The Farmers Insurance Group HelpPoint(R) Call Center Named J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center.

LOS ANGELES -- The Farmers Insurance Group HelpPoint(R) claims call center has just been recognized for providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" by J.D. Power and Associates for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program(SM). This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by the HelpPoint claims call center operation to provide an outstanding customer service experience. The Farmers Insurance Group HelpPoint claims call center is the Property and Casualty Insurance industry's first call center to receive this recognition.

The HelpPoint claims call center operation, headquartered in two locations, in Olathe, Kan., and Oklahoma City, Okla., receives First Notice of Loss calls from their auto and home insurance customers. The call center serves as the customer's first point of contact when making a claim. The claim would then be assigned to an adjuster for handling. The center handled 5,101,000 telephone calls in 2004. The call center operation successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities.

In addition, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a random survey of claims customers who recently contacted the HelpPoint call center. For certification status, a call center must perform within the top 20 percent of customer service, based on J.D. Power and Associates' cross-industry customer satisfaction research.

By passing the rigorous standards of the certification process, Farmers' HelpPoint demonstrates a strong commitment to providing customers with a consistent, positive experience with its claims call center. Farmers' HelpPoint has created a highly customer-focused culture that stresses the importance of meeting customer needs. Claims customers of Farmers' HelpPoint give particularly high ratings to its customer service associates for their courtesy and concern for customers' problems.

The evaluation criteria used during the survey include: courtesy of the claims service associate (CSA); knowledge of the CSA; the CSA's concern for the customer questions and/or problem; usefulness of the information provided; convenience of customer service operating hours; ease of getting through to a CSA; and the timely resolution of the customer's problem, question or request. Certification is valid for one year.

"We are delighted to have our HelpPoint call center recognized by J.D. Power and Associates," said Ron Hammond, Director of HelpPoint. "It's a reflection of the rigorous training we immerse our call center representatives in and we are proud of the strong program we have developed."

The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction and help call centers in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls.

The HelpPoint claims call center was previously named Call Center of the Year two years in a row (2002-2003) by the Professional Teleservices Management Association (PTMA). It was also named Outstanding Training Department by the PTMA in 2002.

The Farmers Insurance Group(R) companies comprise the nation's third-largest personal lines property & casualty insurance group - helping to restore the lives of over 15 million customers when the unexpected happens. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, these companies provide homeowners, auto, business, recreational products, life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households through 17,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. For an agent near you, call 1-800-FARMERS or visit www.farmers.com.