What do YOU want?

[Charged]

Well tell me guys and gals... what do YOU want from Sky Insurance??!!

I've been asked to come up with ideas which will get our car club members talking about us and hopefully recommending us...

My ideas, fairly obvious and discussed with some TB members already..

1) Sky Insurance paid for drag strip day.

Basically we invite a handful of members from each of our affiliated clubs along to a fully paid for drag strip day, with interclub/car competitions and prizes on the day

2) Sky Insurance paid for trackday.

Again, invite a handful of members from each of our affiliated car clubs along to a fully paid for trackday, with interclub/car competitions and prizes, with trackday insurance cover provided.

I'm also looking at bringing on board some customer incentives, such as recommend a friend schemes.

Am I missing anything here? Would the above activities be of interest to TB members? Any other suggestions would be helpful and will be taken on board..

thanks in advance

Ollie

[OlberJ]

So we're talking PR wise rather than policy?

[Arkwright]

To entice new members before their insurance is due Sky could pay the admin charge for the early cancellation...or is that not the sort of thing you're after?

[biteme]

- I'd personally say less focus on people's location, i.e. from LIVERPOOL.

- Taking account the number of cars and mileage

- Giving the best price first - rather than saying "So, what's your best price so far?"

- Including agreed prices

- Trackday cover (upto a certain number a year, or at a small premium).

- Buyback options

I'll be back with more...

[weegaz22]

well my take on it is everyone wants cheaper insurance, and if a company is going to shed out a load of money on hiring a track for the day then they are going to need to get it back somehow...ie increased premiums

no offence...insurance companys are in buisness to make money, just like any other buisness

[Charged]

Thanks, and keep them coming..

focus here is more on PR, getting our club members talking about us, offering them something back... Insurance is not all about how cheap the policy, some individuals would often rather pay more money to insure with Sky as they get to speak to staff who know and care about modified cars, rather than some call centre monkey who doesn't know what a MR2 looks like, let alone what performance gains a 3.0L V6 is going to give...

We have done a drag strip day before with the Mkiv Supra club before and we'd like to do these again; this is certainly something I would love to be offered by my insurance company... especially if it was paid for :thumbsup:

I see your point about the possibility of this driving up premium prices... this is not what we are about and we wouldn't risk driving customers away by doing that!

[msherry21]

There needs to be more reason for us to join you rather than someone else. If I want to do a track day, I'll pay for one, same goes for drag strip and the like. What I'd want is a policy that did free courtesy cars, free pickup of car in the event of a breakdown in the uk and europe. I'm constantly driving to shows, events all over the UK and Europe and would like to know that my insurace company gives a shit and if I breakdown, someone will help me out. Things like that would have me shout the praises of Sky insurance, not a free day out.

[Garbe]

I agree with Msherry - its the package that counts - Breakdown rates can be better negociated by an insurance company and will make a big saving for the customer, its something that we all have to buy, but if its included then its more incentive- The better the policy the more likely you are to recommend.

If you do a track day what are te cover implications?

[biteme]

good points lads. We're not gonna blindly go "Sky are the greatest" ... we need a reason - and therefore Sky need to differentiate themselves from the competition...

[OlberJ]

I'm sure if you try this on another mr2 forum, you'll get the PR ideas you're looking for Ollie.

What we want is a better policy. Do you have any clout on that, or are you good at bending the big wig's arms? :mrgreen:

I work in insurance aswell and know how hard it can be to get the actual policies changed.

How big are Sky Insurance, how many cust's etc? What i'm meaning is, without coming across as being wide, are they specifically a "specialist" car insurance company or just looking for a slice of that pie?

PR wise then i'd get your name on as many cars/shows/adverts as possible, it's the only way that really works. And a unique radio add too.

[Charged]

We are always looking for any ideas which will help improve our image, whether this be better policies or free days out... we do offer breakdown cover as well as courtesy cars, quite often (depending on which insurer we place you with) these come as part of your overall package. I understand that these two points are important as I would not want to be without them either.

Not wanting to divulge customer figures, we are very well known in the Japanese and performance car field, we are affiliated with a large number of clubs and this list of clubs is growing on a daily basis. Although we do all sorts of different insurance (not just motor vehicles) we pride ourselves on the fact that we offer insurance discounts to enthusiasts as we beleive these individuals are more likely to take better care of their vehicles.

