Tower is actively using gamification to ensure increased usage of its SmartDriver, the smartphone app it launched last year. The insurance company says the two latest updates to the app – allowing users to create public and private group leaderboards and ‘Auto Trip Capture’ – aim to encourage users to compete for the title of ‘safest driver’. ‘Auto Trip Capture’ automatically detects when users are on the move and logs their trips so they don’t have to remember to hit ‘start’. SmartDriver app monitors and assesses an individual’s driving behaviour and offers lower insurance premiums based on the user’s driving performance. Mark Savage, general manager customer proposition at Tower, says tens of thousands of people have downloaded the app and around half of them have completed the 150 kilometres have been able to claim a discount. We’d like to see this percentage increase during the next 12 months, so we worked with our app developers to include more of the incentivised gamification elements that can be very popular. Mark Savage, Tower Users’ trip scores are improving by about 15 per cent throughout their SmartDriver usage, and 74 per cent of people that try again improve on their first score, says Savage. “We’d like to see this percentage increase during the next 12 months, so we worked with our app developers to include more of the incentivised gamification elements that can be very popular. How many times have you heard couples jest over who’s the better driver? With SmartDriver they can know for sure – and that extends to co-workers, families or groups of friends.” By collecting basic driving information such as trip duration, distance travelled, location, braking and acceleration, the app can build an understanding of driving behaviour and individual risk and Tower can reduce motor vehicle premiums accordingly. The app also allows customers to see their score versus the average score calculated from all the SmartDriver users who have driven at least 150 kilometres. As well as providing points for set achievements after every trip, SmartDriver also provides a trip summary and safe driving tips to help motorists improve their driving behaviour. SmartDriver won Innovation of the Year at the 2014at the New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards and is a finalist at the TU Automotive Awards for Best Telematics Product or Launch in an Emerging Market. Savage says Tower is adapting other areas of the business to reflect changes in the ways Kiwis expect to receive and use data, including sending text notifications to customers ahead of forecasted weather events like Cyclone Pam and launchinga new fully-responsive website. Send news tips and comments to divina_paredes@idg.co.nz Follow Divina Paredes on Twitter: @divinap Follow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nz Sign up for CIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, views and events. Join us on Facebook. Related content opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security brandpost Sponsored by Catchpoint Systems Inc. Gain full visibility across the Internet Stack with IPM (Internet Performance Monitoring) Today’s IT systems have more points of failure than ever before. Internet Performance Monitoring provides visibility over external networks and services to mitigate outages. By Neal Weinberg Dec 01, 2023 3 mins IT Operations brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers can save money during periods of economic uncertainty Now is the time to overcome the challenges of perimeter-based architectures and reduce costs with zero trust. By Zscaler Dec 01, 2023 4 mins Security feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Digital Transformation Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe