Improved electronic interface between agents and carriers isenjoying wider agency acceptance and growth, according to a surveyconducted by the Real Time/Download campaign. The survey, conducted earlier this year, received nearly 2,200responses from agency and brokerage professionals in all 50 statesand Canada. 

Adoption of real-time rating tools within agencies andbrokerages has increased considerably since a similar surveyconducted in fall 2011 as the campaign reported a 32 percentincrease in the last 18 months.

"We're encouraged to see increased use of these tools," says StuDurland, campaign co-chair and vice president and co-owner of Seely& Durland Insurance in Warwick, N.Y. "With strong competitionon many fronts, it's important that independent agents and brokershave—and use—tools that can help them remain strong."

Personal lines workflows, including download (95 percent) andreal-time rating (83 percent), are seeing the greatest adoption.Real Time and download are less broadly used in commercial lines.Commercial lines download is used by more than three-fourths ofrespondents that write commercial policies. Real-time rating forcommercial lines is used by 50 percent of agencies and brokerageswith a commercial lines book of business. 

Respondents report they save a significant amount of time byusing these technologies. For example, those who use personal linesdownload save nearly an hour and a half per employee per day.

Personal lines real-time rating saves agencies and brokeragesroughly an hour per personal lines employee per day. Commerciallines download saves nearly an hour per commercial lines employeeper day, while commercial lines real-time rating yields just overhalf that amount of time savings. 

Respondents indicate Real Time and download deliver a wide rangeof benefits besides time savings.

"These include improved information accuracy, better activitydocumentation, easier password maintenance and other efficiencygains," says campaign co-chair Joyce Sigler, vice president andcorporate secretary at Jones & Wenner Insurance Agency inFairlawn, Oh. "Real-time tools also free up time that can bedevoted to selling and account rounding, and they help agents quotemore business more quickly." 

Real-time inquiry and service activities are performed bythree-fourths of respondents, up considerably from roughly one-halfof those who reported using them in 2011. Those who use them save,on average, 53 minutes per employee per day.