Generali finds Toughbook lives up to its claims
With a total of some 6,500 employees, the Generali Group is Austria’s third largest insurance company and the country’s biggest provider of non-personal insurance. Generali provides car insurance to 1.1 million customers, and handles more than 300,000 claims a year. The strong team of automotive assessors – responsible for ensuring repairs are carried out quickly and payments made promptly – are all equipped with Panasonic CF-M34 Toughbooks, rugged laptops developed by Panasonic especially for use in punishing real-world environments.
“Laptops in car repair workshops often take hefty blows or fall on the floor. A normal laptop won’t survive a fall from a height of 90 centimetres, but the Toughbook CF-M34 survives unscarred and with no loss of data. The Toughbook’s resistance to the vagaries of the elements and extremes of temperature was another important factor in our purchasing decision. Automotive assessors do most of their work on the road, in a variety of conditions. A day in the office is very much the exception for them.” Reinhard Seehofer, Head of Claims Management Generali needed small, lightweight laptops that could be operated by both touchscreen and an integrated keyboard. Housed in a tough metal body, the hard drive of the Toughbook CF-M34 is shock-dampened with flexible cable connections.
All ports and connections have seals or flaps to protect against dust and water, and the body is made of a shock and vibration-resistant magnesium alloy – so the display is well protected too. The Toughbook is a practical workmate, not a fragile piece of technology.
Twelve of Generali’s automotive assessors tested five different laptops from different manufacturers over a three-month period to see how they performed in the working environment. They unanimously decided that the Panasonic Toughbook was the best option.
“Our new calculation software can easily be operated using the Panasonic Toughbook’s touchscreen. The waterproof integrated keyboard is used every day to write expert opinions on the spot, assess damage in individual cases and quickly note down relevant background information.”
-Reinhard Seehofer
The right choice
Each of the ten Generali regional offices in Austria has a back-up Toughbook, but so far none of these has been needed. They are used instead in the offices for software updates. Panasonic is so confident to the quality of its products that it gives a three-year guarantee on all Toughbooks.
Garages throughout Austria have been so impressed with the Panasonic Toughbooks used by Generali staff that many independen automotive assessors are now choosing it for themselves.
“There could hardly be better proof that we’ve made the right choice. Just like us, independent assessors have to perform quick calculations and weigh costs against benefits, and only decide on the right laptop for themselves after extensive consultation and testing. The fact that these people are choosing Toughbooks is both a vindication of our decision and a glowing testimonial for Panasonic.”
-Reinhard Seehofer
Tough in the field, at home, in the office
Panasonic is currently the only manufacturer to offer a complete range of rugged laptops. Of companies using more than 100 laptops, 97% report damage within the first twelve months. Taking into account the resultant loss of business, the average cost of laptop outage is more than €3,000*. This explains why Panasonic has given the Toughbook a magnesium alloy body twenty times tougher than normal plastic, and taken steps to protect both display and hard drive from shock and vibrations. It saves money, prevents collateral damage such as missed appointments or lost data, and makes work a more enjoyable, less frustrating experience. Reinhard Seehofer says that, these days, even when he is in his office he prefers to use his Toughbook. “For presentations, it’s easier and quicker to use a stylus on the
touchscreen than a keyboard and mouse – another way that the Panasonic Toughbook is simply better than the alternatives.”