Allstate partners with HomeX to deliver personalized service for homeowners

Last month, Allstate teamed up with home services company HomeX  to give policyholders in Pennsylvania a solution that can save them time, stress, and money.

The solution, Remote Assist, begins with a virtual diagnosis of an issue around the home with a HomeX expert, covering areas such as heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, and appliances. The expert assesses the situation with the goal of guiding the homeowner to a fix but if the job is too much to handle in a virtual session, HomeX can connect the homeowner with a local pro prepared to come help solve the issue. HomeX Remote Assist also provides home walk-throughs and preventative maintenance guidance to help homeowners better understand how to maintain a healthy home.

“We’re trying to help customers during those high stress moments,” Ginger Purgatorio, SVP of product management at Allstate, told me on a call. “Frequently, if something happens in your home like a burst pipe or a live wire you don’t really know what to do. Adding a value proposition to the customer that can help them in that moment of need whether it’s an insurance need or maintenance need, we want Allstate to be part of that end-to end-solution.”

It’s no secret that handy folks are in decline. A poll of 1,000 millennial dads and 1,000 boomer dads found that when a DIY task needs to be done at home, more than half of millennials prefer to call a professional. And when it comes to emergency scenarios, millennial dads fall short in almost every category – millennial dads are less likely than their boomer counterparts to be able to change a car tire, unclog a toilet or sink, or reset a tripped circuit breaker. What’s more, a significant amount of millennial dads reported not owning a cordless drill (46%), a stepladder (49%), a set of screwdrivers (38%), or even a hammer (32%) – an item owned by 93% of boomer dads.

The new solution offered by Allstate to policyholders seems to be part of a growing trend among insurers looking to provide value to homeowners. Nationwide recently launched Anew to offer Atlanta residents a telemaintenance service for their home, Progressive established home repair platform Castle that connects homeowners with service pros and promises guaranteed results, and Hippo acquired Sheltr to later introduce Hippo Home Care, a virtual service connecting policyholders with home pros for immediate guidance, quick fixes, and more.

Beyond the value aspect, Allstate is driven by the desire to keep up with the times. “As we think about the marketplace and how technology is being embraced, we want to make sure that we are embracing the change customers are experiencing elsewhere in their life,” Purgatorio says while sharing a personal experience. “In the last 18 months, there has been a couple of times where I used virtual doctor services. I don’t know that pre-pandemic I would’ve necessarily contemplated that but it sure was convenient.”

The HomeX solution also happens to bring forth a theme Allstate is fond of according to Purgatorio . Allstate recognizes that what consumers are craving are those personalized experiences. “Allstate is big in telematics where it’s a customized, personalized experience when it comes to your auto. Customers are expecting just that because of the way technology has embedded itself in our lives day-to-day.”

The service, which is accessible through Allstate’s mobile app and promoted via email to policyholders, includes a 20% discount on virtual sessions through September 2022, with the first one being offered free of charge. The insurer will pay close attention to the level of engagement during the pilot phase and potentially expand the service based on the results.