Paper files work–carriers have used them successfully for decades–but Gray Insurance Co., a worker's compensation carrier with five offices in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, had reached the breaking point. "Historically, daily overnight packages [were being] sent between the branch offices and the main office, ensuring both copies of the file were in sync," says Carl Schneider, CIO. With paper flying in all directions, Gray decided last year the time was right for a change.

Schneider cites a half-dozen specific challenges the carrier hoped to address through an imaging and document management project: the ability to capture information more accurately; the availability of information in multiple locations concurrently; disaster recovery capabilities; standardization of workflow; reduction of paper files to reclaim floor space; and reduction in claims handling costs.

ImageRight was chosen by determining a list of functional and technical requirements, visiting industry trade shows, interviewing other insurance companies that shared the same size and product-line makeup, viewing product demonstrations, and making site visits. The information systems department acted as facilitator during the five-month search, but Schneider claims it was the end-users (claims, underwriting/policy, surety, etc.) and the carrier's executive management team who drove the decision-making process.