Pluto Insure launches new Travel Insurance solution with hassle free claiming
(Alex - centre - with the 2 other co-founders of Pluto.Insure)
Today, the team at Claimscore is really excited to meet Alex, founder and CEO of Pluto, to talk to us about his and his 2 co-founder's new travel insurance solution...for people who don't like insurance. Intrigued? We were too. Read on to find out more...
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How did you come up with the idea of Pluto? What was the driving "eureka" moment behind its creation?
All three co-founders have a real passion for travel, this is what's at the centre of Pluto. Not an insurance company or even a tech company, but a travel company. Travelling is amazing, but things go wrong, and when they do, travel insurance can be such a great tool to help. We felt that what's available today just doesn't cut it for younger people. It's too complicated, hard to know what you're buying and if you ever do need it - worst of all - there is a lack of trust towards insurers. We wanted to fix that.
What early feedback have you received from customers?
A big part of insurers reputation comes from how they handle claims, if and when that happens.
How is Pluto challenging traditional insurers, and making the experience hassle free, quicker and easier?
We can't do this all by ourselves, so we're working with Zurich to make big improvements to the claims experience and process. For us, hassle-free means being able to do it on your phone in a matter of minutes. This is really where the experience needs to be:
- We've streamlined the information you need to capture about a claim.
- We've allowed the entire process to be done on your phone, online.
- We've even worked to automate certain checks behind the scenes to help speed up the payout process.
NOTE: The team also shared that aside from comparing travel policies on price, it's important to look at what you get for your money (cover level) as well as the likelihood of a payout for your claim. "Cheaper policies, sometimes, will naturally have a lower rate of claim payouts, or make it more difficult to submit your claim. We partnered with Zurich because of their very high claims payout rate. In 2017, they paid out 99% of the claims they received"
What do you think is the biggest issue around travel insurance at the moment?
Without a doubt it's the fact that people just aren't buying it. 60% of millennials don't buy it when they go abroad, that's just crazy. It's exactly what Pluto is trying to solve with our product, but also how we educate people around what travel insurance can do for you, and what happens if you don't have it.
Can you get a policy with Pluto Insure if you have pre-existing medical conditions?
Not at the moment, but we pass you over to Zurich who are setup to properly screen people and provide competitive cover for people with pre-existing conditions. We will provide this in the future, but for day 1, we wanted to simplify the product as much as possible.
Winter is coming....Do you offer an option for winter sports....or winter cruises come to it?
Winter is coming indeed, and we're all set up to provide winter sports as an add on to your single trip policies or even your annual cover as well.
What about reindeer, husky or snowmobile rides for people going on a trip to Lapland?
(it's apparently a question that comes up often for travel insurers at this time of the year).
We cover all of these! But you'll need to include the winter sports add on. It's always worth saying, that if people are doing an activity you don't normally do, check your policy for your list of activities, and if in doubt, ask your insurer.
You obviously have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and head for Tech - What's your top tip for people who are thinking of launching their own Tech based business?
Seems obvious, but it can be difficult to find the right person, but someone needs to have a background in tech and be comfortable talking tech and speaking with a development team. I think all founders can benefit by having some basic programming experience, and there are loads of great free online courses to get your started. The second tip would be, don't go at it alone. Start-ups with co-founders instantly have a better chance of succeeding. I could not imagine not having my other co-founders to bounce ideas off and challenge each others' thinking.
You said in an interview on BBC4 that people are not downloading apps any more. What do you think customers want instead?
I think customers want things that are easy. I guess that sounds obvious, but downloading an app and creating a new account takes precious time, and it's really got to be worth it. For lots of business a dedicated app makes sense, but not for all. So if your service can be provided through or on-top of a service someone is already using, then I think it's worth exploring. Listen to the whole interview on BBC4 here.
Finally, what’s your favourite wisdom quote? (quote and author) and why?
We choose to do things "not because they are easy, but because they are hard" (JFK).
I love this quote, because difficult problems or challenges are much more exciting and much more rewarding, releasing an insurance product is not like going to the moon, but it's proven to be a barrier to lots of new companies disrupting this space, so that's pretty exciting.
What do you think?
Do you think Pluto's idea is a good one? Would the hassle free claim solution convince you to buy travel insurance from them?
Share your questions or tips below.
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