Assurant, Inc., a global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases, such as automobiles, will launch Assurant Vehicle Care, a comprehensive suite of vehicle-protection products, in dealerships this quarter. The offering gives dealers the following enhanced products:
Vehicle service contracts for internal combustion engine and electric vehicles
Dealer-certified limited warranties
Prepaid maintenance
Appearance protection
Theft protection
Lease protection
Guaranteed asset protection
Ancillary products – tire-and-wheel, paintless dent repair, windshield protection, key replacement – bundled and sold separately
Assurant Vehicle Care also brings a seamless new digital experience for consumers, spanning the enhanced Vehicle Care by Assurant app (formerly Pocket Geek Auto) and VehicleCarePlan.com, a comprehensive customer-facing website. The easy-to-use digital tools allow drivers to choose in the moment how they interact to manage their product policies and keep their vehicles in top condition.
“This new suite of products continues our momentum in providing innovative solutions for our dealer partners and their customers,” said Martin Jenns, executive vice president and president, Assurant Global Automotive. “What sets this new suite of products apart is how we have elevated the benefits for drivers and given them new digital tools to manage their vehicle care, while optimizing and streamlining the products’ pricing for our dealer partners.”
Some examples of product enhancements to the vehicle service contract offered through Assurant Vehicle Care include:
Expanded vehicle eligibility – moving from “current, plus 12 model years” to current, plus 15 model years, and opening to vehicles with fewer than than 200,000 miles (up from 150,000 miles)
Improved participation options, opening availability to multiple participation structures on products that did not exist before Assurant Vehicle Care
A wider choice of terms, now including 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months
“To create Assurant Vehicle Care, we looked at our full scope of dealer products, including our legacy products from our integrations with The Warranty Group and American Financial & Automotive Services, and picked ‘the best of the best’ for coverage, benefits, eligibility and more,” said Jeff Strickland, senior vice president, Assurant Dealer Services. “The result is benchmark coverage within the industry – simplified for streamlined sales – which will help our dealers stay ahead of the evolving vehicle purchase process landscape.”
Beyond offering a streamlined portfolio of products, Assurant Vehicle Care is designed to help dealers and consumers stay ahead of another challenge of our times, as inflation drives repair costs – and claim totals – higher. “Years of proprietary data on cost of claims, claims frequency and other factors have enabled us to optimize these products with pricing designed to future-proof them against the effects of inflation," added Strickland. “This will help protect dealership revenue and ensure consumers retain the same high level of coverage.”
To meet consumer expectations to digitally manage their lives, the Vehicle Care by Assurant app and VehicleCarePlan.com help drivers stay better connected to their vehicles – and their dealer – to easily manage vehicle care. With these online tools, drivers can:
Digitally store their service contracts and protection plans
Stay updated on the status of a claim
Document service history
Receive just-in-time maintenance notifications
Track upcoming maintenance
Check for safety recalls
Transfer a policy
“When customers purchase Assurant Vehicle Care, they not only get the best suite of vehicle products we’ve ever offered; they also get a convenient, intuitive online customer experience through the Vehicle Care by Assurant app and VehicleCarePlan.com website,” Strickland said. “Consumers want digital solutions for the products they purchase to make overall car ownership easier, which in turn can enhance customer loyalty.”
To help dealers educate and market the new suite of products, Assurant has created easy-to-understand digital videos and brochures that demonstrate the value of the products to consumers.
