Progressive Insurance wants to encourage green thinking among their customer base, and is willing to get their hands dirty to do it. Well, sort of. In a bid to get their policy holders to do business electronically instead of via actual paper, they’ve agreed to plant a quarter of a million trees in various national forests throughout the United States, and to sweeten the deal, customers who opt to go paperless will earn a discount.
The program is a simple one. The Paperless Policy option available to Progressive customers gives them the option to receive only bills, or both bills and policy documents, over the internet. Those who do will get a tree planted in their honor.
Christine Johnson, customer experience manager for Progressive had this to say: “This program is a win-win for everyone. Trees are saved and forests restored, and customers eliminate clutter, have increased security, and get faster delivery of important documents.” She added, “We can also reduce our costs by conserving resources used to print and ship bills and other policy documents–while also doing our part to help the environment and improve the customer experience.
Those eligible for the Paperless Policy include all of Progressives private auto customers, even if they bought their insurance through an independent insurance agency, and not directly from the company’s website. The associated discount is currently only available in Colorado, but will be rolled out to other states during the rest of this year. The discount for direct customers will be roughly 3%, while those who use independent agents will net a 5% discount.
The actual tree planting will take place later this year with the help of the Arbor Day Foundation.