As an insurance general agent that caters to those on assignmentabroad, ClementsInternational's technology needs differ considerably from thoseof a typical insurance company.

“What makes our business so complex from a systems perspectiveis that our processesspan the insurance vertical,” explains Ken Mitchel, Clements' ITdirector. “While we are technically a general agent, our processingneeds are the same as a carrier for certain lines of business, sowe have needs that a brokerage system or agency management systemwould address, as well as needs that a carrier platform wouldaddress. We're also multi-line, so our system needs to accommodateproperty and casualty as well as life and health for both personaland commercial lines' clients.”

Based in Washington, D.C., Clements International offersinsurance products to expatriates and international organizations,including schools, businesses, and relief aid groups. Thefamily-owned company also provides off-the-beaten-path solutions,such as kidnap and ransom insurance, transit and cargo, and war andterrorism, for those working in conflict zones such as Iraq andAfghanistan. Clements serves clients in 237 countries, with asignificant amount of business in Africa, Asia, the Middle East,and South America, in addition to Europe.

“We try to be a one-stop shop for the expatriate going abroad,”Mitchel asserts.

Clements employs 54 people in Washington and recently opened aLondon office. Along with Mitchel, two additional staff members–anetwork engineer and help desk supervisor–work in IT. Severalsystems, including the Web site, are hosted externally.

To better serve customers' distinct needs, Mitchel and his teamare in the process of implementing a policy admin/claims/agencymanagement system that offers enhanced Web-based services,streamlines processes, and improves data analysis. The systemincludes underwriting, billing, claims, document creation, documentmanagement workflow, and full-featured client and broker Internetportals.

“This is the top technology initiative for us right now,”Mitchel says. “We're implementing a very customized andconfigurable system that is going to give our clients the abilityto do complete policy fulfillment online.”

The platform currently is in the testing phase, with a phasedrollout to half of the company's product lines scheduled forfirst-quarter 2011. The second rollout will follow in third-quarter2011.

A Canadian vendor will host the system externally, providingClements with much-improved disaster recovery and 24/7availability, a critical benefit for a global company.

“Since we are truly dispersed throughout the world, the 24/7capability is essential because of time zone differences,” Mitchelcontends. “We'll be able to leverage our hosting vendor'sinfrastructure and expertise at a fraction of the cost if we triedto do the same thing here.”

The system's flexible architecture will allow Mitchel and histeam to make changes to products more quickly, better meetworldwide regulatory requirements, and improve access to data.

“Right now, it's hard to get data out of our current system,” headmits. “With the new platform, we'll be able to access data moreeasily, which will allow us to know our clients better and tailorour products accordingly.”

In the late 1990s, he joined a small regional auto insurancecompany in Maryland as head of IT. While there, he helped thecompany install Allenbrook's Phoenix system and customize it to fitthe carrier's needs.

In 2007, Mitchel began working for Clements International as aconsultant to help the company evaluate and install a new policyadmin system. After a year of consulting, he was hired as ITdirector to head up the systems initiative.

Mitchel believes the new platform provides a stable foundationon which Clements can continue to expand; within the past 10 yearsthe insurance company has grown fivefold, averaging about 20percent new business each year. The system also improves Clements'ease of use, an essential feature for those policyholders livingabroad.

“Our clients include diplomats and executives for multinationalcorporations,” Mitchel says. “They're very sophisticated users oftechnology. They demand real-time issuance, and this system isgoing to give them that.”

Sharon Baker is a freelance business writerbased in Charlotte, N.C.