Allstate Motor Club has brought its full suite of roadside assistance services to drivers with iPhone and BlackBerry devices.

The application uses GPS technology to determine a caller's location and connect to the nearest available service provider. Allstate Motor Club is now making many of its services available to non-members for the first time through this application.

?Allstate?s mobile applications are the latest example of an ongoing, enterprise-wide strategy to serve our customers when, where and how they like to be served,? said Krissy Posey, spokeswoman, Allstate Insurance, Northbrook, IL. ?Particularly with the Roadside Assistance mobile app, it helps Allstate serve customers where they need to be served.?

Allstate is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow.

The company hopes that with the launch of these applications, motorists will appreciate the added peace of mind that Allstate Motor Club members enjoy.

Roadside assistance, for example, is a service that drivers really appreciate when they need it, because it helps get them back on the road.

Allstate Motor Club members can download the application and preregister their contact information and membership ID.

Drivers without Allstate Motor Club memberships can use the application on a pay-per-use basis.

When requesting roadside assistance, the application automatically transmits the driver's location and service details to a nearby service provider.

Once service is confirmed, the app provides the service provider's name and an estimated time of arrival.

The application includes a convenient survey for customers to provide immediate feedback on their experience, to help ensure our high levels of customer satisfaction.

Allstate isn?t new to mobile marketing.

The company mobilized its print ads within Rolling Stone magazine (see story).

Allstate isn?t the only insurance company offering road side assistance to mobile consumers.

The newly released AAA Roadside application for iPhone helps stranded motorists by sending detailed information directly to AAA's roadside assistance dispatch.

The free application provides AAA members with a way to use their iPhone's location-based services to quickly send their vehicle location, description, specific vehicle problem and other information for roadside assistance. The user has the option to place a voice call, and once the request is submitted, the AAA member receives a confirmation that the information was received (see story).

?Smartphone and mobile applications make it easier for consumers to do business with us,? Ms. Posey said. ?This app is helping us deliver services faster than ever before.

?Eventually, Allstate wants consumers to have many of the services available on Allstate.com also at their fingertips via a smart phone,? she said. ?Applications like the Roadside Assistance mobile app allow us to be a more immediate and tangible part of our customer?s daily lives.?