THE BEST agents and brokers know that continuous investment intechnology is simply a cost of doing business. Of course, the sameholds true for automation vendors, who must constantly improvetheir systems' capabilities if they are to get and keep clients whoare always on the lookout for a technological edge.

To help readers evaluate the latest products and systemenhancements, we recently contacted 10 major vendors of agencymanagement systems for retail agents and brokers. Following aresome highlights of their current systems and anticipatedofferings.

AgencySoftware
(www.agencysoftware.com)

Helping agencies maintain control of their data when usinginsurance carrier Web sites is the prime benefit of AgencySoftware's newest product, EZAgent for Windows, according to AgencySoftware president Mitch McInelly.

“Carriers that have not adopted such standards as XML orTransformation Station–especially smaller carriers–are askingagencies to go to the carrier Web site and input client informationthere,” McInelly said. “Besides moving away from a SEMCI approachand leading to multiple entries with different carriers, this putsthe client data solely in the hands of the carrier.

“Our new product allows agencies to both upload and downloadtheir data in this situation,” McInelly explained. “Agencies canuse EZAgent to take the data from a carrier Web site and downloadit into their agency management system. They can also take dataalready in their system and upload it directly into a carrier Website.”

McInelly said the new software has been adapted for agentswriting for Farmers Insurance Group and that the company has begunthe mapping of several other carrier Web sites. “Our goal is tohave 20 more carrier sites mapped by the end of the year,” hesaid.

McInelly said the new product is available as an optionalfeature on AgencyPro, the company's agency management system, whichis available as an in-house product or an ASP-based model.AgencyPro is available for an upfront price of $2,500 for 1-5 usersand a $500 charge for each additional user. Tech support for thesystem is free for the first year and $750 annually after that forup to five users. Additional users are charged an additional $200per year each. The EZAgent program sells for $595 for a two-userlicense, with a $25 per-month tech support fee, he said. Systemrequirements for AgencyPro include a Pentium processor, an Internetconnection with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or 5.0 andMicrosoft's Windows 95, 98 NT or XP Pro operating system.

AMS Services
(www.ams-services.com)

A new real-time comparative rating system and upgrades to itsnewest agency management system were among the developments at AMSServices in the past year. AMS introduced the comparative-ratingprogram SETWrite in mid-2004, and later released the first in-houseversion–version 1.5–of AMS 360, its latest agency managementsystem. They have since released new enhancements in version 1.6,with version 1.7 due out in a few months. The system is targeted tomiddle-market-sized agencies.

“We've made a number of enhancements to the workflow andaccounting system of AMS 360,” said Michael Krassner, director,field sales, AMS. “The system can now better handle more complexneeds than it could before, such as multiple agency entities andremote locations.” Krassner added that through a new program callednew program release (NPR), current AfW customers can migrate to AMS360 automatically. “That now becomes their upgrade path,” heexplained. “NPR essentially takes the entire database from AfW andmoves it to AMS 360 automatically, keeping the data intact.”

Krassner said the latest version of AMS 360 is also moreuser-definable. “Each person using the system can define theinterface to better suit how he or she works,” he stated. “Forinstance, a claims person can configure the system to have aparticular look when it starts, which can be different from thelook configured by a CSR or an accounting person. Each one wouldsee different things when opening the same file.” Krassner said AMScan make enhancements to AMS 360 directly through the Internet.

AMS has also made enhancements to TransactNOW, its real-timetransaction tool, Krassner said. “We've added new business quoterequest capability for both personal and commercial lines,” hesaid. “We've also added drag-and-drop capability directly intoclient files, for a variety of attachment types.” He describedanother new feature, global change for personnel: “For example, ifa producer leaves, the agency can reassign all of their accounts toa new producer automatically, without having to update each accountindividually.”

Krassner said AMS has also recently released version 4.5 ofPrime, its system for small agencies, and version 6.0 of Sagitta,its system for agencies with several hundred users. “We've made anumber of enhancements to Sagitta,” he said, “including a workflowmanager, a client relationship manager, and changes to the userinterface and navigation that allow us to export reports in XMLformat.”

AppliedSystems
(www.appliedsystems.com)

An increase in the number of available real-time transactionsand greater integration capabilities are among the enhancementsApplied Systems has focused on in the past year, according to JeffPurdy, senior vice president and national sales manager. Thecurrent versions of Applied's agency management systems, The AgencyManager 7.2 and The Vision Series 3.2, are each available as eitheran online, ASP-based model or as an in-house version. Purdy saidthat the Vision Series is used by agencies of various sizes but isintended for those operations with particularly complex needs.

