Eagle Star sets up first Net quotes

Eagle Star has stolen a march over other motor insurers by launching the UK’s first “live” insurance quotation service over the Internet this week.

Customers accessing the 24 hour service (www.eaglestardirect.co.uk), claimed to be the world’s first Website offering instant motor insurance cover, will be given a 15 per cent reduction off standard premiums to promote demand through the new distribution channel.

“While some customers will always prefer to buy insurance over the phone or through an intermediary, we recognise the opportunities presented by the Internet,” says Roger Townsend, managing director of personal lines at Eagle Star Insurance.

“By fully automating the insurance buying process, we’re opening up a completely new distribution channel,” he adds.

Although several other UK financial services companies offering insurance products do provide sites which collect information to generate quotes for customers, Eagle Star claims its site is the first to allow for instant online completion of policy purchasing. The site was designed by online commerce specialist Entranet.

According to Mike Williams, sales and marketing director for Entranet: “We’ve worked hard to ensure the site is easy and quick to use. The online proposition offers a real advantage over the traditional process of paper form filling, and with quotes 15 per cent lower than buying through other channels, for the first time there’s a major incentive for customers to buy car insurance online.”