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Press/Analyst Contacts
The CertifiedFirst Network and First Notice
Systems Connect Services to Offer Quality Collision Repair
at First Notice of Loss
The ability to refer policyholders to a nationwide
network of pre-certified auto body shops during a claim-report
call improves customer satisfaction and reduces claims expense
Boston, MA & Pittsburgh, PA — October
27,
2003 — First Notice Systems®, Inc.,
a leader in claim reporting solutions for the insurance
industry, and the CertifiedFirst™ Network,
PPG Industries’ North American network of quality-verified
collision repair centers, today announced a strategic alliance
designed to ensure high policyholder satisfaction in the
auto body repair process. Under the new agreement, insurance
carriers that are clients of First Notice can now offer
referrals for certified, guaranteed collision repair to
their policyholders who call to report an accident. With
a growing roster of over 1,300 qualified shops, the CertifiedFirst Network provides local access to auto body repair in neighborhoods
across North America.
Finding a reputable auto body repair center is an unfamiliar
task for most people. Since the average driver gets in an
accident only once every seven years, he or she often turns
to friends, family and co-workers for recommendations—with
widely varying results. The CertifiedFirst Network takes
the guesswork out of choosing a repair facility. Each network
shop is pre-qualified and then continually monitored by:
- strict conformance to established network standards
for quality, and courteous, professional service
.
- independent verification of network standards by reputable third parties:
on-site facility audits are performed by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL),
and customer satisfaction surveys are conducted by Customer Research, Inc.
- In addition, the CertifiedFirst Network is Motor Trend® Preferred and paint
products used have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal.
“Offering quality collision repair to policyholders
while they’re on the phone reporting their claims is
a great service—for them and their carrier,” said
Jeff Blum, Director, PPG Automotive Aftermarket Alliance. “Connecting
with leading industry players like First Notice, as well
as customer-focused, quality body shops, is part of our strategic
plan to bring real value to insurance carriers, their customers
and CertifiedFirst Network participants.”
The insurance industry has long recognized the benefits
of direct repair programs using closely managed networks
of vendors. To capitalize, many carriers have established
their own networks of shops, while others have lacked the
internal resources to recruit and manage facilities effectively.
The CertifiedFirst Network, offered through First Notice’s
claim reporting services, can supplement existing networks
for carriers that have their own body shops and can become,
in essence, the Direct Repair, Direct Appraisal or Preferred
Provider program for carriers that don’t.
The Integrated Service
After an accident occurs, policyholders begin the process
of returning their vehicle to pre-loss condition by calling
the 800-number on the back of their insurance “wallet
card.” The phone rings in a First Notice service center
where a First Notice customer service representative, acting
on behalf of the insurance company, walks the policyholder
through the claim report. By checking collision coverages
and dynamically adjusting the call flow to the specifics
of the accident, First Notice can see if the caller qualifies
for an auto body referral and then find shops in his or her
local area. If eligibility criteria are met, the First Notice
representative will ask if the caller is interested in a
referral to an auto body shop in their vicinity. Policyholders
are always free to choose any facility to repair their vehicle.
If they are interested in a referral to a quality-verified
facility, the First Notice representative uses a “warm
transfer” process to connect the caller, while still
on the line, directly with a CertifiedFirst Network shop
to schedule an appointment.
“We built the vendor referral engine into our ClaimCapture™ software with both our clients’ needs and best-of-breed services
like the CertifiedFirst Network in mind,” said Jim
Leightheiser, Vice President of Product Marketing for First
Notice. “Clients with existing vendor programs can
fill in coverage gaps and increase selection by adding the
CertifiedFirst Network’s 1,300+ shops to the mix, while
clients with no network in place can create—and benefit
from—a direct-repair-program capability virtually overnight.”
“This new alliance is consistent with our strategy
to offer custom solutions for both our insurance clients
and our industry partners,” said Steve Topczewski,
Vice President of Sales for the CertifiedFirst Network.
CertifiedFirst Network shops are independently reviewed
and offer written workmanship and paint performance guarantees.
They have email and Internet access and can create, send
and receive electronic estimates. In addition, they have
access to other collision-related services like towing, glass
and car rentals and have the flexibility to adapt to a carrier’s
unique requirements.
This joint offering is now available for implementation
into First Notice client programs.
About First Notice Systems
Founded in 1993, First Notice Systems (www.firstnotice.com)
is the premier provider of claim reporting and customer service
solutions to the insurance and healthcare industries. First
Notice connects insurance carriers, third-party administrators
and healthcare organizations with their customers through
a combination of call center outsourcing services and rules-based
Web technology. With headquarters in Boston, MA, First Notice
Systems, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Concentra
Inc. Concentra is a leading healthcare company offering
a broad range of products and services that provide quality
patient care for work-related injuries and that manage the
rising costs of healthcare and workers’ compensation.
Concentra serves the occupational healthcare, group health
and auto/liability markets. “Concentra” and "First
Notice Systems" are registered trademarks of Concentra Operating
Corporation (www.concentra.com).
About The CertifiedFirst Network
The CertifiedFirst Network is a North American group of
dealership and independently owned auto body repair centers.
One of the most important aspects of the CertifiedFirst Network
is that the standards required to be met by participating
auto body repair centers are verified by independent third
parties. The standards, consistent across the CertifiedFirst Network,
are divided into two major categories— an evaluation of the
repair center itself, on aspects ranging
from its facilities to employee training, and measurement
of the satisfaction level of the repair center’s customers.
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), conducts the facility
verification review and Customer Research, Inc., (CRI) verifies
customer satisfaction. The UL name is a familiar and trusted
one, providing credibility to the Network. CRI also has a
strong track record, having specialized in customer satisfaction
and marketing research for the automotive industry since
1967.
For more information on the CertifiedFirst Network,
visit
www.certifiedfirst.com or
call 1-866-CERT-1ST. |
