Allstate app allows photos of damaged vehicles taken on smartphones to be submitted

Allstate has introduced a new feature on its mobile app that allows a qualifying customer in the United States who has had an accident to kickstart the claims process by submitting pictures of a damaged vehicle taken on a smartphone through the app.

The QuickFoto Claim feature will initially be available in 10 states across the south and southwestern U.S. before it is expected to be rolled out in the majority of states by the end of 2013, Northbrook, Illinois-based Allstate Corporation noted in a press release last week.

For customers with qualifying claims who choose to use the feature, simple directions on their phones will guide them through the process.

Customers take photos of their vehicles and the damaged area, and then submit the photos through the mobile app, the statement notes. The photos are then reviewed by Allstate and an estimate is sent back electronically to the customer.

The insurer was awarded a patent in June for the app feature known as “Feedback Loop in Mobile Damage Assessment and Claims Processing” by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The new app feature “enhances the customer experience by offering an easier, faster option to help settle a claim,” Michael Roche, Allstate Claims executive vice president, says in the statement. “More than half of Allstate’s customers have a smartphone, so connectivity on the go is clearly important to them and that means it’s important to us,” Roche adds.

Allstate’s mobile app is available for free download in the iTunes App Store or Google Play.