Casting a Wide Net
Reaps Varied Rewards
Recognizing the need for change, allstate developed a multi-channel
distribution strategy to present a new cohesive, collaborative face to
its customers. By Alex Vorro
While there are many keys to being a suc- cessful fisher- man, perhaps
the most important is knowing
where the fish are located. An an-
gler can have the most attractive
lure in the water, but if the fish
aren’t nearby to bite, he’ll go home
empty-handed. The same can be
said for insurance companies.
Imagine that insurers are fisher-
men, the fish are the customers and
the lures in their tackle box are the
different distribution channels. If a
carrier is consistently casting all of
its effort and resources into a chan-
nel where customers used to reside,
but in reality have relocated to other
areas, they’re going to lose those
customers to another carrier that
recognized the shift in the custom-
er’s behavior.
One insurer quick to pick up on
customer migration patterns is
Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate In-
surance Co. Historically known for
selling the majority of its products
through agency owners and exclu-
sive agents, the company recog-
nized the crucial need in 2006 to
change its distribution strategy
and present a single face to the
customer, regardless of their chan-
nel choice. In order to do so, it
needed to quickly innovate and
deliver an attractive, efficient auto
insurance self-service solution to
the Web.
