Farmers is latest insurance carrier on Amazon Echo

Farmers Insurance is the latest carrier to partner with Amazon on its Echo device, joining countless other insurers in adding the voice-enabled assistant as another way to interact with customers.

The new skill enables policyholders to access policy information, inquire about a claim and pose questions about insurance terminology and coverages. Farmers hints future deployments on Echo will bring even more functionality, including bill pay and assets for the newly released Echo Show—a tablet operating similarly to Amazon’s flagship products Echo and Echo Dot, which customers can use for visual flash briefings, YouTube and video calls.

The likes of Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide and Grange Insurance have already signed on to leverage Amazon’s AI technology. Ohio-based insurer Progressive also developed an app with Google on its voice assistant in March.

"Farmers is committed to providing a truly differentiated customer experience and our ongoing investments in technology, like this new skill for Alexa, will enable us to deliver greater speed and efficiency on behalf of those who have chosen [us]," said Ron Guerrier, chief information officer at Farmers, in a statement.

Farmers’ Alexa skill rollout adds to what has been a busy year for the carrier. The company recently launched its first usage-based insurance product “Signal,” designed to stop distracted driving, this spring. It also introduced a new mobile tool for roadside assistance in June, which delivers rideshare-like services to customers waiting for tow trucks after an accident.

Earlier this month, Farmers deployed Kespry’s drone fleet to gather rooftop images and generate analytic reports intended to make resolving claims easier. The startup’s hardware and cloud software is now being utilized by Farmers drone operators and claim representatives.

Also see: How Farmers is making claims digital