Points on trackday cover, breakdown assistance and courtesy cars duly noted, these will be discussed with my manager at the nearest possibly opportunity.

I must say the fact that I have been recruited from the car club forums rather than from a backround in insurance speaks volumes about Sky Insurance. Also the fact that I posted this thread hopefully shows that we do care about what our customers want, we can only expect our customers to talk about us and recommend us if they are happy with the service they are receiving.

[msherry21]

Hi Ollie, I'm really sorry but this just seems like the same script as every other insurance company out there!! What makes Sky insurance any different to them? "we pride ourselves on the fact that we offer insurance discounts to enthusiasts" How much discount?

What else do you offer that other "enthusiast" insurance companies don't?

At the moment you're just another number on that long list I have here of insurance companies to phone to get the best deal...not on price but package.

Can you do an "agreed price" on vehicles? That would be a great thing especially for TwoBrutal people who have slightly different cars that have had a considerable amount of cash thrown at them.

I'd love to be able to phone one insurance company, they give me the whole deal and thats the job done! I can get on with my day. Its a pain in the arse having to go round so many companies, asking them questions first: Do you do imports?.........do you do modified cars?............can you give me an agreed price on my vehicles?

[OlberJ]

Are sky a company or a brokerage?

[msherry21]

I'm sure there a brokers.

[Charged]

Unfortunately most customers are more interested in getting the lowest price possible than the actual policy documents... I wish there were more customers like you (Mike) out there to be honest...The trouble is with insurance, and getting the best price is that most individuals always think that they will get a cheaper price with the next phone call, and there are other companies (ourselves included) who will always try and match the price offered by their competition, therefore it is difficult to sell insurance on the first phone call... quite often we get customers who will make 10 + phone calls and then will come back to Sky because they received the best telephone service and personal touch.

this leads me onto the following:

*We have a number of genuine car enthusiasts working for the company who are actually interested in the cars our customers are getting quotes on

*We offer a personalised service rather than using call centres

*Our agents are trained to deal with car enthusiasts, and more importantly modifications

*We attend various events throughout the year in our company branded Japanese car, this gives us the opportunity to talk to and socialise with our customers

*We have a presence on all of our affiliated car club forums, answering queries accross the board

*We offer 'Like for like' cover on modifications

In answer to your other queries, we do offer agreed value policies for existing customers and we are looking at bringing this back on board for 2008, unfortunately this is something we cannot currently offer to new business customers.

The discount which we offer to our affiliated car clubs is -20%

Olie, Sky are a brokers.

[millentubby]

If you can beat the quotes I can get from EIS then you're all mine...as long as I can get DOC on my police (I'm 21). Bell give me TPFT + DOC + Windscreen etc for not much more than £500 a year. For a 21 year old that's bloody awesome.

Beat it and I'll love you forever.

(I'm currently with Admiral as I had to get a pay-monthly thang to get covered (defaulted under Bell and had to pay the full whack) until some pennies rolled in. Now I'm looking to chuck in with Admiral and go back to bell.

[weegaz22]

from my personal experience the reason people phone round different companies is to get the best quote and to play the companies off against each other

example: my first motorcycle quotes were around £1020 after spending most of the day online and on the phone playing the same companys off against each other i managed to get a price of £340......£680 less than my initial quotes

thats a huge margin of profit for a company per person, so thats why most people concentrate on price....because theres a lot of margin in a quote for company profit...

dont think im tarring sky with the same brush ollie, im not, but insurance companies are in buisness to make money, plain and simple, just depends on how big a slice they want off each customer to make it worth their while

and yes im scottish...so that makes me tight, but id rather not give my insurer a carribean holiday every year

[Paff]

When mine comes round for renewal I will give you a shout for sure. But.....

it needs to be comparable to the company I'm with at the mo.

Once I've sorted the bodywork out the car will be an agreed value, they listened to all the mods I could list that I have and am planning over the year of cover and will cover them all like for like. I have 30 days European cover, and can get track cover with a 5 min phonecall to let them know I'm going for a fee per event. On top of that they were cheaper than eveyone else I tried, including Sky by quite a bit (I'll say at the time as I'm always willing to try for the future).

All the above points are all valid.

Just for the record, (once I get the body sorted) the car is initially valued at about £3500, all mods declared, track cover, european cover, windscreen cover, Fully comp for £520 I think, or maybe a bit less. Oh and it covers me on anyone elses car and anyones bike.

