Driven #5

Issue #5 | May 2020 | Global Edition | thefloow.com

Quarterly Magazine by The Floow

The Future of Risk: Why Developing a Deep Understanding of Driver Behaviour is so Important to Help Eliminate Distracted Driving

+ How Our New FloowTag Solution Can Help Insurers to Take Advantage of the Recent Changes We’ve Seen Across Mobility + Spotlight On‌ Our Product Team

Photo by Nirmal Rajendharkumar on Unsplash

+ WM-Air: Using Driving Data to Improve Pollution Levels

Contents

DRIVEN MAGAZINE

2 | www.thefloow.com

Welcome to Driven, The Floow’s quarterly business updates publication.

04-05 06-11 12-15 16-19 20-25

Letter from our CEO: Aldo Monteforte

Future of Risk: Why Developing a Deep Understanding of Driver Behaviour is so Important to Help Eliminate Distracted Driving Dr Lisa Dorn WM-Air: Using Driving Data to Improve Pollution Levels in Our Cities Written by Sam Chapman How Our New FloowTag Solution Can Help Insurers to Take Advantage of the Recent Changes We’ve Seen Across Mobility Written by Michael Rose Spotlight On…. Our Product Team Written by Charlotte Pearson

Aldo & Sam, The Floow

Welcome to the fifth issue of Driven, our magazine which examines how The Floow advances safer and smarter mobility through Connected Insurance.

We are The Floow, a leading telematics

focused company, working in an agile

provider whose capabilities include data

development methodology, to ensure

science excellence, cutting-edge tech-

that we are ready and able to meet the

nology and the innovative use of social

changing needs of our clients and their

sciences to deliver unique insights to our

customers wherever they are based.

clients - personal and commercial lines insurers, auto manufacturers and

Driven provides us with a platform to

governments and local authorities - and

demonstrate our innovative, forward-

their customers, including drivers and

thinking nature in the areas of insurance,

fleet managers.

mobility and road safety. Throughout

We were founded in 2012 by CEO Aldo Monteforte with the mission to make mobility safer and smarter for everyone, a mission which still drives everything we do today.

Our team, which now numbers 120

each issue, we focus on how we see the future of mobility unfolding, what we are working on to ensure we are ahead of the curve and how we are collaborating with our clients to ensure that they are ready for the challenges of an ever-evolving and fast-changing market.

people based across the UK, the US and mainland Europe, are experts in

The future of mobility, and the effects

their fields of data and social sciences,

it will have across motor insurance and

app, web and platform development

mobility, is uncertain but extremely

and user centered design. Over the last

important - make sure you stay one step

two years, we have become a product

ahead with Driven.

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Letter from our CEO

Aldo Monteforte

Aldo Monteforte, CEO, The Floow

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The COVID-19 pandemic has been testing in many ways and I’m extremely proud of the commitment and resilience which The Floow team has shown as we continue to deliver excellence for our clients, under unprecedented circumstances.

At the end of March, I wrote the article “The Floow

about his vision for The Floow’s product offering, the

Have Got You Covered” about how we are dealing with

future of mobility and driving end-user engagement

the ongoing situation so our clients can continue to

with telematics propositions.

focus on their business priorities. The confidence our partners have placed in The Floow is our most valuable asset and we continue to work hard to ensure that their trust is repaid through support, operational stability and great service.

At these difficult times, it is crucial that transport and mobility continue undisrupted. Motor insurance is a crucial service and as mobility patterns change once again, it is important to look forward to the future of insurance. The shock delivered to the global system will produce long-lasting effects on consumer preferences

Despite the drop in mobility levels in recent weeks, risk levels have risen, explained by the rise in mobile distraction and speed behind the wheel. Our Chief Actuary, Andy Goldby, has written extensively about the impact on insurance, generating huge interest and feedback from many across the mobility and insurance sectors. Curbing distracted driving is fundamental to us and, in this issue, our Chief Education Officer, Dr Lisa Dorn, explores why developing a deep understanding of driver behaviour is so important when working to eliminate driver distraction.

and working practices. Insurers aren’t immune and,

Air pollution levels in many cities have also dropped

more than ever, they are under pressure to become the

recently, due to the lockdowns, but pollution still

“better digital version of themselves”.

remains a considerable problem worldwide. Our CIO,

In particular, with drivers using their cars less frequently, the demand for Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) insurance will grow alongside users’ preference for smooth and curated digital journeys across the entire arc of an insurance experience. Our recently launched FloowTag solution is a great option for a PAYD proposition as it ensures that only journeys from the insured vehicle are monitored and analysed. We explore this further on page 16 as we introduce you to

