US based Farmers Insurance has introduced a new app in partnership with roadside assistance startup Honk. Using the app, Farmer’s policy holders can signal the need for assistance from an app which identifies and dispatches the closest service vehicle instantly; and provides real-time notifications, updates, and a live progress map customers can follow conveniently from their smartphones.
As the largest trackable, traceable roadside assistance company in the US, HONK has 55,000 tow trucks available to its members. This operational scope has differentiated Honk from other road side assistance providers and is a key part of it’s new partnership with Farmers. On Farmers side, it receives more roadside assistance requests than claims so it makes sense to keep the customers happy.
“Farmers® is constantly seeking new and innovative ways to meet the rapidly changing needs of today’s increasingly connected consumers,” says Keith Daly, chief claims officer for Farmers Insurance. “Our new roadside assistance tool puts knowledge right in the palm of a customer’s hands. By leveraging technology, we are able to deliver an even better experience when our customers need us most.”
The app services are available currently for personal lines customers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, and Wisconsin, with a roll-out Nationwide by the end of the year.
Ultimately, the partnership between Farmers and Honk is a good example of a traditional insurer partnership with a startup in order to compete in the digital era. Although internal initiatives will always be part of traditional insurers innovation road-map, partnerships such as this will be increasingly common,