I'm happy to look at Sky next time but it needs to at least match that little list.

[rattymr2]

And a unique radio add too.


you mean one that has Ollie crashing his 1.5 and showing the ease it is to get a realistic payout reflecting the value of the car..........


:hidesbehi

i am thinking the idea behind a drag day is to entice people to go to sky. As a broker Sky get commision based on sales. if they put in 10% of the commision into a drag day which will attract say 300 people the cost is probably gonna be about £10 per car.

once word gets a round about the days and they get a number of new customers from it the day will more than pay for itself. i dont think the money comes from our premiums as they are generally set by the insurance companies. Sky have an advertising budget which the drag days etc will be paid for out of. Remember the power of the internet and the number of forums there are out there.

personally i would rather have interest free monthly payments rather than the heavy charges some companies want for installments.

[biteme]

Ratty, what I used to do was get an 0% credit card and use that to pay my insurance, that overcame the finance issues.

I agree with Michael Sherry (again? What's going on? :P ) - I'd pay a little more for the right policy. But when it's 200-300 different and the policy is 400-500 then it's a significant difference - then you can't blame people for going elsewhere.

[OlberJ]

There's too many variables in peoples history, circumstances, cars to have a policy which will suit everyone. Hence why sky are a brokers.

So if you're a brokerage which shops around, how much of the policy is sky determinable? Do you buy a sky policy that's backed by the insurer or do you buy the insurers policy and sky get a finders fee?

Point is, if it's a sky policy we get, and you can change things then that's what you should look at and try and get the things mentioned above.

If it's the latter then i reckon you've got all the PR work to do and the budget to do it.

So before we make a suggestion, which way is it?

[snowtigger]

hmmm the only way i see u as a company getting any where through word of mouth on forums is if u convince people that what u say and your actions are truth full every one whants things cheaper that is the human affliction its value for money that we need .whats hardest to put into words is the human interaction careing for your customers remebring there birth days taking an interest in there hobbys the personal touch es. i run a landscape businnes also im a tree surgeon i do garden maintenance as well but i dont advertise these things because i dont need to i have more jobs than i can shake a shity stick at y because i go that extra mile for my customers and they talk to there friends and they employ us then they talk to there friends and so on if what u are selling is a good and honest policy that fits most of the market then it should sell it self through word of mouth. the only thing i keep hearing on the forums is if u cant buy back the car after a accident then its not worth it. i know from research that i am going to be puting about 3 maybe 5 k into a car most of that will be going on the engine and mechanicals but realistically the car may only be worth on a whole what the market says is its current value is how can u value the time energy love and commitment it takes to biuld one thats what u have to show your customers .at least ollie you are on the road to that with your car.next time u ring a so called specialist car insurance company ask them what they drive to work every day turn the tables and find how knowlegeable they are . i tell u what these flu pills are strong im going for a sleep night night all.

[Charged]

So before we make a suggestion, which way is it?

Its the latter, and it works best that way, as you say there are many, many variables with insurance, as we are able to approach different insurers we can place you with the best company to suit your needs.

Thanks for the responses so far, they has given me a few ideas...

[OlberJ]

So you're purely PR then, good stuff. Makes your job a lot more interesting.

I was serious about the radio add, relatively cheap form of advertising and how many other insurance companies/brokers do it well?

[Charged]

So you're purely PR then, good stuff. Makes your job a lot more interesting.

I was serious about the radio add, relatively cheap form of advertising and how many other insurance companies/brokers do it well?

My job is a bit of a mixed bag, customers service, car club liaison and promotion of the company brand... but yes, in a nutshell, PR.

I like the radio idea as well Olie, that is one idea I will certainly look into...

[rattymr2]

Ollie,

if you're gonna crash your 1.5 can you do it into the front of my alfa as it needs a bit of paint by the front wing. i will bring a tape recorder along.

[Andy No Knee]

Hi Ollie,

Time to resarect this thread I think.

Ways to make Sky better??

1. Stop using Amber as your finance company, thier customer service is not on the same level as Skys so it drags you down by association.

2. Find a breakdown cover company that offers cover on cars OVER 15 years of age. As an enthusiast and a lover of Jap muscle cars the older versions of these are now in thier late teens and possible early 20's, I have had my cover for as long as I have been with you (4 year IIRC) and only used it once. I have just renewed and been told that you cannot cover it.