Dr Sam Chapman, has written about our work on the WM-Air project, where we are using driver behaviour data to help improve pollution levels in the West Midlands - work which will have an impact across the UK and the rest of the world.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Driven. As ever, if you have any feedback or would like to start a conversation with us about any aspect of our work, please email me via info@thefloow.com

FloowTag. We also shine a spotlight on our Product team, speaking to our Head of Product, Andrei Berechet,

Aldo Driven Magazine | 5

Traffic on a busy road in Leeds

DRIVEN MAGAZINE

The Future of Risk

Why Developing A Deep Understanding of Driver Behaviour is So Important to Help Eliminate Distracted Driving Article written by Dr Lisa Dorn

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Whenever any of us get behind the wheel, we are opening ourselves up to some level of risk.

For insurers, who are in the business of risk, it

Historically, one of the main ways of managing risk is

brakes to how distracted they are during their journeys.

to use skills-based training to ensure drivers possess the physical skills of driving before they are allowed on the road unaccompanied. However, a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have concluded that skills-based driver training is not deemed to be effective in reducing road traffic injuries and crashes for

is important to monitor the risk level of their policyholders to gain a true picture of their behaviour from how fast they drive and how harshly they use the

These insights allow insurers to more accurately predict a driver’s risk profile and price their policies.

It also informs feedback which can be provided to the policyholder to help them reduce their chance of being involved in a crash.

It is much more likely that the mental skills required

Why is Understanding Distracted Driving so Important?

for driving are the reason that a driver will be involved

Driving whilst using a mobile phone has continued to

in a crash. These might include: deciding to continue

increase, particularly among young drivers aged 16–24

driving when fatigued, being late and driving too fast to

(Pickrell et al, 2016). In a 2015 survey, nearly 70% of

make up time and, of course, being distracted by using

drivers aged 16 to 18 reported that they had talked

a mobile phone whilst driving.

on a mobile phone, 42% had read a text or email, and

offender, experienced, learner or new drivers.

Distractions are defined as the diversion of a driver’s attention from the activities which are critical for

32% had typed/texted whilst driving in the past 30 days (AAA, 2016).

safe driving (Regan et al, 2011). Driver distraction has

There are no reliable estimates of the number of

always been considered a problem with road safety

crashes which have been caused by distracted drivers

professionals, worried about the distracting effects of

and most of what we do know about mobile phones

eating, drinking, smoking and using the car radio whilst

and crash risk comes from naturalistic studies. Overall,

driving, passengers in the car, plus external distractions

there is a statistically significant increase in crash risk

such as roadside advertising (Stutts et al, 2005a).

when using a mobile phone whilst driving - about three

However, the distracting effects of mobile use whilst

to four times the risk compared with when a mobile

driving are considered to be far worse than most other

phone is not used (Elvik, 2011; Backer- Grøndahl and

forms of distraction behind the wheel.

Sagberg, 2011; Klauer et al, 2014; Dingus et al, 2016).

Driver at the Wheel

Person using their phone

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Distracted driver operating their phone behind the wheel

Compared with other age groups, teenage drivers who are involved in fatal crashes are more likely to be reported to have been distracted at the time of the crash (NHTSA, 2016), with distractions found as a factor in nearly 6 out of 10 moderate/severe crashes (Beanland, Fitzharris, Young, & LennĂŠ, 2013). Between 2005 and 2008, there was a 28% rise in fatalities from distracted driving with one of the major reasons due to the rise in texting behind the wheel (Wilson and Stimpson, 2010).

An analysis of 28 experimental studies also reported that typing or reading text messages whilst driving significantly slowed reaction times, increased lane deviations and increased the length of time drivers looked away from the roadway (Caird et al, 2014).

Over 2000 naturalistic driving videos capturing crashes of drivers aged 16–19, occurring between 2007 and 2015, were investigated to understand the type of crashes teens are most involved in (Carney et al, 2018).

Among mobile phone related crashes, particularly rearend crashes, there was a significant shift in associated factors from talking/listening to operating/looking, perhaps indicating that mobile phones are increasingly being used for social media and messaging purposes and less so for making/receiving calls.

Rear-end crashes are often caused by following too closely and/or responding too late due to inattention or distraction (McDonald et al, 2014). Although it is 8 | www.thefloow.com

Distracted driver taking a call whilst driving

possible that teenage drivers started following closer, the study’s authors conclude that it is more likely that the distracting effect of mobile phones led to an increase in driver’s eyes being off the road, resulting in an increase of rear-end crashes.

Drivers usually take their eyes off the road ahead to dial or text (Fitch et al, 2015), affecting how drivers visually scan and process traffic and road related information. It appears that drivers may compensate for this additional workload by concentrating their gaze toward the centre of the roadway, reducing visual sweeps (Recarte & Nunes, 2000; Strayer et al, 2003), and indicators and mirrors are being used less in an effort to dump or reduce tasks (Reed & Robbins, 2008).

This cognitive distraction can lead to “inattention blindness” as drivers fail to comprehend or process information from hazards even when they are looking directly at them (Strayer et al, 2003). All of these visual, perceptual and attentional challenges when using a mobile phone are having a significant effect on driving performance.

Is Hands-Free Driving Safe?

Modern cars now include hands-free mobile integration in an attempt to reduce time spent with eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, as this has been argued to be safer compared with using a handheld device.

However, during mobile phone conversations, the brain’s capacity to process information is limited because it is attending to two types of sensory information simultaneously (sound and vision) and our attention cannot be divided equally as attending to sounds impairs our ability to process visual information (e.g. Horrey & Wickens, 2006; Recarte & Nunes, 2003; Strayer, et al., 2006).

A recent review found that conversation on a handheld or hands-free phone resulted in reduced attention when compared with baseline driving (driving without distraction) for reaction times, stimulus detection, and collisions. Passenger conversation had a similar impact, and dialling whilst driving had the largest performance costs, with drivers attempting to compensate for the increased demand by increasing headway or reducing speed (Caird et al, 2018).

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Using Telematics to Understand Driver Distraction However, despite all this, phone use whilst driving is difficult to detect unless a smartphone-based telematics app is used to collate and share data in real-time. Smartphone-based telematics uses a combination of data generated via the sensors integrated into contemporary smartphones including the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the magnetometer and GPS. This data, alongside risk statistics and algorithmic processing, is processed via a cloud computer platform. This real-time sensor data allows us to generate insights and scores, these are provided as feedback to the driver via a portal or an app supporting positive education and risk minimisation.

The Floow’s scoring algorithm creates overall driver and journey scores, as well as component scores, which consider key areas of driver behaviour including smooth driving, speed, the time of day the policyholder is driving and levels of mobile distraction over the course of a journey.

Our Mobile Distraction score considers active engagement levels in non-driving tasks and measures how much a driver physically interacts with their phone as well as the phone’s call state throughout a journey.

This approach generates a measure of contextual risk-taking that a driver undertakes during a journey allowing driver feedback to be provided via a smartphone app immediately after each journey is completed.

Photo by Soheb Zaidi on Unsplash

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Coaching is a collaborative solution-focused approach

The Floow’s Research

with BCTs as the active ingredients incorporated

Over the past 12 months, The Floow has

improvements and improve crash risk. Our qualified

conducted research on the use of mobile

and experienced coaches address driver perceptions

phones whilst driving and found high levels

and motives to help drivers develop behavioural goals

of distraction. In a study conducted with a US

to reduce their risk of distracted driving. Behavioural

insurer over a three month period, we saw

improvements are then measured via the Mobile

90% of drivers making a hand-held call, 91%

Distraction score, alongside other component scores,

making a hands-free call and 87% doing both;

and behaviour change is reinforced over time.

only 6% of drivers made or received no voice calls during that period.

into the coaching programme to deliver score

To date, more than 2000 high-risk drivers have taken part in FloowCoach. Our latest research to evaluate

In a separate UK study into handheld mobile

FloowCoach was conducted in December 2019. There

phone use whilst driving, drivers under 30

were 1,212 young drivers in the experimental group

were found to be almost twice as likely to use

named as the main driver on their car insurance policy.

their mobile phone behind the wheel. We also found that driver reaction times were 50% slower, approximately 30% slower than when a driver is under the influence of alcohol, meaning that drivers took 0.5 seconds longer to react.

The findings showed that compared with the control group (who could not be contacted), drivers in call 1 group (receiving 1 call) made 10% fewer claims than expected, for call 2 group (receiving 2 calls) there were 24% fewer claims, for call 3 group (receiving 3 calls) there were 3% more claims and for call 4 group there were 20% fewer claims (receiving 4 calls) than

Combining Telematics Data with Behavioural Change Techniques to Improve Risk

expected. Overall, it was found that compared with the control group, the experimental group made 12.5% fewer insurance claims.

Our analyses also shows that FloowCoach graduates

The Floow processes the data recorded by the

tend to continue to improve incrementally after the

smartphone’s sensors to yield meaningful scores

programme and rarely revert to previous score levels,

that can be used to not only estimate risk but also

suggesting that longer term behavioural changes

communicate the driver’s risk profile to them for

in driving behaviour, in conjunction with BCTs and

educational purposes. Several peer-reviewed

telephone-based coaching, can be achieved.

published studies have shown that providing feedback via telematics propositions can increase self-awareness and motivation to drive safely.

By working in collaboration with insurance companies to deliver these insights and coaching methods, this innovative approach to improving the risks associated

This data can be used to find the highest risk drivers

with distracted driving, could be widely deployed

- those who sit in the lowest scoring decile - who are

across the sector and lead to a significant reduction

given the opportunity to take part in The Floow’s driver

in the numbers of distracted drivers being killed and

coaching programme, FloowCoach. FloowCoach is a

seriously injured on our roads.

12 week telephone coaching programme designed

by Dr Lisa Dorn and delivered by The Floow’s trained behavioural coaches on behalf of major insurers in the UK and US. To tackle low scoring drivers, Behavioural Change Techniques (BCTs) are used to address the benefits of behaviour change.

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WM-Air

Using Driving Data to Improve Pollution Levels in Our Cities Article written by Sam Chapman

At The Floow, we recognise that our finegrained understanding of driver behaviour and wealth of anonymised vehicle data can be used to provide unique insights which positively affect a number of areas of mobility from insurance to road infrastructures and pollution.

As a result, we have been involved in a number of research projects over the years to help make improvements to current systems or prepare for the introduction of new technologies to our roads, such as autonomous vehicles.

Last year, we became involved in the West Midlands Air Quality Improvement Programme (WM-Air) - a multi-year project which is set to run until 2023. The project, which is coordinated by the University of Birmingham, is designed to support the improvement of air quality and its associated health, economic and environmental benefits in the West Midlands.

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WM-Air: Working to Improve Air Quality in the West Midlands Each year, over seven million people across the world die from air pollution, 34,000 people are estimated to die early in the UK as a result of air pollution and 91% of the world’s population live in places where outdoor air pollution levels exceed WHO guideline limits.

WM-Air is addressing the UK Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge of Clean Growth, which is committed to creating a future where our cities benefit from cleaner air, as well as the Infrastructure Foundation of Productivity, which has identified the significant negative impact of air pollution on public health, the economy and the environment.

A study with this level of detail over such a wide area has never been done before and it has the potential to impact on policy making both in, and beyond, this

Researchers at the University of Birmingham, alongside

large region. The key beneficiaries of WM-Air will be the

other WM-Air project partners, are working to identify

people in the West Midlands but the insights which are

the wide-ranging causes and effects of air pollution so

discovered through this project will have impacts on

this can be applied to global public policy with the aim

the wider population.

to develop Clean Air solutions for countries such as

The Floow’s Involvement in the WM-Air Project

India and China, as well as regions across the UK.

One of the areas this project focuses on surrounds

The WM-Air project is focusing on three broad themes: •

Situational awareness - to understand air pollution levels and sources. The project aims to provide new estimations

•

across the West Midlands area to see how pollution is changing based on evolving vehicle technologies and changing driver behaviours. The Floow’s involvement in this project focuses on this area of vehicle pollution and emissions from the tailpipe as well as wear of brakes and tyres.

and measurements of air pollutant levels

We are making use of our understanding of mass

and quantify pollution sources by sector,

anonymised driver behaviour on particular sectors

including precise quantification of on-

of road to better understand pollution and driver

road vehicle emissions

behaviour trends in the West Midlands area. By

Predictive capability - to develop and evaluate air quality policy options.

The project will provide new capacity to predict future air quality levels and how these respond to potential policy options. The project will also evaluate the

•

investigating the long-term effects of pollution

analysing this data, it will allow us to see where driving behaviours alter as a result of the launch and implementation of measures and initiatives which are aimed at reducing pollution, as well as understanding the impact these measures are having on pollution outputs in the area.

air quality driven health and economic

Our data is being used as the key input for modelling

benefits and impacts of such predictions

emissions from vehicles, which are the biggest

within the region

contributor to Nitrogen Oxide variants (NOx) and

Application - to support the application of specific policy scenarios. The project will help to support existing policy actions surrounding air quality and build the air quality expert base in the region

particulate matter in urban centres. All of this data will be used to produce a detailed map of emissions from the entire road network in the West Midlands over a four year period. This map will be extremely useful to help councils and local authorities to plan changes to the road infrastructure to help influence more ecologically-friendly driving in the region.

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Photo by Abhay Singh on Unsplash

Working Together to Improve Pollution Levels in the West Midlands This WM-Air project coincides with the introduction of local Clean Air Zones (CAZ), city areas where the passage of vehicles is reduced or banned. The WMAir project partners will assess the CAZ situated on Birmingham’s ring road which is due to launch in 2021 and they will be monitoring behaviour changes before, during and after implementation of the CAZ.

Many other cities across the UK, including Leeds and Portsmouth, are also being encouraged to implement CAZ initiatives to help reduce high pollution levels in their cities. The outcomes of this study which is monitoring the effectiveness of the Birmingham CAZ will provide insights into the effectiveness of these mitigation initiatives in reducing air pollution, to judge how they can be rolled out or adapted to maximise positive societal impacts.

Wider Impacts of this Project With over eight years experience analysing telematics

The area should significantly reduce thoroughfare

data and working on a number of future-focused

traffic from the city, with the aim that only vehicles

projects, including some aimed at reducing pollution

entering the CAZ, are those specifically needing to

levels, we know that aggressive driving behaviours -

enter the city centre. This should have an impact

such as harsh braking and acceleration - are not only

on stop/start behaviour and reduce the number of stops being made by vehicles in that area. With fewer

dangerous but that they emit much higher levels of pollution than driving more smoothly.

stops being made, this should lead to a reduction

This unique knowledge allows us to make informed

in emissions being produced in the area which will

recommendations which will not only have a positive

positively affect localised air quality.

impact on the levels of pollution in a specific area, but

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the Department for Transport (DfT) to lower pollution levels in cities across the UK. The decisions which these departments make will have a knock-on effect on mobility across the UK, not only for drivers, but also for insurers, motor manufacturers and other organisations involved in mobility.

The work that we are involved in on the WM-Air project is not only having a positive impact on cities by making them cleaner and greener, but it is also making roads safer and smarter as well - which is beneficial for insurers, local authorities and all road users alike.

To find out more about the WM-Air project, visit the Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash

University of Birmingham’s website or check out the blog which we wrote about our involvement in the

will also help to curb dangerous braking and decelera-

project back in April 2019.

tion events which impact a driver’s risk profile and the amount of risk on an insurer’s book.

This information can inform our scoring and is reflected through our driver engagement initiatives such as inapp journey feedback and our driver coaching programme, FloowCoach, which uses behavioural change techniques to positively impact a driver’s behaviour behind the wheel and nudge them towards making better decisions whilst driving.

As mobility continues to change and fewer people choose to drive, particularly younger drivers, for reasons including vehicle and insurance costs, environmental concerns and living in highly populated areas with good public transport connections, it will become

Photo by Ryan on Unsplash

ever more important for insurers to truly understand driver behaviour.

This understanding will provide insurers with the opportunity to help drivers achieve more value from their motor insurance or save money on their premium, by not only helping them become safer behind the wheel, but by also encouraging more eco-friendly driving practices such as using less fuel, switching to electric vehicles and reducing vehicle wear and tear through smoother driving practices.

The data which will be processed over the course of the project will form an evidence base to inform policies in government departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and

Vehicles driving through Leeds city centre

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How Our New

FloowTag Solution

Can Help Insurers to Take Advantage of the Recent Changes We’ve Seen Across Mobility Article written by Michael Rose

Driver installing FloowTag to their windscreen

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At The Floow, we want to ensure that the solutions we offer fulfil the needs of our clients and end-users, now and in the future.

more predictability, whilst enhancements to

As mobility patterns change - through natu-

ring which affects traditional risk modelling.

ral evolutions in our urban centres, younger adults choosing not to own a car and consumer opinions regarding the monitoring of driving becoming more accepted or, as a result of large scale global events such as the COVID-19

vehicles and assistive driving technologies are altering driving behaviours. All of which impact on the type and likelihood of incidents occur-

These changes have led many insurers to consider smartphone-based solutions which reduce time to market, allow insurance to be provided only when required through pay-as-

pandemic - the potential for telematics adop-

you-drive (PAYD) solutions, and help create

tion is rapidly evolving. At the same time, the

engaging insurance propositions. As a result,

introduction of new sensors helps to provide a

we believe there will be a significant expansion

better understanding of driver behaviour and

of the telematics sector in the next two years.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Mobility As mentioned above, the COVID-19 pandemic is currently having a large impact on mobility affecting how, where and when we move. Over recent weeks, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of vehicles on the roads in countries across the world as lockdowns have been introduced, keeping people at home and limiting movement to essential journeys only.

channels with friends and family open using technology.

