Progressive has just received its sixth and seventh Standard of Excellence Web Awards from the Web Marketing Association (WMA). Both awards went to Progressive Insurance sites that make it easier for consumers to purchase and maintain existing policies, or to find a local independent agent.
The WMA says that Progressive.com and ProgressiveAgent.com were recognized for “outstanding achievements in website development” as well as for maintaining a “standard of excellence for which all websites should strive.”
Toby Alfred, general manager for Progressive’s customer acquisition group said, “Progressive is always looking for ways to reinvent the online experience and make it easy for drivers to shop for, buy and own car insurance. We’re excited to be recognized by an organization with a history of setting high benchmarks and industry standards for Web site development.”
These sentiments were exchoed by Pawan Divakarla, marketing process manager for progressiveagent.com, who added, “The Standard of Excellence WebAward is affirmation that we’ve developed an effective, easy-to-use tool for people who want to quote and buy insurance through an independent agent.”
Progressive was the first major automobile insurer to have a website at all, as well as the first to sell car insurance policies online in real time. As well, they were the first major auto insurance company to embrace Web 2.0.
The WMA was founded in 1997, and their annual WebAward competition names the best websites in 96 different industries. This year’s competition included more than 2400 sites from 45 countries.