Shannon Harvey

Allstate Motor Club is excited to release the first Allstate branded application (app) that makes roadside assistance even easier for the customer. The Allstate Motor Club Mobile App applies GPS technology to determine a customer's exact location and then directly connects them to a service provider. Other features of the app include a Service Details screen that displays the providers ETA and a Contacts screen that provides single button access to important phone numbers including their Allstate Agent's information.

Allstate Motor Club members can download the app to select mobile devices, and have access to their membership card, Allstate Agent and roadside assistance at their fingertips. With the member information embedded in the phone, and the help of GPS technology, customers are able to bypass a customer service representative and be directly connected to a service provider. Now in about 40 seconds, all information is exchanged for service and the who, what, when and where questions are answered.

Another aspect of the app that improves the customer experience occurs after the call has been dispatched. The customer will receive an automated Service Details summary on their mobile device that includes the service provider's name, phone number and their expected time of arrival.

Motor Club members that signed up through their Allstate Agent, receive an added benefit with the app. Their Allstate Agents information will automatically be stored in the Contacts screen, providing instant access to their Agent.

Anyone can use this app. For non-Allstate Motor Club members, the app can be downloaded for free and features a pay per use option for roadside assistance. We never plan to get stranded on the side of the road, but this allows us to more easily plan for the worst just by having our cell phone with us.

Congratulations to Gerri Edwards from Keller Williams of Greenville for winning our September Referral Contest drawing for a $50 gas card! Thank you, Gerri, for your trust. We're glad to put your customer in Good Hands.

Thank you also to the other entrants in the drawing. Your referrals are greatly appreciated!

The contest is simple. For every referral you send our way for a homeowners insurance or auto insurance quote, we'll enter you in the contest for the monthly and quarterly prize. If the referred individual purchases the quoted policy, your name will be entered a second time. There is no limit to how many times your name can be entered, so the more referrals you send the better your chances!

Each month we'll select one winner to receive a gas card. Additionally, each quarter we'll select one person as the winner of the quarterly prize--last quarter's item was a Nintendo Wii. So what are you waiting for?

Fortunately a friend told me about this segment which recently ran on NBC's Today Show spotlighting cancer. It has great statistics that are especially relevant since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The doctors & cancer patients talk about major medical plans and how the plans don't offer coverage for a lot of the non-medical charges & out of pocket expenses associated with cancer. This is particularly sobering since it is reality.

Our Cancer Insurance Policy takes on new meaning for me due to my recent encounter with skin cancer. I find it to be worth that extra 2- or 3-minutes to discuss this with customers since so many people fail to think about it until it's too late.

The Clemson Derby Days charity event which benefits the Children's Miracle Network at Greenville Children's Hospital is taking place this week. The Children's Miracle Network (CMN) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for hospitalized children in over 170 children's hospitals. In the Upstate, the local CMN-affiliated hospital is Children's Hospital at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS).

Derby Days has been a tradition at Clemson since 1979 and it includes a week-long series of events in which Clemson's sororities engage in friendly competition to raise money for Children's Miracle Network. Events during Derby Days include bowling, karaoke, a dance competition, and more. The sorority ladies are getting more and more involved every year and previous attendance has been on a campus-wide level. The week will be capped off with the great concert courtesy from the ever-popular Blues Traveler. Clemson Derby Days' contributions of more than $100,000 over the past four years have helped create Safe Kids Upstate, an organization of more than 450 coalitions who help prevent accidental injury of children by providing training and education to parents, teachers and medical professionals. I'm glad to see them playing a role in preventing the number one cause of death to children under fourteen in the United States, motor vehicle accidents.

In these tough times it can be difficult to find the money for worthy causes and the CMN would be very grateful for contributions of any size. Donations to CMN create miracles by funding medical care, research and education that saves and improves the lives of 17-million children each year. To make it easy, they've set up an online system at the Clemson Derby Days website where you can make a donation through the click of a button.

Thank you very much for your time and please keep the efforts of Children's Miracle Network in your heart as we try to enrich the lives of those less fortunate.

Congratulations to Teresa Ovissi of The Train Auto Sales & Leasing for winning the August Referral Contest drawing for a $50 gas card! Thank you, Teresa, for your trust. We're glad to put your customer in Good Hands.

Thank you also to the other entrants in the drawing. Your referrals are greatly appreciated!

The contest is simple. For every referral that you send our way that calls and asks us for a home or auto insurance quote, we will enter you in the contest for the monthly and quarterly prize. If the referred individual purchases the quoted policy, your name will be entered a second time. The best part about this program is, there is no limit to how many times your name can be entered. The more referrals you send the better your chances of winning!

Each month we'll select one winner to receive a gas card. Additionally, each quarter we'll select one person as the winner of the quarterly prize--last quarter's item was a Nintendo Wii. So what are you waiting for?