Progressive Puts Agent Portal On IPad

Agents using Apple's tablet computer can quote and sell policies with it, while those who prefer Android will gain the capability in the next few months.

Progressive (Mayfield Village, Ohio) has made its For Agents Only portal accessible via iPad, the company announced today. Agents can now quote and sell policies on the iPad. Progressive is also working on bringing that capability to Android tablets, which it says should be available "in a few months."

Last month, Progressive's marketing process manager Jim DeVito (who leads the company's agent technology advisory board) spoke with Insurance & Technology on how Progressive decides where to invest its distribution technology budget. A significant portion of its sales force wants tablet capability, he explains.

"The challenge becomes as a carrier provider is when and how much, and using what form factor do we deliver the capabilities to an agent," DeVito says. "Like many other executives, ladies and gentlemen from larger agencies walk around with iPads because they live a very mobile life. We felt we needed to get out there to agencies who are mobile."

[Read about how Progressive's Jim DeVito is working to mitigate frustration with agency portal passwords.]

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio