CarGuard’s Trevor Smith Creating Customer Service Standards

CarGuard Trevor Smith and His Founding of CarGuard Administration

Trevor Smith, the CEO of CarGuard Administration, had already been in the vehicle service protection industry for a while. 

Before CarGuard, his years working for the industry taught him a valuable lesson: a business can only thrive if it can keep its customers happy and satisfied. 

And customer satisfaction was one thing the vehicle service contracts industry was haplessly lacking. Trevor Smith saw that the industry was teaming with administrators who simply didn’t care about providing quality customer service. 

Claims weren’t being resolved reasonably and fast enough, and there was a gap in communication between the administrators and the clients. 

Trevor Smith saw that this insensitive approach to quality client service spanned the entire spectrum of the business, meaning that the industry was characterized by a lack of innovation, transparency, clarity in communication, and more. 

The customers, the agents selling the vehicle contracts, and eventually, the vehicle owners had to bear the brunt of this callous approach.

This is why Trevor  Smith made it a point to take a customer-first approach when he began his new journey as an independent administrator and became the CEO of CarGuard Administration with the lofty aim of changing how the whole industry worked for good.

He was right in his approach, and his vision has been amply proved by the fact that CarGuard has, for five years running, been the undisputed leader in the United States vehicle protection plan industry. 

CarGuard’s Unique Approaches to Ensure Optimum Customer Satisfaction

It is one thing to adopt a client-centric approach or philosophy, but it’s a different thing to be able to implement it properly. So, how does CarGuard Administration provide the best-in-class customer service in the industry?

According to Trevor Smith, the journey starts with recognizing what the customers want most from a business. In other words, it is about identifying the pain points in the industry and then looking for ways to address them. 

Let’s take the significant case of judging claims, for example, the most contentious point between vehicle owners and service contract providers. 

First, to make the process of claims settlement smooth and fast, CarGuard took a unique approach—namely, transferring the duties of claims adjustment to experienced mechanics. 

This is because the mechanics are in the best position to judge the merits of any particular claim fairly. In addition, the company ensured that all their claims adjusters were also adequately trained in the art of client/customer service and retention. 

As the company puts it, the administrators are there to pay claims, not deny them. However, even when the company needs to deny a claim for some reason, it makes sure that it communicates the issue appropriately with the customer and lets him know exactly why they are not able to support the claim. 

This approach minimizes the friction between the agents and the vehicle owners and leaves little room for resentment. 

Other Key Points That Separate CarGuard Administration from the Competition

Laid-out Contracts Set CarGuard Apart From Its Competition

Besides offering the most pro-consumer plans in the market, CarGuard also ensures that its contracts are written in clear and concise language that any customer can easily understand. 

This is highly uncharacteristic of an industry where customer contracts are almost always prepared in a language laden with legal jargon, fine prints, and highly difficult-to-read details. 

Offering The Best Liability Limits in the Industry

Under CarGuard’s current Flat Rate program, all their plans come with a liability limit of $12,500 or the actual cash value of the vehicle at the time of the repair/claim, whichever is greater. 

Convenient auto-extendable plans: CarGuard plans are eligible for auto-extensions, meaning they turn into Powertrain plans after the initial coverage miles. 

For example, platinum plans from most administrators provide coverage up to 100,000 miles, after which the customer will need to take out a new policy. 

However, all CarGuard plans are active for 100,000 miles and five years. So, for instance, once the 100k miles coverage limit is over for a Platinum Plus plan, it will automatically become a Powertrain Plus plan (given the policy is not already older than five years). 

Fully Insured Contracts

Many customers may not be aware of it. However, the fact stands that reliable insurers do not back many vehicle service contract providers. This means that if something were to go awry with any of these companies, all the contracts would also go void. 

Not being backed by insurance will not only affect the vehicle owners but will also significantly affect the reputation of the agents working for the administrator. 

However, CarGuard Administration is fully insured by a Contractual Liability Insurance Policy issued through Wesco Insurance Company, a subsidiary of the “A” rated AmTrust financial, one of the most reliable insurers in the industry. 

CarGuard As A Partner, Not Just An Adjuster 

Just as CarGuard separates itself from the competition by providing unrivaled plans and other benefits to the actual vehicle owners, the company is equally dedicated to safeguarding the agents. 

CarGuard makes it a point to view all these people as partners and not simply agents. Once someone becomes a partner of CarGuard Administration, the company is always willing to share its wide array of knowledge, expertise, and assistance facilities so that its partners can succeed in their endeavors.

Moreover, the company is willing to go the extra mile to reduce the burden on its partners. For example, although CarGuard customers are advised to contact the seller of the contracts in case of a claim or any other issue, the company will still accept calls directly from vehicle owners, and they will try their best to resolve the issue. 

Finally, it should be mentioned that CarGuard is an active member of the Professional Association for Customer Engagement, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies and organizations that look to establish smooth communication with their customers by engaging with them via the contact center.