an auto body shop that has met strict quality requirements and the repairs start.
*Once the estimate has been written, the customer is able to pick up a rental car and leave. Throughout the process, a Progressive representative keeps the customer informed of the repair status.
*When the work is finished, the vehicle is transported back to the Progressive facility where a claims representative and an auto body shop representative inspect the quality of repairs. When the shop and Progressive are satisfied with the repair, the customer is called and asked to return to the center.
*The customer and a claims representative inspect the vehicle together and the customer drives off knowing the auto body shop and Progressive guarantee the repairs for as long as the customer owns the vehicle.
“Our concierge-level of claims service is designed to make the claims process easy,” said Juan Andrade, Gulf Region claims general manager, Progressive. “It’s really quite simple – the customer drops the car off and picks it up. We take care of everything in between.”
The objective, according to Progressive CEO Glenn Renwick, is to create a more efficient and positive experience for everyone involved in a claim – customers, auto body repair shops and Progressive. It saves time and adds convenience for customers, it means a steady flow of work for body shops and it means increased customer satisfaction for Progressive.
Even if you’re not insured with Progressive, if you’re involved in a claim with someone who is, you have the option of selecting the convenience of one of Progressive’s claims centers. Currently the claims service is available at 20 sites in 18 cities across the country including Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, Fla.; Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta; New Orleans; Tempe, Ariz.; Houston; Detroit; Indianapolis; and Richmond, Va.
As Progressive (www.progressive.com) continues to introduce new facilities across the country, locations will reportedly be chosen in areas where its customers are concentrated to make the new standard of service available to as many as possible. The complete list of 2004 locations has not been announced.
In addition to the new claims centers where Progressive offers the ability of having a claim representative manage the entire vehicle repair process, the company operates more than 350 claims offices in all 50 states. Although the existing offices are not equipped to offer the concierge-level of service, claim representatives there continue to personally handle each customer’s claim from start to finish.