A woman is driving home after a late night at work down a remote road on a rainy night. She is traveling at a safe speed because the roads are wet and visibility is poor. Suddenly, she sees a large deer in the road; she naturally reacts to avoid the collision. She swerves, loses control, and hits a tree. She is OK, but the car cannot be driven. Miles from help, she is dazed from what just happened. Her best option is to find her cell phone and call for assistance. This is the time that her insurance company can step up to deliver on customer service.

Carriers have been successfully trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors for the past few years through claims. It has been well established that a claim is the delivery of the promise for customer service and support, but that has not been a central theme of marketing campaigns until recently. Many carriers of all sizes emphasize the lower-cost sales approach. More and more you hear about the importance of having proper coverage to protect the insured with a lower premium to attract customers. A prime example is the Allstate 'Mayhem' advertisements. Customer service is the key factor for customer retention. In most cases, a customer will accept a rate increase as long as service has been good.

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