Driving Insurance Innovation: OpenbayConnect

  • Laura Drabik

April 09, 2018

It’s raining. You’re late for work. You get in your vehicle. You start the ignition and this appears on your dashboard. Should you a) check the oil, b) the battery, or c) the tire pressure? You would like to be able to take care of the maintenance immediately if you could only figure out what this icon represents….

Who?

OpenbayConnect uses connected car technology to remotely diagnose a vehicle’s problems and deliver competitive repair quotes from local mechanics. Services are offered through their own network of approved repair shops.

Their Value Proposition

A cellular-based diagnostic device plugs into the vehicle’s OBD II port.

It wirelessly gathers and analyzes the vehicle’s diagnostic data.

Local auto service providers respond with offers. The consumer chooses a shop, books the appointment and pays through OpenbayConnect.

The Opportunity

According to OpenbayConnect, State Farm has partnered with the provider.

It’s a brilliant way to proactively pull data on a vehicle's condition to potentially use as rating inputs or just make it to easier for the policyholder to maintain the vehicle and reduce the insurance risk. Also, think about the possibility of using the app for claims and helping to expedite claim servicing requests.

Oh, and the answer is c. Check the tire pressure; it's low.