Business News: Progressive, Hiscox, Berkley Aspire

Progressive Insurance announced a new Flo Chatbot experience on Facebook Messenger. The tool, enhanced by artificial intelligence and quoting technology, is now available for all Messenger users via Flo, the Progressive Girl’s Facebook page.

The Flo Chatbot allows users to enter information and start the auto insurance quoting process in Messenger, allowing them to interact with Progressive in a conversational way. If the Flo Chatbot can’t answer a question, an experienced Progressive representative will be available to pick up the conversation via phone or private message.

The new chatbot will continue to improve over time as it adapts to consumers’ needs and inquiries.

Hiscox Re and ILS has launched a new US personal lines flood product, available to its insurance carrier partners, designed to help address the flood insurance gap. As the market deregulates, the private insurance market has an opportunity to support more customers with flood cover, and Hiscox has designed FloodXtra in close collaboration with U.S. carrier partners.

Hiscox expanded its flood insurance offering with FloodXtra, providing insurance carrier partners with rates, rules, forms, a ready-to-use underwriting portal and pricing system and reinsurance.

CCC Information Services Inc. introduced its Smart Total Loss product, an AI-powered claims solution that uses and analyzes a single photo to help auto insurers predict a vehicle total loss in seconds, with superior accuracy, without human intervention. It uses deep learning algorithms to help predict the most effective appraisal method for insurers, improving triage decisions that can reduce related expenses and reduce the disruption caused by total loss vehicles at repair shops. The company is in market trials with carriers to test the integrated solution.

CCC Smart Total Loss will be available for deployment in standalone mobile apps or integrated into insurers’ mobile experiences. Users upload their photo – as instructed by their insurer – and have that photo analyzed by CCC’s powerful AI engine. Smart Total Loss instantly analyzes damage against like photos, matching in make, model, year, and damage-type, returning a real-time response. Smart Total Loss is part of CCC Smart Claims, a rapidly growing suite of intelligent claims management solutions. Smart Total Loss is powered by the CCC ONE platform and is designed to be integrated into the workflow of the more than 350 carriers and 24,000 shops that use the platform currently.

Berkley Regional Specialty, a Berkley Company, announced that it is changing its name to Berkley Aspire effective January 1, 2018. The name change is part of a re-branding effort that reflects the operating unit’s commitment to make writing excess and surplus lines insurance easy.

Berkley Aspire is an insurance provider that writes general liability, property, umbrella and inland marine, and will introduce new coverage lines in 2018.