• February 4, 2010

Progressive's new mobile Web site goes beyond car insurance with features intended to appeal to non-Progressive customers.

Nearly a third of mobile phone owners browse the mobile Web at least once a month, but most mobile Web sites fall short of delivering the best experience, according to connectivity consulting firm Yankee Group. With that in mind, Progressive has launched a comprehensive Web site optimized for mobile users. Many of the features on the Progressive mobile Web site are also on the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based insurer's free iPhone app.

By providing both a mobile Web site and an iPhone app, Progressive hopes to make insurance coverage easier to get and more convenient for a broad range of mobile users, including those with iPhones as well as people who access the mobile Internet through one of the hundreds of other Web-enabled handsets on the market.

The iPhone app and the mobile Web site offer the ability to see crash test results and recall notices, compare the relative costs of insuring different cars, find nearby agents' offices on an interactive map, request a quote, watch Progressive TV commercials and make payments. On the mobile Web site, people can also sign up to receive mobile alerts for payment information, like due dates and electronic payment deductions. For claims reporting, the Progressive iPhone app sends the information directly to Progressive, where a claims representative gets to work on it right away. This is different from apps that gather information that a customer later has to report to their insurance company.--Tanya Irwin

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