“With an auto protection plan from Endurance, relief is available for the high cost of unexpected auto repairs and major breakdowns.”
As the co-founder and CEO of Endurance Warranty Services, Paul Chernawsky is a unique leader that knows every area of the business—inside and out. Over the course of the company’s 15-year history, Paul has overseen every functional aspect—from the intricacies of policy creation to sales and marketing.
The company has grown through the years under Paul and co-founder Jordan Batt’s leadership, regularly making industry lists from Crain’s and Inc. magazine for continuous and significant growth, as well as receiving the 2017 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® award. As the business flourished, one thing has remained constant—Paul’s commitment to leveraging technology to deliver great products and best-in-class customer service.
Endurance came to life when Paul saw a gap in the aftermarket vehicle service contract (VSC) industry. As he looked across the industry, he saw bad actors targeting consumers with questionable marketing practices, casting a negative light on vehicle service providers at large.
According to Paul, “Endurance’s mission is ‘Empowering Confidence for the Road Ahead,’ and we set out to build a brand that consumers could really trust.” Paul’s vision was to build the business with a focus on customer service, and this is Endurance’s competitive advantage to this day.
He also championed change industry-wide with an active role in creating the Vehicle Protection Association (VPA)—a consortium of VSC-selling organizations that worked to establish and uphold a code of conduct for the industry. He served as president of the VPA and has always been a fervent advocate of upstanding consumer practices in the industry.
Once Endurance established a strong reputation among consumers, Paul saw an opportunity to expand into a vertically integrated business. Growing beyond a direct-to-consumer marketing and selling company, Endurance launched an admin obligor business with the ability to administer the policies they sold, enabling the ability to also sell to consumers through auto dealerships nationwide.
In an industry where most companies only market others’ policies, this set Endurance even farther apart from the competition.
Today, Endurance supports its customers from quote to claim—eliminating the middleman and providing best-in-class service that gets drivers back on the road fast. Today, Endurance uses chat technology to provide customer service, and their mobile-accessible customer portal allows customers to upload documents, view and print their policy documents, and even make payments.
Endurance provides benefits like rental car coverage, 24/7 roadside protection, and even meal and lodging reimbursement if a breakdown occurs far from home. For unmatched convenience, Endurance developed a mobile app to ensure protection is easily accessible whenever a customer experiences a breakdown.
Plus, it serves as a digital glovebox to store auto maintenance records, important numbers for roadside assistance, and real-time GPS tracking when a tow truck is requested.
Endurance continues to be a leader in cutting-edge, affordable auto protection for the modern driver. With an auto protection plan from Endurance, Americans can drive with confidence knowing they’re protected from the financial burden of repair costs from unexpected breakdowns.
Endurance pays the mechanic directly and has recently implemented technology with the ultimate goal of allowing repair shops to submit claims electronically. On top of unrivaled protection and ease, all Endurance VSCs also includes a free year of the Endurance Elite membership including everyday driver benefits like key fob and tire replacement.
According to data intelligence leader IHS Markit, drivers today are keeping their cars for longer—an average of 11.6 years—yet regular maintenance continues to be a neglected part of owning a vehicle. This is largely due to the financial burden and inconvenience that comes with these preventive tasks.
Given these consumer barriers and the fact that their avoidance often leads to vehicle breakdowns, Endurance introduced an innovative new product to the dealership side of their business—ValueMax Vehicle Protection. For the first time, drivers across the country could get coverage from Endurance that included maintenance benefits—an industry-leading product offering.
Paul explains, “ValueMax offers up to $3,500 in maintenance coverage, including oil and filter changes, brake pad and wiper replacements, and more. The program also has unrivaled eligibility—most auto protection plans have a steep list of disclaimers and exclusions, but not ValueMax. The fully customizable plan means there’s something for everyone, whether customers have a high-mileage vehicle or a car with advanced tech.”
This innovative coverage was added to previous technology investments to support dealers, including a solution to route calls from repair shops and service departments straight to claims adjusters, speeding up approvals for repairs, and getting customers back on the road faster.
Most recently, when stay-at-home orders went into effect in communities across America, Paul and his management team sprang into action again. Using the company’s cloud-based call center technology, employees were able to begin safely working from home. This transition was completed in just one weekend and was a true testament to the power of technology at work.
While many jobs were affected during the pandemic, Endurance was able to keep its staff employed and increase hiring–all thanks to the flexibility that the call center technology provided. “We’re always looking for new technology that will help us better serve our customers, and empower our employees to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. There’s really no limit to how we can leverage technology to expand the impact Endurance can make in people’s lives.”