“We have over 70 insurance carriers who have now signedagreements for using Transformation Station for real-timetransactions,” Purdy said. “This includes transactions that supportinquiry, issuance, bridging and alert transactions, and we'veworked to improve the workflows to increase the speed of thesetransactions.”

Purdy said Applied has worked to respond to the needs of anincreasingly online clientele, as well. “With both our agencymanagement systems in the past year, I would estimate that 65% to70% of our new sales have been for the online version of thesystems,” he stated. In particular, he explained that Applied hasimproved the ability of its online systems to facilitate apaperless office environment. “Getting the paperless environment towork (through an ASP) can be complex,” he said, “especially whenyou're implementing document management across the Internet to anonline data center.” As an example of this improvement, Purdy saidApplied has better integrated Microsoft Outlook with its systems,streamlining the process of attaching e-mails from Outlook intoeither the TAM or Visions system.

Another part of providing greater integration is AppliedConnexion, which Purdy described as a tool set that allows users tointegrate and move data to and from other software applications. Hesaid approximately 100 organizations currently use the tool set,which is purchased independently of the management systems.

“Connexion functions as 'middleware,' that allows data to besent from our system to a third-party product or Web site,” hesaid. “For example, many agencies develop their own Web sites,which they use to perform such functions as collecting sales andmarketing information. Connexion would allow them to integrate thatWeb-site data directly into their TAM or Vision management system.”Citing the example of a large agency with other, independentcomputer systems, Purdy said the Connexion tool will also extractdata from TAM or Vision and send it to the agencies' otherproprietary systems using XML data streams.

Purdy said Connexion is also used by vendors wanting tointegrate their products with Applied's systems. “For example,premium finance companies and document management companies haveboth licensed Connexion, to build an interface with our systems,”he stated. “When they develop those interfaces, we deploy theproduct jointly to our mutual customers.”

With the online version of the systems, Mr. Purdy said, noparticular Microsoft desktop operating system is required, sinceApplied hosts the application on its servers. He said the neededconnection speed could vary, depending on the size of an agency,but that a dedicated Internet connection such as DSL or cable wouldalmost certainly be necessary.

DORIS
(www.dorissystems.com)

Michael Mansperger, vice president and chief information officerof DORIS Systems, says much of the company's work in the past 12months has been to address the needs of their growing online clientbase.

DORIS has over 2,000 users of its two agency management systems:Agent's Choice, the in-house version, and Fileserver Online, theonline, ASP-based model. Mansperger said that since more than 90%of new sales in the past year have been the online version, DORIShas been focused on “matching the two productsfeature-for-feature.” Both products are aimed at small to midsizeagencies.

“With Agent's Choice, the ability to attach a wide variety offiles has been virtually unlimited,” Mansperger said. “This hasbeen somewhat limited in the past with Fileserver. For agenciesthat wanted to go paper-less–doing a lot of scanning andimaging–ASP-based systems have faced a number of issues, such ashow to get the attachment to the server, store it there, andprotect it,” he explained. “We've reached that point now, where ourASP version can accept about 20 times more types of attachmentsthan it did before.”

Mansperger said that the effort to accept more file attachmentswith Fileserver brought additional benefits: “In developing theability to accept attachments, we moved to a bigger, faster datacenter,” he stated. “This has increased both the speed and securityof all online transactions. Also, where once we had a limitedstorage capacity for our ASP clients, this improvement now givesFileserver users an unlimited storage capability.”

Another enhancement to the Fileserver system that Manspergerdescribed is an increase in real-time activity throughTransformation Station. “We are continually adding more insurancecompanies to our Transformation Station list,” he said. “We supportall the inquiry transactions, and we're currently working on thequoting and issuing transactions.”

For carriers that haven't started using Transformation Stationyet, Mansperger said, DORIS has expanded the use of its “Bridget”product. “Bridget allows real-time transactions between our systemand carrier Web sites,” he said. “It passes the credentials to acarrier Web site, sends information to the carrier out of ourdatabase, navigates to the area of the carrier Web site related tothe agent's inquiry and brings up the appropriate screen.”

With the newest versions of its systems (scheduled to bereleased this month), Mansperger said DORIS is focusing oncommercial lines. “We have had commercial-download capability for10 years,” he said, “and we have been waiting for carriers tobecome more active in this area. We are now introducing commercialdownload, with Progressive, and we've enhanced commercial-linesforms integration as well. For example, we can now handle up to 120vehicles on a commercial-auto policy.”

Mansperger said that agents using the Agent's Choice systemshould have a Windows 98 or more recent operating system, which heexplained also determines other system requirements. “I typicallyexplain that by noting that if an agency's computer can handle therequirements of Windows 98, they will also support our system,” hesaid. He added that the system will function on either apeer-to-peer network or a regular domain.

