Keynote Releases Study Examining Leading Auto Insurance Web Sites

Business Wire, Sept 19, 2007

* More Than 250 Customer Experience and 40 Service Level Metrics Captured for Each Site

* Progressive Ranked Number One in Online Customer Experience

* GEICO Makes Significant Gains in Online Customer Experience

* Progressive and State Farm Ranked Number One in Service Levels

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- Keynote Competitive Research, the industry analysis group of Keynote (Nasdaq:KEYN), today announced the release of a new industry research study examining leading auto insurance Web sites. The study contains two parts: an in-depth examination of the online customer experience and service levels (site responsiveness and reliability) of ten leading auto insurances Web sites, including the Allstate, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm sites. The unique data and insights uncovered by Keynote Competitive Research are acquired through the use of the company's commercially available Web performance and customer experience test and measurement products. The study is available for purchase from Keynote. For more information or details on purchasing the complete study, please view: http://www.keynote.com/keynote_competitive_research/industry_studies/s ep07_auto_insurance_study.html (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Customer Experience Rankings for Auto Insurance Web Sites

The Keynote Customer Experience Ranking[R] for Auto Insurances Web Sites study examines the online experience of more than 1,500 consumers as they interacted with leading auto insurance Web sites. The study details how each site performs versus competitors across key business objectives, including customer satisfaction and customer acquisition, and captures more than 250 metrics for each site. The study provides competitive rankings in dozens of categories, as well as specific and actionable steps insurers can take to improve their online performance, customer satisfaction, brand appeal and customer acquisition.

The company's customer experience studies employ Keynote WebEffective[TM], an on-demand software platform for conducting in-depth user experience research which integrates the best aspects of usability, behavior and attitudinal research.

Service Level Rankings for Online Auto Insurance Web Sites

The Keynote Service Level Rankings study examines the technical performance of leading auto insurance Web sites, including site responsiveness and reliability. The study uses Keynote's Transaction Perspective[R] solution, the leading subscription-based service for measuring and monitoring Web site performance. Transaction Perspective mimics the actions of consumers and examines performance from multiple geographic locations, collecting more than 6,500 data points for each site to detail online technical performance. The study offers auto insurance companies insight into their technical performance relative to their competitors, and provides detailed data on their site's performance across seven key measures critical to the operational health of an online business.

Progressive Ranks #1 in Customer Experience

Progressive was ranked as the #1 Web site in the Keynote Customer Experience Rankings with the best overall ranking across the 250 customer experience metrics measured in the study. Progressive was a consistently top ranked site in terms of product satisfaction; privacy and security; and in the quote and research process, as well as in providing shopping guidance. GEICO showed the most significant gains in online customer experience over the past year and was the number one ranked site in terms of product satisfaction and overall visual appeal of the site to consumers. The site's most significant gains came in the privacy and security category.

[TABLE OMITTED]
[TABLE OMITTED]

Progressive and State Farm Number One in Service Levels

In the Keynote Service Level Rankings study Progressive had the auto insurance industry's best reliability, an indication the site was highly available and experienced little or no downtime. State Farm had the industry's best site responsiveness, an indication of how fast sites were in downloading pages and completing transactions.

The Keynote study noted that almost every site measured reported a major outage; with two major brand name sites reporting over 30 hours of downtime in the 30 day study period. During these outage periods customers were unable to research insurance coverage or begin an online application. Two of the ten auto insurance sites evaluated had major load handling issues, slowing down by up to 60% each day.

The Keynote Customer Experience Rankings for Auto Insurance Web Sites study was conducted during June and July 2007 and the Keynote Service Level Rankings for Auto Insurance Web Sites study was conducted during July and August 2007.

Companies Included in the Study

The AIG (NYSE:AIG), Allstate (NYSE:ALL), American Family, Esurance, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, MetLife (NYSE:MET), Nationwide (NYSE:NFS), Progressive (NYSE:PGR) and State Farm Web sites were included in the study.