Aspire Systems insurance wp Page 7
Internet Strategy for Insurance Companies
Agents that stay in the individual consumer and small business markets will increasingly be required
to use the Internet to reach and service their customers. Insurance companies will redesign the
technologies supporting agents to provide:
- Online /real-time quoting capabilities
- Simplified policy issue processes
- Point of service data capture
The objective is to simplify processes and eliminate the unproductive paper deluge, "telephone tag"
and duplication of similar work at each step in the handoff between consumer, agent, local office and
home office of the insurer. Much of this technology will not be resident on the public Internet but will
be on proprietary intranet / internet systems that will be used to electronically connect and service
business partners, brokers and agents. Commercial lines have been especially strong advocates of
this approach.
Sales and Service
Insurers are slowly realizing that successful servicing systems of the future will be:
Customer Focused
Not
Business Focused
If you observe many insurance organizations it is clear that the current processes are business
focused. How many conversations do you hear as you walk through your company that are based
on the client representative or underwriter explaining why the company needs a specific form.
Or, that the client needs to call someone else for the information they need. Or, that an agent has to
call at a certain time of day. Sound familiar?
The realization that this business model is no longer appropriate is painful. However, customer
expectations are being shaped by their experiences with other service providers. Increasingly these
experiences are based on the immediacy of the "net" to meet customer needs.
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