Amazon, Travelers launch groundbreaking digital storefront
The companies' smart home kits are designed to protect homeowners from the most common causes of loss.
The Travelers Companies Inc. has teamed up with Amazon to offer smart home kits and valuable insurance and risk management information through a groundbreaking insurance industry digital storefront: Amazon.com/Travelers.
The smart home kits, which will be offered at discounted prices for Travelers customers in participating states, are designed to protect homeowners from some of the most common causes of loss. They include security cameras, water sensors, motion detectors with multi-sensor capabilities, a smart home hub and an Amazon Echo Dot.
Travelers also introduced new Alexa skills: the “Travelers” skill, which assists the company’s home insurance policyholders with questions regarding billing and payments, as well as the “Travelers Home Central” skill, which enables all consumers to access property maintenance and home safety tips. The company plans to add to its Alexa skills over time.
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Alexa, should I have cybersecurity concerns?
Today’s consumers have privacy concerns, thanks to an uptick in cyber attacks in recent years. How do companies quell these concerns in an increasingly digital world?
“Consumers need to evaluate their comfort with using smart home devices,” says Michael Klein, executive vice president and president of personal insurance at Travelers. “We suggest that customers read manufacturer’s recommendations when using smart home devices to understand best practices for safely using these devices.”
Travelers says its standard privacy policy applies to customers who enable the Travelers Skill for Alexa and connect it to their MyTravelers account. If a device is hacked, consumers should take the same steps that they would take if any of their online accounts were hacked by resetting passwords and monitoring accounts for suspicious activity or unauthorized transactions.