All of this is highlighted in the research which has been conducted over the past couple of months by our Chief Actuary, Andy Goldby. The insights from this research have been beneficial for the insurance market and they have allowed us to look to a post-lockdown world and the changes which COVID-19 has brought about which may end up having a permanent effect on mobility and motor insurance.

With fewer journeys being recorded, we would expect risk levels on our roads

We believe this will lead to an accel-

to fall but this has not been the case as

eration in the adoption of telematics

some of the drivers still on our roads

technology to track journeys undertaken

partake in a number of unsafe driving be-

by drivers, understand driver behaviours

haviours including speeding (as there are

and lead to increased demand for PAYD

less vehicles on the road holding them

motor insurance propositions. As people

up on their journey) and distracted driv-

drive less, PAYD propositions will allow

ing, by increasingly using their mobile

drivers to only pay for motor insurance

phone behind the wheel in an attempt to

when it is required, saving them money

keep communication

in the long-term.

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Introducing FloowTag

By using FloowTag together with the smartphone, we

Our recently released FloowTag solution is a great

distraction insights into mileage-based pricing to help

option for a PAYD proposition as it ensures that only

significantly differentiate risk and support an insurer’s

journeys from the insured vehicle are monitored and analysed so drivers are not incorrectly charged or unfairly penalised for journeys taken in another vehicle such as a bus or taxi.

Available for use alongside our FloowDrive solution, FloowTag is a small Bluetooth Low Energy device which is self-installed to a vehicle’s windscreen. We developed FloowDrive as a flexible

can also effectively monitor driver behaviour and add

pricing analysis.

Creating Flexible Products to Meet Ever-changing Market Needs When we first started to develop FloowTag, we could never have foreseen the circumstances in which the finished product was

smartphone application to make telematics cheaper

launched to the market at

and more accessible for

the end of April. Luckily,

all insurers by removing

due to the capabilities of

the cost and complexity

FloowTag and its flexibility,

barriers to this technology.

The addition of FloowTag to our FloowDrive platform is optional but it provides insurers with further added value, and another customisation option when deciding on the type of proposition they want to offer to their policyholders.

We see FloowTag as a viable and cost-effective solution for insurers looking to quickly develop a Connected Insurance solution which is suitable for this new world.

While our FloowDrive app

the quality and accuracy of driving events.

attitudes to mobility which were brought about by COVID-19.

Although, we can never fully predict what will happen in the future, we

future-facing products

tion between a driver and

array of features such as crash detection and improving

the rapidly changing

we are developing the best

and makes the associa-

and mileage calculations, paving the way for a wide

up for FloowTag despite

the horizon to ensure that

Tag identifies the vehicle

FloowTag also allows for vehicle specific risk scoring

place in the market lined

remain laser-focused on

identifies the driver, Floow-

multiple vehicles possible.

there was an obvious

to help insurers gain competitive advantage and remain customer-focused whilst fulfilling the needs of drivers and making best use of the new technologies being introduced to the mobility market.

Due to its capabilities and cost-effectiveness, Floow-

We look forward to continuing to release further

Tag offers a range of benefits for insurers looking to

innovations, whether new products or developments

create an engaging and valuable connected insurance

to our current solutions, throughout the course of

solution. Whilst for drivers, they can easily view tag

2020 and beyond, to continue to meet the evolving

related information, such as battery levels, directly in

needs of personal and commercial lines insurers, their

their FloowDrive app, where they can also manage the

customers - whether drivers or fleets, and the mobility

connection between the tag and their phone.

market as a whole.

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FloowTag being installed into a driver’s vehicle

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Spotlight on...

Our Product Team Article written by Charlotte Pearson

Our Product Team working collaboratively

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Our Product Team is a relatively new addition to The Floow focusing on new development and iterative updates to our product portfolio. The team includes many areas of The Floow’s business including Pricing and Actuarial, Product Management, Product Design and User Research.

