New mobile app launched by esure and Sheilas' Wheels

esure broker and Sheilas’ Wheels Broker have launched a range of new insurance apps enabling customers to access their accounts and generate new quotes while on the move.

The technology has been developed by software house CDL and integrates fully with the esure broker and Sheilas’ Wheels Broker’s websites, contact centres and aggregator distribution channels.

esure broker and Sheilas’ Wheels Broker managing director Jon Morrell said: “There’s no doubt that the mobile channel represents a huge opportunity and will become an increasingly crucial extension of sales and service functions. We were impressed with the speed and simplicity of CDL’s technology which is all about enhancing the service we offer to our customers by giving ease of access to their policies 24/7.”

Existing esure broker and Sheilas’ Wheels Broker customers will be able to download either the ‘esure broker My Account’ or ‘Sheilas’ Wheels Broker My Account’ app onto their iPhones. This will give them mobile access to their online account and portfolio of policies, generate new quotes if they’re looking to buy a new car, make mid-term adjustments such as adding a named driver, and check their insurance documentation while out and about.

The app also connects to mobile controls such as the phone dialer, email and camera, which will be of most use in the event of an accident when contacting an insurer as quickly as possible is crucial.

CDL business strategist Nigel Phillips said: “Take-up of smart phones and tablets has exploded over the past 12 months and there is consensus amongst the leading IT players for the need to think ‘mobile first’.

“At CDL, we’ve seen the percentage of consumers browsing client websites via a mobile device surge from 2% in January 2011 to 12% by the start of this year, which is why we’re looking to support brokers – such as esure broker – with a range of mobile solutions, from mobile optimised websites to full self-administration apps.”

This self-administration app also helps combat fraud through intelligent question sets, inline validation, smart defaults and enhanced DVLA lookup, integrating with CDL’s vehicle information systems to populate all vehicle questions from the car registration number.

According to market analysts, Canalys, 487m smart phones were sold globally in 2011 – compared to 112m desktops – and smart phone sales continue to rise at around 50% per quarter.