Travelers One-to-One Direct Marketing Program Improves Customer Retention.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Committed to helping independent agents achieve long-term profitable growth, Travelers Personal Lines, a member of St. Paul Travelers (NYSE:STA), announced today that One-to-One, its direct marketing program for independent agents, has proven to increase customer retention by more than five percentage points overall.

One-to-One was developed to assist agents in maintaining regular contact with their Travelers customers through strategically scheduled mailings customized with the agency's logo. Targeted messages to specific customer segments increase dialogue with agents, facilitate regular coverage reviews and improve customer satisfaction. Supplemental mailings are available to help agents round out accounts with home, auto, boat, flood and identity fraud expense coverage.

"One-to-One is just one example of the wide variety of programs and initiatives in place to support our network of independent agents. Effective products and pricing, claims service, technology, and sales and marketing tools are all designed to support our agents' efforts to grow their businesses," said Sharon Steers, Vice President, Travelers Strategic Marketing. "Agents value the One-to-One program because it's a centralized resource for customer communications that makes it easy for them to do business. "

The first in the industry to create a customer retention direct mail program for independent agents when it launched One-to-One in 1995, Travelers refined the program in 2002 based on its research on how to build customer loyalty. In 2004, Travelers compared retention rates for customers who receive One-to-One communications with those who do not. Retention rates for One-to-One customers were consistently higher.

"We conducted quantitative and qualitative research to understand why customers leave and when they leave. We then leveraged our understanding of customer behavior to develop a program that would help agents reach out to their most at-risk and valuable customers," Steers said. "By building a tighter bond between agents and customers through regular communication and customer service, agencies can dramatically increase their overall retention."

Agent Ron Patterson of the Ron Patterson Insurance Agency in Richardson, Texas, has used the One-to-One program for two years. "One-to-One has been a great marketing program for my agency for account development by informing customers of new products and services offered by Travelers," he said. "The more policies you write for a customer, the greater the retention rate, and One-to-One has been an outstanding tool that makes dollars and sense for our agency."

For approximately $3 a year per customer, Travelers agents can enroll in the One-to-One program through the Personal Lines section of the Agent HQ Web site under the Sales and Marketing tab or by calling 888.TRAV.121.

Travelers, the second largest writer of auto and homeowners insurance through independent agents, is a member of St. Paul Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance and asset management services. For more information, visit www.stpaultravelers.com.