Ebix
(www.ebix.com)

Graham Prior, senior vice president of agency managementsystems, explained that in 2000 Ebix (formerly know as Delphi)released a new-generation agency management system called ebix-ASP.Since then, he said, the company has continuously upgraded andenhanced that product.

Ebix-ASP is an Internet-enabled application that operates in atrue browser-type environment, he said. It was developed using MSactive server pages and the MS SQL server relational database.

New functionality is integrated with a number of rating vendors.Ebix also is releasing enhanced functionality to supportcommercial-lines download for a range of carriers and products, andis completing the integration of ebix-ASP with Ivans TransformationStation.

“The most exciting thing we've done is integrate the ebix-ASPapplication with ACORD's online WYSIWYG forms,” said Prior. “Agentswill soon be able to pull up an ACORD form for each line ofbusiness that they serve, key data into those forms, and watch asthe data automatically populate the ebix-ASP database through XMLupdates. We think that's quite a step forward in terms of ease ofuse for agents.”

Ebix-ASP is sold as both a hosted system (clients pay for theservice on a monthly basis) and a self-hosted system (installed onan agency's hardware and run in-house on its own system). Pricingvaries with the type of system a client chooses, the number ofusers, etc.

GBS
(www.gbsinc.com)

In the past year, says Jeff Seale, GBS vice president of salesand marketing, the company has focused on several enhancements toits Agency Expert agency management system: greater carrierdownload capability, an advanced version of the online system andimproved remote access. The company offers four versions of AgencyExpert-The MGA version, The General Agency version, The Standardversion and the Agent Partner version–and has over 17,000users.

“We have continually kept up with changes necessary for downloadin all lines of insurance,” Seale said. “But lately, we haveespecially focused on enhancing our system so that it acceptsdownload in multiple formats-AL3, XML, ACORD standards, anythingthrough IVANS, comma-delimited or text formats, for example. Thissaves time for the carriers, because they don't have to work withus to create a proprietary standard, and it makes things moreconvenient for agents, because they can request information from acarrier without having to worry whether they have the rightcapability.”

Seale explained that the setup of GBS' online products differsfrom that of an ASP-based model. “The first versions of ASP-basedsystems were basically just stripped-down versions of variouscompanies' in-house systems,” he said. “Since many agencies lackedhigh-speed Internet access, these lower-functioning ASP models werean attempt to deliver online access to databases that moved withany speed. So if an in-house system had 100 possible fields, theonline version might only have 10. We developed our systems to runusing Windows Terminal Services, and we give agencies the full-boresystem, with all the functionality of our in-house system.”

The increasing prevalence of high-speed Internet access hasincreased the possibilities for remote access as well, Seale said.“The availability of programs like Windows Terminal Services or PCAnywhere allows agencies to run their desktop GBS system from anyInternet-connected remote location, with as much speed as if theywere running it in their main office.”

Seale said the price for the systems starts with an initial costthat ranges from $495 to $795, and includes an annual fee of $150to $250. A variety of additional modules can be purchased throughthe company's Web site, he said, all but one selling for less than$500.

InStar Corp.
(www.instar.com)

According to C. Thomas Hatcher, AAI, vice president, InStar hasnot only has added new features and improved functionality, but italso has worked closely with customers and user groups to implementworkflow efficiencies designed to increase users' productivity.

InStar's StarAccess allows real-time inquiries with aright-button click through IVANS Transformation Station. Hatchersaid in the next release, agencies will be able to do quoting forauto insurance in real time. Commercial-lines download is nowavailable, and InStar has certified over 100 companies.

In the meantime, InStar has added a powerful word merge engine,enabling agencies to create template documents and forms that areeasily available within the application.

In addition, the vendor has developed for its MGA customers ageneric policy issuance module that allows them to set up andmanage their own policy issuance programs without extensive customprogramming.

“We also have enhanced our reporting features, ability to exportdata to Excel and two-way personal-lines rating capabilities,”noted Hatcher. “We have several new strategic partner integrations,such as premium finance real-time quotes with Premium FinanceSpecialists and FinancePro. “InStar Imaging, powered by DocStar,provides state-of-the-art technology integrated into ourapplication and adapts to specific agency workflow to create atruly paperless office.”

The contact module has been expanded to handle multipleindividuals with an unlimited number of addresses, phone numbersand e-mail addresses. (This is available for insureds, companies,vendors, and producers.) Specific modules are offered for agencieswith niche marine, equine, aviation and bonding business, and usersalso will notice enhancements to the life and health module.

A new training CD guides users through all aspects of thesoftware, and a variety of other e-learning options focus on theworkflow integration of the software, he said.