Their role is to understand the market, client and user needs so we create products and solutions which fulfil these needs and provide value to our clients and end-users. Much of the Product Team’s work is focused on research to understand how users and clients actually use our products and ensure that we prioritise the most important updates and developments.

Since formation, the team has spent time working with clients and multiple teams across the business to plan and shape our product roadmap, define product and research processes, and create a design system that helps us stay consistent and move fast when building new products. They have also created a structured product release process and built a cohesive vision for each of our products which informs its development and how we speak about it internally and externally.

We previously spoke to our Pricing and Actuarial experts, Andy Goldby and Jonathan Smith, in issue 3 of Driven, where they discussed their roles and how they add value to our clients’ propositions. In this piece, we will be focusing on the other areas of our Product Team’s work and their vision for the future of The Floow.

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The Product Team’s Role and Vision We spoke to Andrei Berechet, our Head of Product, to find out more about his past experience working in this area and to get his take on the Product Team’s role within The Floow as well as his vision for the future of the team and our products.

Andrei Berechet

Head of Product Past experience

I come from an engineering background and I’ve been doing product management for the past 10 years. I got Andrei Berechet, Head of Product, The Floow

into product management because I realised that all the bits that I was responsible for were part of the bigger whole, which was the product. I also realised that most of the problems I was grappling with as an engineer were created by a fuzzy understanding of customer needs and aspirations.

I felt the need to dig deeper into what was driving and motivating customers so I could do a better job at building products which solve those needs. I have diverse product experience across multiple continents and industries, startups and large companies, but my sweet spot is in companies like The Floow, where I can directly affect the bottom line and help build the product organisation from the ground up.

Your role at The Floow I run the Product and Design teams at The Floow and I am responsible for our portfolio of products. My main responsibilities revolve around creating a successful Product team that is equally focused on solving problems for our insurance clients and for drivers. I strive to design best in class product processes which support our business 22 | www.thefloow.com

strategy and help teams across the business to

digital experience for their customers. The Floow’s role

understand client needs and business value, so they

is to support our clients on this journey, and to help

can respond with state of the art telematics products

them be at the top of the industry through our constant

and services that are successful for us and our clients.

innovation in the mobility space. Our approach has

I am also responsible for setting the vision and strategy for our product portfolio and for the successful execution and delivery of these products. I partner closely with our clients, and our internal teams, to make sure that we’re constantly delivering value both internally and externally, and we’re attuned to our clients’ requests and market changes.

How does the work you and the Product team do benefit our clients and end-users?

Everything we do in the Product team is for the ultimate benefit of our clients and end-users (our drivers). As insurers and drivers have different goals, we

always been to offer maximum flexibility and support for our clients, whilst always pushing them to adopt new technologies and to think differently about existing ones. We’re a mobile-first company and our goal is to innovate as much as possible in this space so we can get to a point where the phone can successfully replace older telematics devices and reduce costs drastically, for both personal and commercial lines.

I think we’ve successfully reached that point now, and our customers are reaping the benefits. We’re always staying ahead of industry trends and pushing boundaries with our scoring innovation, extensive data collection tools and behavioural conditioning and we

always have to wear two hats when thinking about our

always bring our clients with us on that journey.

customers. That sometimes can be contradictory and strategy and planning we have clear goals set for both.

What is the important focus for the Product team, and The Floow, over the next 12 months?

Our thinking always starts from the end-users and

Both in the Product team and across the business, we

we work backwards from there when we build new

will be focused on product-led growth and responding

products or improve existing ones. In most cases, we

swiftly and strategically to the unprecedented changes

know that if we solve problems for our end-users, that

that are happening across the globe. Our overall goal is

in turn will solve problems for our clients, all of which

to empower our customers to adapt to these changes

positively impacts us as a business.

as quickly as possible and give them the right tools

When we start a new project we spend a lot of time

to respond to changing driver needs. Here are a few

initially working to understand the problem. Our

strategic goals that we’ll be focusing on over the next

Product Owners are responsible for bringing the

12 months:

customer context into the teams and we have an

•

difficult to reflect in the final product, however in our

outstanding research team that is always in contact

services that provide our clients and prospects

with clients or end-users. They use the latest discovery

with end-to-end flexibility and capabilities when

and user research techniques to understand problems

responding to market changes

and unfold this understanding into the teams who then try to come up with the simplest possible solution.

•

tools which strengthen our market differentiation even further •

plan to move their business online and provide the best

Improve our proprietary risk scoring architecture to drive superior, industry-first pricing capabilities

their own digital transformation. They understand disruption forces well and they have a well thought out

Continue to build on our device-agnostic approach and create advanced data ingestion and processing

How does your team’s work help legacy organisations prepare for the future of mobility?