Not impressed!

3. Try to get people who are interested in the cars that they are advertising. I rang up for a quote on a 3lr V6 conversion and was asked was the engine out of a Soarer. I had already given the engine code, and it wasnt a 1JZGTE. (Which is a 2.5lr stright 6)

4. Keep empolying hot office staff.
That one I saw last weekend was nice!





Dont let the missus see that!

[biteme]

Great feedback there Andy. Especially the breakdown one.

[Charged]

Hi Ollie,

Time to resarect this thread I think.

Ways to make Sky better??

1. Stop using Amber as your finance company, thier customer service is not on the same level as Skys so it drags you down by association.


Personally I agree with you as I have experience of using amber credit.. these days I'd always pay the full premium up front and I try and advise friends etc to do the same... even take out an interest free credit card to pay the premium. Unfortunately credit companies like amber all work in similar ways... I think if we switched to another company we would have whole host of different problems to deal with... Its just the nature of the 'credit' beast.



2. Find a breakdown cover company that offers cover on cars OVER 15 years of age. As an enthusiast and a lover of Jap muscle cars the older versions of these are now in thier late teens and possible early 20's, I have had my cover for as long as I have been with you (4 year IIRC) and only used it once. I have just renewed and been told that you cannot cover it.

Not impressed!

I wasn't aware of that... great feedback which I will take to the office manager. Disapointing for me as well owning an '85 and '88 Mr2.


3. Try to get people who are interested in the cars that they are advertising. I rang up for a quote on a 3lr V6 conversion and was asked was the engine out of a Soarer. I had already given the engine code, and it wasnt a 1JZGTE. (Which is a 2.5lr stright 6)

To be honest, this is very difficult. All of our sales staff are keen about cars, but it is almost impossible for them to know engine codes etc.. We do have genuine enthusiasts working here but I think you'll have to accept that you will always have to do a bit of explanation when it comes to engine codes. We are still head and shoulders above a standard insurer when it comes to this sort of thing, but there is always room for improvement. Personally speaking, i do not know the engione codes for the Soarers and Camrys etc... and I'm a long term member of Two Brutal :freak3:


4. Keep empolying hot office staff.
That one I saw last weekend was nice!


And only 18 years old! And why do you think I was employed.. it certainly was not for my knowledge lol

Thanks for the feedback Andy, my apologies for the time it has taken to reply, although i have been on Two Brutal in the last week, I have been absent from work.

Cheers

Ollie
Sky Insurance

[RichardK]

When it comes to insurance, I want a couple of things:

Matched NCB and/or Classic cover. So - if you can stick me on a classic/limited mileage policy (especially if it's an "estimate" and not "agreed" mileage) then I'll be happy if it's cheap, but Direct Line (and more) now match the NCB between my cars. The difference is that I can't have named drivers.

If you can match NCB and allow me to have named drivers (which Performance Direct were going to do for my MX5 before I realised I didn't even need that, as they offered me a classic policy on an import, something I'd never been offered for my Seras), then I'm happy.

I also need Class 2 business use for at least one of my cars ;)

Sensible approaches to modifications and an enthusiast-centric approach to covering the car, offering classic-style features like agreed value, buyback, reasonable estimates of risk for a car owned by an enthusiast always make me happy, too.

Easy access to:

Track day cover (would love this to be straightforward as I'd then have a go)

Additional vehicles if the car is off the road - Direct Line are very good at doing TAVs for me, but again they have to be in my name (and in fairness I usually have a car kicking about I can do this with). If I can do a TAV which belongs to someone else but is not insured by them for a sensible price reflecting the fact that I'm being loaned a car for a good reason, then I will be very happy.

Good cover for stuff in the car - fortunately my household cover works on this, but I sometimes have borrowed camera gear, very occasionally worth more than the car itself - being able to ensure the more moderate figures are covered saves a bit of hassle if the car is stolen.

Matched NCB/named drivers/class 2 business use are the main features I want out of a policy, though. It will be less of an issue when I've had my second Direct Line car for a while and built up a few years NCB on it, but at the moment I can't put my girlfriend on as a named driver and if she does borrow my car (unlikely, she's scared of the Delica and can't drive manual!) she'll be driving it on third party extension from her policy :(