InStar can be purchased through traditional licensing or a lowmonthly subscription fee. The software can be run on a local orwide-area network or hosted and accessed through the Internet.

QuickFile Agency ManagementSystem
(www.QuickFile.net)

“The most exciting new feature we've introduced during the pastyear is an online version of our QuickFile program called theEnterprise edition,” says Erik Finstad, QuickFile regional salesmanager. “It's an easy and inexpensive way to store client data inone central location on the Internet, allowing agents to access itfrom wherever they may be. The data is secure and constantly backedup”

“The new edition is compatible with all major operatingsystems,” Finstad added, “and system requirements are minimal. Whena new client purchases the program, we send an installation CD forthe initial set-up, along with a printed user manual. A QuickFilespecialist then contacts the client for unlimited one-on-onetraining. All program updates are included and can be downloadeddirectly from the QuickFile web site.”

Each year, QuickFile releases several new versions that containnew features and enhancements. Most of changes are customer-driven,and features are added in response to users' suggestions. For thepast two years, QuickFile has focused on continued integration withcarriers via company downloads, and Finstad is pleased with theresults.

The initial cost of the regular version of QuickFile starts at$599 per year, per office. That includes the cost of the program,unlimited technical support and customer service, training andupdates. There are no monthly maintenance fees.

Strategic Insurance Software Inc.
(www.sisware.com)

Strategic Insurance Software recently released an update for itsPartner 6.1 agency management system. Mark Miller, SIS chiefoperating officer, said this update includes a new MapQuest featurethat enables agents to get driving directions and maps to theirclients' locations using addresses already stored in Partner. Italso features two more additions to the WebLink component thatfacilitates real-time transactions with carriers' sites.Progressive's Drive insurance was added, along with ArbellaInsurance Group in Massachusetts, which went live on May 1. Arbellauses JAVA scripting for WebLink, and Drive's implementation usesACORD XML and Web Services. The other carriers available onWebLink-State Auto, Celina, Grange, Integrity Mutual, EMC and OhioCasualty-use encrypted DLLs.

“We are wrapping up development of our next generation product.Partner XE is scheduled for beta in the latter part of 2005,” saidMiller, “and will be previewed through a series of Web events thatwill provide a brief overview of the system.”

SIS also introduced Print Service and Data Service. Millerexplained that, using .NET and Adobe technology, the Print Serviceprovides a universal printing solution for all ACORD forms,company-specific applications and supplemental pages. The servicesare available as COM objects or Web Services, according to Miller,and pricing is based on the scope of each project, the number offorms used and the states in which they're used.

XDimensionalTechnologies
(www.xdti.com)

Bob Juracka, president of XDimensional Technologies, reports therecent release of several new features to the Nexsure agencymanagement system, such as broadened integration with MicrosoftOffice Suite, including Microsoft Outlook. The vendor also madeenhancements to its accounting system to better accommodate somesophisticated types of billings, such as those used by largeorganizations. One such feature, called list-billing, allows amaster policy premium to be broken out among many potentialsub-pieces of that account or related accounts.

Another major development is the introduction of Nexsure InstantCollaboration, a tool for accelerating and completing collaborativetasks. It allows someone outside an agency, such as a client, totake part in a step of a workflow that requires the insured'sparticipation-verifying which certificate holders need to berefreshed, for example. An agency employee taps a particular stepof the workflow on which assistance is needed, and the system sendsthe appropriate person an e-mail message with a link, Juracka said.The recipient simply clicks on the link and is taken to the targetpage or form.

XDimensional's hosted service is a completely Web-native system,Juracka said. Once an agency has signed on for the service, anoffsite employee needs only a PC with Internet access to work fromhome or other location.

“Our app is highly scalable,” Juracka stated. He said that at aMicrosoft testing facility in Mountain View, Calif., in a simulatedenvironment with many times more users than in any existinginsurance organization, the system easily passed the stresstests.

“Last year we earned the endorsement of the Council of InsuranceAgents & Brokers-the first time they have endorsed an agencymanagement system,” Juracka said, “and we also have the endorsementof the Michigan Association of Independent Agents.”

The initial set-up fee per user is based on the size of theagency organization and typically ranges from $1,000 to $1,495 peruser. This figure includes some training and other bundledservices, such as a basic data conversion. ? la carte training alsois available if the agency desires more. Users then pay a monthlyservice fee that includes the hosting service, unlimited supportand any enhancements made to a product. Pricing per user begins at$99 per month, Juracka said. For clients with 25 to 99 users, thecost is $79 per user per month, and agencies with 100 users or morepay $59 per user per month. As the product evolves, additionalfeatures and upgrades are automatically added to the service.