Making it easier for its independent agents toquote,bind and issue several commercial lines policies, Travelersexpanded access to Travelers Commercial through Agent HQ from theVertafore agency management system, TransactNOW.

The service is now offered agencies interested in boiler andmachinery policies and both inland and ocean marine policies.

"In today's competitive business environment, the ability torespond rapidly with qualified, up-to-date information is paramountto continued success," says Tony Giannone, national sales director,First Party, Travelers.

Travelers cited a survey conducted by the Independent Insurance Agents& Brokers of America, Inc., in which 54 percent of agencieswith agency management systems report they are now doing real-timeinquiries.

"In expanding the single-click access through TravelersCommercial to include Quick Quote – Equipment Breakdown RatingTool, IM Express and Ocean Express, agents can respond to morecustomers quickly with relevant, actionable information," saysGiannone.

Expanding real-time access to the systems and resources foradditional lines of business found within Travelers AgentHQ streamlines an agent's workflow and creates additionalopportunities for agents to provide individualized attention totheir customers, according to Giannone.

More than 15,000 agency customers use Vertafore agencymanagement systems, including AMS360, AfW, InStar, Prime andSagitta. Travelers is making it easy for those agents to haveaccess to the carrier's writing and issuance systems, forms andmarketing materials through their agency management system.

"Finding additional lines of business to quote from existingcustomers and generating new business takes time–time that manyagents don't have," says Giannone. "With this initiative, Travelersis helping agents save time by not having to enter duplicative dataand recalling multiple passwords, which provides agents with theopportunity to spend more time with their customers and seek newopportunities."

Insurers Announce Enhancements toSmartphones

Both State Farm and Allstate recently announced updates to theirmobile phone applications.

State Farm today released an update to its Steer Clear mobileapplication, bringing the capability to Android smart phones. TheSteer Clear app provides young drivers a convenient way to completethe State Farm Steer Clear discount program and encouragessupervised driving practice.

The app also allows teen drivers to enter their staterequirements for getting their licenses and helps them track theirrequired driving time.

State Farm first introduced the Steer Clear Mobile app on iPhonein February as a way to help reduce teen driving crashes, one ofthe company's overarching goals.

The Steer Clear program is designed to align directly withgraduated driver licensing laws. These laws prove to be effectiveat reducing teen car crashes in part by lengthening the durationteens must drive while supervised, and requiring practice invarious driving conditions and limiting certain distractions.

Allstate announced the launch of Tag In, a new mobile messagingsmart phone app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry users. Thisallows drivers to stay connected with family, friends or colleagueswith a quick message and GPS location without using multipleapplications or exposing your information and location to a broadaudience.

"Allstate has clear goals for our mobile offerings: deliverservices and tools that consumers value in ways that are consistentwith who we are and what we stand for," says Bob Wasserman, vicepresident of e-business for Allstate. "People want to stayconnected, but they're also concerned about protecting theirprivacy. Designed with families in mind, Tag In combines convenientsocial networking, location features and user control of who seespersonal information. It's quicker than texting and more privatethan Facebook or Foursquare."