On top of winning a FBU Family business of the year award last month we have now been short-listed for an Insurance Times Tech & Innovation Award. We are finalists amongst an extensive array of technology firms, insurers and brokers. Pretty impressive eh!
It can be difficult balancing cycling with insurance as a marketing person. One of these is the most exciting sport in the world, the other is an industry with a reputation for being a little bit dull. So what caught the judge’s eye?
The Yellow Jersey Quick quote app, which we refer to affectionately as the ‘Slidey Man’ has been a part of our business since we got started two and a half years ago, although it has been through more than a few iterations.
You can have a play with the latest web version out on our homepage by clicking here.
With the riders designed by cycling artist extraordinaire Richard Mitchelson as characters for our rather wonderful video, it’s a piece of branding we can take anywhere, be it on friendly websites, or tablet computers in shops and at events.
Most of our customers have multiple bikes which is why we offer a substantial 60% multi bike discount. Adding, removing, and sliding the riders shows the customer exactly how this effects our premium in real time.
We are also the only company offering short term bicycle policies alongside our annual insurance. Again, at the touch of a button customers can adjust the period of insurance and see how this affects their premium, and very quickly choose the right product for their needs.
There’s no messing about typing in details then deleting them on a form. No scrolling up and down to check different options. The ‘Slidey Man’ lets the customer ask if it’s worth adding their commuter bike, or just their road bike. How much extra it would cost to add their training bike as well as their race bike, and how much they could save by adding bikes belonging to their spouse at the same time.
We aren’t assessing risk based on dozens of variables like a home insurer might, but there is more than enough variability to complicate the quote process.
Our customers generally have exceptionally busy lifestyles, balancing demanding careers with significant periods of training and racing, along with their family lives. With the ‘Slidey Man’, they can get an instant quote, consider their options and choose the policy which fits their needs most closely, all through an intuitive app on our homepage.
The ‘Slidey Man’ isn’t just restricted to our website however. A large part of our marketing comes through sponsorship of events companies, and attending their races across the country. We meet with hundreds of competitive riders at these events, and need a way to offer instant quotes that take into account all of the same variables.
The ‘Slidey Man’ works in exactly the same form as a standalone tablet app. Our tablets can be taken to any event and either carried by a member of event staff or mounted in a stand on a desk. Various quotes can then be given to potential customers during the course of a conversation about the product, or they can be available for self service at busy times.
The only modification to the tablet version, is replacing the purchase button with an email field as no one what’s to type personal credit card info in a public space. We believe very strongly in soft sell, and so use the ‘Slidey Man’ tablet app to email customers their personal quote, along with information on all of the benefits we offer. This ensures the customer is fully informed on the cover, and if they do chose to purchase, all they need to do is click on a link in the email.
From a Marketing perspective, this proves a fantastic tool both for data collection, as well as measuring the success of specific events when the data is tracked.
These features really come into their own when we put the quick quote app in a retail environment. With the YJ video playing as a screen saver, it provides a fantastic branding opportunity front and centre in a location visited by our core market, and alongside some fantastic cycling brands.
Customers can fiddle with the quick quote and compare prices without a member of shop staff needing to intervene, leaving them to focus on selling bikes.
So on the surface the boring world of insurance but underneath the cool world of technology and cycling – bet you now think we’re a bit cooler than you did before you read this!