Atlanta, GA, January 15, 2018 – Safe-Guard Products International commemorated 25 years of service in the finance and insurance space in 2017, a year in which the company gained five new clients and five all-new products were added to their suite of protection products. The past year also marked the company reaching a milestone of processing nearly four million contracts annually while adding several team members to a staff of nearly 600.
In 2017, Safe-Guard added clients Aegis Security Insurance Company, Alphera Financial Services (a division of BMW Financial Services), Rolls-Royce (a division of BMW Financial Services), RumbleOn and Volkswagen Credit Inc. (Volkswagen, Audi and Ducati brands) to their roster of nearly 40 brands. Safe-Guard’s support for these clients includes fully private-labeled product solutions and industry-leading sales, marketing and administration. All-new products launched to clients in 2017 included Diminished Asset Protection (DAP), Tire Protection for customers in the service drive, Tire & Wheel Protection for commercial vehicles, a cosmetic version of Multi-Coverage Protection, and ZAZ GPS. In total, Safe-Guard now offers 19 different vehicle protection products to clients and their dealers.
Safe-Guard reached the milestone of selling 25 million contracts in 2017, coinciding with the company’s 25th anniversary. Safe-Guard now administers almost four million contracts annually. The claims team reached a milestone of reviewing and processing over 70,000 claims per month.
In the wake of last year’s major hurricanes Harvey and Irma, nearly $7.5 million was paid on nearly 2,000 GAP claims. The impact from these natural disasters triggered an immediate need for increased customer and dealer support, prompting Safe-Guard to quickly hire additional customer service and claims staff to support increased call volumes and reduce timing for claims processing.
Safe-Guard hired 38 employees in 2017 to support the new client and expanding product portfolios in both the U.S. and Canada. In the past year, the organization increased its focus on retail field support in order to help drive sales, and eCommerce and integrations with client and partner technology as the automotive industry continues to shift to digital retailing.
As for technology and service offerings, the company launched a new online self-service claims microsite, new and enhanced functionality within dealer portals, continued enrichments to the mobile claims app, a new business intelligence and reporting application and an enhanced dealer training offering.
As for community efforts, 2017 saw the Safe-Guard team supporting various nonprofit organizations surrounding education and family in both the U.S. and Canada, with team members serving nearly 400 hours in the community.
“2017 was an important year for us, not only because it was our 25th anniversary, but because we crossed many major milestones as an organization,” said Safe-Guard CEO Randy Barkowitz. “As we continue to grow with new clients and dealers, we will continue to increase our focus on providing innovative business solutions that help our dealers sell efficiently and help connect the automotive ecosystem. And of course this comes back to our talented and dedicated team and continual technology improvement. We’re quite excited about 2018 and what’s to come.”
About Safe-Guard Products International
Founded in 1992 and based in Atlanta, Safe-Guard Products International, LLC, is the leading provider of vehicle protection products in the finance and insurance space to the automotive, RV, marine and motorcycle/powersports industries. The company develops, markets and administers the highest-quality programs and matches them with unparalleled customer service, advanced technology solutions and industry-leading sales and marketing. Safe-Guard is a proud partner to top retailers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and independent agents across the United States and Canada.
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