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New Change Sciences Research Ranks 14 Leading Auto Insurance Web Sites

IRVINGTON, N.Y.--Aug. 2, 20044, 2004--Today, Change Sciences Group, Inc. released its Q2, 2004 report on the online customer experience provided by leading auto insurance web sites. The report, Online Auto Insurance Customer Acquisition: Customer Experience Benchmarks and Best Practices, ranks the sites according to their support for the goals of first-time buyers, married couples, and senior citizens. These goals include:

- Assisting customers in understanding common coverage types

- Providing product recommendations based on customer needs

- Communicating available discounts

- Providing access to customer service

- Explaining claims processing

- Filling out an online rate quote questionnaire

After four years of rapid increase, auto insurance policy prices are just starting to level off. With the availability of low prices, it has become apparent to auto insurance consumers that now is the time to start shopping for a better premium rate. "In addition to presenting consumers with well-communicated and unique offers, insurers must identify and answer key customer questions up front to distinguish themselves," said Steve Ellis, a Change Sciences partner.

Esurance earns the top spot in the rankings by answering the right questions in the right way and by providing a quick and easy rate quote questionnaire. State Farm and Allstate round out the top three by answering the questions of uninformed consumers and by distinguishing their offerings. AIGDirect places last by burying information in FAQs and not allowing users to accurately specify their coverage amounts in the online rate quote questionnaire.

The overall customer experience rankings are as follows:

1. Esurance

2. State Farm

3. Allstate

4. Nationwide

5. GEICO

6. Liberty Mutual

7. Unitrin Direct

8. Electric Insurance

9. Progressive

10. GMAC

11. MetLife

12. Washington Mutual

13. St Paul Travelers

14. AIGDirect

For more information on this and other Change Sciences research, please visit: http://www.changesciences.com/research.html

Change Sciences Customer Experience Benchmarking Reports are based on our Typifi(tm) benchmarking process. Typifi allows for the empirical comparison of sites across key customer experience metrics. Our benchmarking reports show site managers how their sites compare with those of competitors, in terms of how a customer would use it, thought-by-thought and keystroke-by-keystroke. Sites that provide a compelling customer experience attract and retain more customers. These sites also project a positive brand image. Using Typifi, Change Sciences' analysts identify and document web design best practices, allowing site managers to make changes that matter to the bottom line.

Change Sciences was founded in January 2000 with the idea that companies can optimize key business processes by basing decisions about technological change in how people use technology while they live, work, and play.