Allstate quietly lays off 500, leans into feature that lets customers photograph damage
A spokesman for the
The company's QuickFoto Claim feature, which lets customers snap photos of damage after accidents and start the claims process, is becoming a dominant method for inspection, Allstate President
This, along with drones that assess roof damage, a new immediate payment method and other tech, has resulted in "a more efficient system," Winter said.
In the past, "there was a lot of dead time, unproductive time as adjusters drove around" to cars and body shops for estimates, Winter said. "We looked at that and realized emerging technologies, data and analytics could rectify that and take some of the inefficiency out of the system."
Allstate is phasing out its drive-in inspection stations, where customers could take a damaged car for assessment. Though it is unclear how many of those sites have been closed, Chairman and CEO
The closures and layoffs have come at a cost.
Allstate spent
Some of that cost this year also has gone toward "realigning certain departments" for Allstate's Esurance and Encompass brands, according to
Esurance, which focuses on an online and mobile experience, cut about 100 positions nationwide this year. The last day for most of the employees was
"The changes will ensure we're structured appropriately with the right resources at the right scale," Cross said in an emailed statement. "By reducing operational costs, our customers will continue receiving the competitive rates and savings they've come to expect from Esurance."
Most of those layoffs were concentrated in three of Esurance's 17 offices: one in
Esurance employs about 3,300 people, she said. That number is included in Allstate's total employee count, which is about 43,000, spokesman
Company representatives wouldn't say whether the 100 Esurance layoffs were included in Allstate's count of 500 terminated employees.
Herndon declined to comment further on Encompass, a personal property and casualty insurance brand. During the earnings call,
The expansion of QuickFoto Claim is also expected to create positions, Herndon said. He declined to comment on a number of new jobs.
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