Real-time Access: Is It A Good Idea?

“No, I just cant!” a man cries out as he tosses and turns withthe passing of the nightmare. Another agent has just spent anotherrestless night thinking about how he can provide expanded service(24/7 self-service) to his customers and still protect the datawithin his agency management system.

“How can I bring myself to allow my customers to actually changeinformation in my system without my reviewing the change?” theagent asks. After all, its the one depository of his data that hecontrols. And, what about security, viruses and servers staying up?Whos going to handle all of those issues?

If these are the thoughts that run through your mind when youthink about improving and expanding your customer service to yourpolicyholders, you are not alone. You are among the many agenciesstruggling with how to leverage the new Web-based 24/7 servicesolutions to meet the needs of your customers. But then there areall of “those” issues. What do your customers really need from you?How do you handle security with consumers accessing yourmission-critical management system? How do you maintain your system24/7? All is not lost, however. There are solutions available thatcan help you rest easier.

First, take a look at what consumers really want. (Take a lookat the surveys being done by IIAA, Progressive or even better yet,ask your customers directly.) What we know is, they want theability to contact your agency at times that are convenient tothem.

They want to convey their requests and have you respond quickly.In fact, one recent company study stated that 99 percent of theconsumers polled want just thatthey want you to be available andresponsive.

But what does that really mean? Does that mean they want toreach you over the Web or the telephone? Does that mean they wantyou to return a phone call immediately or simply make the requestof you when its convenient for them? They know that they wantaccess to you and their policy information 24/7, but they leave howto deliver it up to you. So consider the issues and what solutionis the best for your business.

With the continuing onslaught of computer viruses and hackers,security is a huge issue. Is your agency ready to take it on? Doesyour system have robust firewalls to protect your data while all ofyour customers are accessing the system? Do you have thecontinually updated virus protection programs that are absolutelyrequired to retain the integrity of your data? If you arent ready,there is much to do to protect yourself before you can even thinkof enabling 24/7 access to your system.

You can hire the expertise and purchase the hardware andsoftware to implement quality security, or you can outsource thefunction. There are many experts and good software solutions forsecurity. Application service providers have established,state-of-the-art security systems that are continually updated andare able to address emerging virus and other security threats. Inmany circumstances it is actually more cost effective and efficientto outsource this function rather than to build and maintain itinternally, but you will need to review your business goals andcore competencies to make that decision for yourself.

Consumers do want 24/7 access to their insurance information,but what does that mean to your agency? That means having serveraccess available 24/7. That means having someone on call to respondshould your server go down, any time of the day or night. Thatmeans someone to answer your office telephone 24/7.

You may need improved communication capacity, more resources for24/7 coverage, and perhaps even more robust servers.

For some agencies, it simply comes down to the data. What datado you want the consumer to be able to change? Name and address?Fine, but what if their typing skills are not the greatest? Do youwant them to be able to actually add a vehicle to their policy andissue an Auto ID card? Im sure that sports car will meet thecarriers eligibility requirements with their 16-year old on thepolicy (Oh, I feel the nightmare returning!).

Do we really need to enable the consumer to make changes in realtime? Why? If the consumer can view his or her policy informationand request a change, and the change is done by the next businessday, wont that be enough?

In many cases, the consumer just wants to know that theirrequest can be submitted any time and that the change isimplemented quickly. If they submit a change of address at 6:30p.m., and the change is implemented by 10:00 a.m. the next morning,the consumer is happy.

The consumer enjoyed the ability to place their request at theirconvenience, the agency was able to review the change beforeimplementation, and the information could be updated before theconsumer went to view their policy again. A customer-focused agencyalso takes advantage of the opportunity to proactively contact theconsumer and enhance the service experience.

You can address the concerns and still deliver what yourcustomers need. Remember what “the demand” wasthat you areavailable and responsive. Just because real-time technology isavailable, that doesnt mean it is what is required to respond tothe demand.

Using an ASP service may eliminate many of the hidden costsassociated with maintaining 24/7 services yourself. A good ASP willalso provide robust security, hopefully better than you would beable to implement on your own. Call centers with insuranceexperience are able to brand themselves as your agency so theservice is transparent to your customer. You can then deliverpolicy access to your customers over the Web or the telephone,anywhere, and at any time.

The last part of the equation, though, is the data. Theres stillthat nagging feeling about letting your customers change theirinformation in real-time. Well you dont have to do real-time toachieve what customers want. Services are available that securelyextract the actual data from your system nightly and present it tothe consumer. The consumer then is able to make a change requestthat is sent to your agency to review and implement. The consumernever actually touches your agency management system.

Theres also an added disaster recovery benefit of having acomplete copy of your data updated nightly outside of your officebuilding.

So stop the nightmares. Remember what business you are in andwhere your business competencies lie. Look for a solution thataddresses your concerns, allows you to focus on your expertise,delivers the 24/7 service that your customers want, and enables youto differentiate yourself in the market. The right solution for youis out there.

Richard Roy is chairman and CEO of idNET Inc., based inSimsbury, Conn.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property &Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, July 22, 2002.Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serialpublication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as anindependent work may be held by the author.