iPhone app helps State Farm users submit a claim

The mobile apps continue to come fast and furious in industries far and wide. One of our latest spottings? An iPhone app from insurer State Farm that lets customers look up policy information, record accident details and submit claims. Available both for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, State Farm Pocket Agent is a free application with features for all consumers, whether or not they’re already customers. Its On the Road feature, for example, uses the iPhone’s GPS to help users find the nearest hotel or gas station or call a tow truck, taxi, locksmith or rental car service. A built-in checklist, on the other hand, reminds drivers what to do when they’re in an accident. Then, of course, there’s a way to look for nearby agents. Registered State Farm customers, meanwhile, can do all that plus look up their policy information, record accident details and submit claims, including photos of the accident taken with their iPhone cameras. Serving as a sort of mobile brand butler, as our sister site would say, Pocket Agent is just one of many examples of the myriad new opportunities enabled by the iPhone and Android platforms. Make consumers’ lives easier when they need it most, and they’re more likely to become—and remain—loyal customers. (Related: Real-time flight reviews via Android and iPhone — Zipcar’s iPhone app finds and unlocks cars — Adidas creates free iPhone guide to Berlin’s street art — ING app for G1 phone uses camera & compass to show nearest ATM.) Spotted by: Chris