In this new series, we talk to our people about key projects they’ve been working on. This time, we’re chatting with Becki, our Product Manager, about our Connect platform.
As we’ve mentioned before, this project is central to our vision of a world where car insurance is way smarter (and a lot cheaper too). Over to Becki…
What is By Miles Connect?
“It’s a new way of collecting the data that powers our policies. Traditionally, we’ve used a Miles Tracker which plugs into your car and gives us the information we need about the miles you drive. This platform is a step up from that.
“Using API’s, it allows us to receive data directly from your car – without the need to plug anything in. It’s an easier way of doing things and potentially opens the door to collecting other kinds of data that we can use to add value.”
Cutting through complexity.
“The starting point for all this was to connect our API to the car manufacturers, so we could receive data. I worked alongside Dan, our product designer, to work out how we were going to figure out what this experience would be like for members.
“We looked at what should happen once a customer has purchased the policy. What do they see? How do we log them in? Each manufacturer is slightly different, so it wasn’t going to be a one-size-fits all thing. In some cases, you can do the entire onboarding process in our app. Others involve email, or interacting with the vehicle.
“For us it’s making sure that we manage all that in the easiest way possible, both for our members and for the Customer Experience team – so they don’t have to think through too many different scenarios in which they might need to help members get set up.
“We had to work closely with the Customer Experience team to make sure we were presenting all of the extra choice that comes with Connect in a way that wasn’t overwhelming for customers. In fact, the Connect launch was a real collaborative effort. We had to get a holistic view of things to make sure the technical aspects, the design aspects and all the other angles were working together.”
Letting the app shine.
“Outside of the Connect platform, we’ve recently launched an app feature that prompts users to review the app after they’ve been using its features – like Find My Car (which helps you track your vehicle), Car Medic (which helps run diagnostics) or the ULEZ reminders (that keep you on top of fees).
“This has been really great in that it’s gotten our ratings up to above 4 stars on both the App Store and Google Play. That’s really where they should be, especially since the app’s features are helping people every day – even to the point of recovering stolen cars.”
Enabling the future with dynamic pricing.
“We already have dynamic pricing. With us, when you’re not driving, we’re not charging you for any miles. But we want to push that further and see in what other scenarios we can push down prices.
“Perhaps you’ve driven at a less risky time of day, or on a less risky kind of road – so we can charge less than your usual per-mile rate. For example, we know motorways are generally safer. So you may have made a long journey, but if you’ve done most of it on a safer sort of road, we’d love to offer a discount on that. In future, the Connect platform could give us further specifics – like whether you’re using automated driving or safety features like lane assist. That could also change how we price.
“It’ll never be about charging people more for not having those things. We just want to be as smart as possible in finding ways to reward people for lowering their risk. That’s the future of driving as we see it.”