The vast majority of our insurer clients are undergoing

Integrate our products and components into

•

Expand our crash detection and FNOL proposition aiming to increase the savings value for our clients.

Driven Magazine | 23

DRIVEN MAGAZINE

Ensuring Client Success and End-User Engagement We also spoke to Steven Cheshire - Product Owner, Jowita Emberton - UX/UI Designer and John Heaton - User Experience Specialist from the Product team to find out more about their particular area of work and discover how it positively impacts our clients and end-users.

Steven Cheshire Product Owner

Jowita Emberton UI/UX Designer

Describe your role in the Product Team Steven: I’m currently working as a Product Owner, which means something different in every company.

I spend most of my time discussing priorities, making

John Heaton User Experience Specialist

Steven: It should mean that The Floow is delivering quality products and features that solve problems and create opportunities for our clients, by taking their opinions into consideration as part of the development

sure the outcomes we want are well defined and

process. For end-users, it ensures that they have a voice

mobilising the development teams towards making

and are not overlooked by the needs of the client, since

some tricky decisions along the way.

driver adoption is the main blocker for any telematics

Jowita: I’m a UX and UI designer, currently working

solution.

on our FloowFleet product. I conduct research to better

Jowita: Research helps everyone at The Floow

understand our end-users’ needs (both fleet managers

understand our customers better and testing can help

and their drivers), mock-up ideas, validate them with

us to focus our time and efforts on the most important

participants, and create design solutions that are easy

developments. The features which I help design

to use.

allow our customers to achieve more value from our

John: I’m a User Experience Specialist and my role is

products.

to focus on the voice and needs of our end-users.

John: The core of my role includes user research

How does your role impact our products and benefit our clients and end-users?

and product discovery to ensure that the end-to-

24 | www.thefloow.com

end architecture of our product portfolio delivers a seamless, flowing and value adding user journey.

What is your key focus over the coming months?

understanding of how much smartphone

Steven

Jowita

From an operational point of view, I’m looking

I always aim to make our products easier to use,

to bring more focus to the teams so we

reduce friction and make onboarding faster, as

can continue to improve the quality of the

well as allowing users to use a greater range

product we’re delivering, whilst making the

of devices in order to get more use out of the

best possible working environment for our

product.

view, I’m working on two initiatives, both of which are due to be launched this summer and which focus on developing our scoring capabilities even further.

John A lot of my focus is currently on early stage product discovery. We have some really exciting stuff in the pipeline; focused on connecting with end-users by solving their real world

Jowita

challenges and needs.

I want to make sure that our FloowFleet

What has been your proudest moment since joining The Floow?

product works well on mobile devices. Our customers are often on the go and at times, they can only use their phones, so providing

Steven

them with the ability to complete tasks on their

Taking the step up to Product Owner was a

phone would be a great help to them. It will

big achievement for me as it allowed me to

take a lot of work to make a complex desktop

have more input into what we build and how

app work well on smaller devices but it will be

we build it. There are other small wins as well,

worth it, particularly for fleet managers.

such as when clients adopt features/solutions

John I’ll be focused on delivering iterative

that you’ve worked on and provide positive feedback.

improvements to our product suite, based on

Jowita

the feedback loop of end-user research.

My proudest moment at The Floow was when

How is your work helping our clients prepare for the future of mobility and drive end-user engagement?

- as a team - we found a more effective way of working together. We became much more transparent around what we do, agreed on our

Photo by Quaid Lagan on Unsplash

development teams. From a delivery point of

distraction is affecting their driving.

work priorities, and generally improved the

Steven

way in which we communicate - allowing us to

The two initiatives I’m working on aim to open

progress faster.

up our scoring expertise to more organisations.

One will open up our platform to support any partner who is willing to integrate with us. Our

For me, it is being part of

main focus here surrounds creating a secure

a super flexible team that

flow of data from OEMs to The Floow.

‘always finds a way’.

The other will allow traditional black box

John Heaton

policyholders and their insurers to gain an

Driven Issue 5 | 25

The Floow Ltd The Floow Campus, Wicker Lane, Sheffield, S3 8HQ +44 (0) 114 270 1114 The Floow North America 20300 Superior Rd. Suite 250 Taylor, MI 48180 USA +1 855 447 9252 info@thefloow.com www.thefloow.com

Quarterly Magazine

by The Floow