Product: TransactNOW
Company: AMS Services
Web Site: www.amsworld.com

This spring, AMS Services, Inc., introduced TransactNOW, aproduct that enables interface communication among carriers,agents, and the AMS Services management system product line.TransactNOW allows agents to process business transactions withcarriers via a seamless single-entry workflow without having toleave their management system.

Chris Garson, agent IT business leader for ProgressiveInsurance, says TransactNOW makes life easier for agents using AMSagency management systems and for the carrier. Agents using the AMSsystems produce over a billion dollars in premium each year forProgressive, according to Garson. From a carriers perspective, theeffort amounted to signing a contract and writing a check, Garsonsays. It was zero work [for the carrier]. Thats the most appealingthing about it.

One area where TransactNOW is working well is in billinginquiries from agents. A typical billing telephone call takesbetween three and four minutes before an answer can be found,Garson indicates. With Trans-actNOW, the response time is in thefour- to six-second range, he says.

There are modifications we want to make to improve the workflowoptions, says Garson. He believes a one-button click to make apayment following a billing inquiry will be helpful. What mostagents want to do when they say How much do I owe? is make apayment. Thats the type of thing we want to work on with AMS tounderstand how the agents are using [the system] and allow agentsto take things one step farther and do things more seamlessly.

The initial release brings many top carriers live onTransactNOW. In addition to Progressive, carriers that have adoptedTransactNOW for the initial release include Chubb Group ofInsurance Companies, Encompass Insurance, The Hartford Finan-cialServices Group, Kemper Auto and Home, SAFECO Property and CasualtyInsurance Companies, The St. Paul Companies, and Travelers PropertyCasualty. Dave Shea, president and CEO of AMS Services AgencyMarkets, says, The ability for our agents to process transactionswith carriers effectively through their management systems is vitalto the success of their business. TransactNOW was developed toprovide AMS and carriers with a solution that allows for rapiddevelopment and roll-out of new transactions and additionalcarriers, leveraging resources already developed and employed inthe market.

Work already is under way on a significant expansion ofTransactNOW to add carriers and support more business transactions.The addition of policy view rounds out the inquiry workflow, asagents now can respond to all customer inquiries from within theirmanagement system in a matter of seconds. TransactNOW uses ACORDstandards and XML technology to integrate with carrier Web sitefunctionality. This means transactions and carriers can be addedquickly, and agents can deploy rapidly.

Garson believes the competition among vendors in the agentmanagement system market is showing how powerful competition canbe. Ive always been afraid the pursuit of the Holy Grail of SEMCIwould lock us into a single solution that stifles creativity,inhibits innovation, and ultimately proves bad for the industry, hesays. In watching the landscape over the last couple of years,competition is healthy and necessary for our industry. Without it,were not going to get the solutions that really lower the cost ofdoing business.

Product: PIN Real Time
Company: Innovative IT Solutions
Web sites www.innovativeit.com

Innovative IT Solutions, Inc., has introduced PIN Real Time, aservice that cuts appointment and termination approvals/denialsfrom days to seconds. PIN Real Time is available for insurers instates that authorize the National Insurance Producer Registry(NIPR) to approve or deny their appointments and terminations basedon data in the Producer Database (PDB), a central repository ofproducer licensing information updated by participating stateinsurance departments.

Deana Klees, associate manager of the regulatory servicesdepartment for Great-West Life & Annuity, says the biggestadvantage of PIN Real Time is it allows an insurer to tell itspeople when they are officially licensed to sell. From mystandpoint, the appointment process is much faster, she says. PINReal Time will make it even more efficient.

Speeding the licensing process is important to Great-West, whichhas appointed over 7,000 agents in the first six months of theyear. We enter into marketing agreements with banks, and all thebankers have to be appointed to represent us, Klees says. We aremaking tons of appointments. She believes the system also willprove beneficial because of the high turnover rate among lifeinsurance salespeople. We bring them on, and we take them off, shesays. Sometimes they are appointed only for a month, so this is agreat time-saver. Another benefit for carriers is it allowsinsurers to consolidate licensing fees, eliminating the constantneed for obtaining checks from the accounting department.

States have picked up on the electronic licensing in the lastthree years, according to Klees. Today, there are only three statesleft that require paper [filings], she says. Those states areWashington, Mississippi, and Florida, according to Klees.
Insurers are looking forward to expanding the electronic licenseapplication and company appointment renewal process, according toKlees. Licensing appointment was just a dry, boring paper shuffle,she says. The tools coming around the last couple of years reallyhave streamlined it. All these databases where all the agentinformation is located are very helpful.

Innovative ITs ability to offer real-time connection andnear-instantaneous approvals for producer appointments andterminations in these PIN Real Time states directly benefitscarriers bottom lines, says Innovative IT vice president ofe-government Gary Gummig. This real-time capability means carriersno longer have to wait days to receive confirmation forappointments, and their producers can immediately begin sellinginsurance.

SHOPPING CART
Product: INSsight 4.0
Company: Thazar
Web Site: www.thazar.com

Thazar, A Skywire Software Company, announced the availabilityof INSsight 4.0, the latest version of its end-to-end businessintelligence (BI) system designed specifically for theproperty/casualty insurance industry. The new version will bereleased during the third quarter of this year.

INSsight is a customer-driven system that provides insurers witha strategic, enterprisewide view of their information across alloperating unitsfrom actuarial and accounting to underwriting,claims, sales, and marketing. The product allows carriers tomeasure performance against goals, identify and track trends,detect and respond to threats, and identify and take advantage ofreal opportunities.

INSsight 4.0 is based on ACORD and ISO standards. The system isboth J2EE 1.3 and EJB 2.0 compliant, which enables it to run on anycompliant application server, such as IBM Websphere and BEAWebLogic. INSsight supports multiple operating environments,including Unix or Windows, and industry-leading database platforms,such as Oracle and SQL Server.

The new version also includes:
Enhanced Report Creation and Cataloging. Users can view,distribute, catalog, and retrieve management information reportselectronically. They also can import and catalog third-partyreports in a file-system-based catalog. Custom reports can becreated using data cubing technology.
Expanded Query and Analysis Capability. A query tool that enablesad hoc analysis of the warehouse environment. Queries can beinitiated using Structured Query Language (SQL) or through aWizard.

To prepare for change in todays competitive landscape, insurancecompanies need to gain visibility into the performance of theirbusiness, as well as manage future risks, says Thomas R.Chesbrough, founder and executive vice president of Thazar.INSsight provides instant access to critical data in onecentralized repository for reporting and analysis. In return,insurers are able to reduce costs, increase operationalefficiencies, and improve profitability.