Think Safelite might be getting nervous about loosing the call center revenue? I mean, I doubt they'll lose the steering, Prog openly tells people to use Safelite, but without the call center revenue.....???


Call center jobs offer $500 signing bonus
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 11:26 AM EST Wednesday

The Progressive Group of Insurance Cos. is offering 80 new jobs at its Riverview call center.

The growth is expected to continue into next year as the company plans on adding 300 employees in 2007, it said in a release.

More here:
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2006/11/13/daily40.html

Speaking of call centers and SGC. Has anyone heard any more info on SGC shifting call centers to Somalia?

American Samoa....Somalia's in terrorist-ville.

Yeah...Somalia...that would be funny.

"Hey...you...infidel...you want to buy windshield or get your head cut off? Your choice. This is free country right?"

I don't know about Samoa, but I am so tired of SGC not being able to "verify coverage". They the ONLY tpa I deal with that can't verify coverage 50% of the time. Rarely, and I mean rarely, is it that any other TPA can't verify coverage for a policyholder. Are SGC computers that crappy or what is the deal? Sometimes I think my company spends more on hardware than SGC does. Of course, it is the 3rd week of the month, which is exactly when this usually happens.

I have had 7 customers today with various ins. co. and not one was SGC able to verify the coverage, and then wanted us to wait to perform the services. Seems like a HUGE waste of money for certain ins. co. to me.

Sorry rant of the day!!

I feel ya there. I have been waiting now for 2 days to get an approved referral faxed over. For a job the AGENT called into "Help Point" (aka:SGC) on a Farmers insured. The SGC rep said due to additional damage they are unable to verify coverage. Funny the agent called it in with the insured while in his office.

I forgot about the Somalia thing. I wonder if the Progressive call center plans on taking the glass only claim calls. Not like it matters, with their percentages on parts and the labor they pay and all.

It is NOT Somalia!! But it wouldn't surprise me, safelite could do mobile jobs on their camels.

oops Sorry I had Somalia stuck in my head!

I thought Samoa was drink you get in a bar.

On the verification of coverage thing I've had that happen alot too. I always ask the insured who their agent is, then I call the agent and have them call either their home office and inform the manager of glass claims, or SGC's insurance verification number which is (800-378-2444). If the agent or representative of agent will call that number with the effective dates of current policy, I promise you'll get a new fax with a referral number on it and not all of those xxxxx'x where the number should be. EVERY time I've done this I've got authorization same day. Plus it let's agents know what their insured's are going through just trying file a w/s claim (if they are the type that cares). I've had some agents get really mad when they realize what their customers are being put through with these TPA's.

I may have to do that. Just got off the phone with verifications as they misteriously voided the referal. Now I am being told it went to "O.C.R." and they will remove the void status and fax it when it when coverage gets verified. What the Heck is OCR? I know I have heard it but I forgot!

Have your insured call their agent and raise hell. That's B.S. waiting for repairs for a policy they pay for and probably have paid for for years. They are contracting YOU for repairs, not a daMMM TPA

Just a reminder in this, guys and gals:

Insurers and Networks do not authorize jobs/work/repairs.

They only do claims. Find in any policy where it says that an insured (or shop for that matter) must get authorization for items used in the repair before repairs are completed. (not in the faxes they send to shops, in the CONTRACT of insurance the insurer has with the insured. The faxes only have meaning if WE allow an entity we have no contract with to dictate contractural terms to us when no contract exists between us)

Ask any of them if they are contracting repairs with your shop, see what answer you get.

When you get the "NO" answer, then the conclusion should logically come that the insurer is not the customer, the car owner is. They are the ones requesting/in need of repairs, they are the ones who have the authority to authorize us to do the repairs, they are the ones contracting with us for those repairs.

The rest is just claims processing, a service we all seem to choose to do as a courtesy for our customers for free; but free is besides the point. The two distinct items of claims handling and repair contracting should NEVER meet in any decisions about the repairs to the customer's property. Not unless the insurer chooses to hire us to do repairs.

The point is who is legally contracting for us for repairs. The car owner. Once a person realizes that, this whole network/insurer mess gets a whole lot easier, and clearer.

JMHNLO

Thanks AGN for the best laugh all day !