For decades, technologically sophisticated agencies haveliterally been begging insurers to provide real-time capability forhandling transactions between agent and carrier. Now that someinsurers have been offering such technology, however, the tableshave turned.

The burden has shifted to independent agents to use the toolsprovided, with insurers complaining that agents have been slow inadopting the technology--and some warning that they won't continueto offer the option if they don't get a better response.

"To those carriers, I would say, hang in there and work withus," said Kim Favreau, newly elected chair of the Applied SystemsClient Network (ASCnet), in an interview with National Underwriterin Orlando during the group's recent annual conference.

"Keep the dialogue [with agents] open. You have to sellreal-time to some agents and get them to use it," she added.

Asked why some agents have been reluctant to embrace real-time,Ms. Favreau--who officially takes office on Jan. 1--noted thatagents are "traditionally resistant to change." In a smaller agencyespecially, she added, "change can be daunting."

She suggested that some agencies may be waiting for real-timetransaction technology to be "perfected" before making any change.She also speculated that busy agents may tend to put the idea ofreal-time adoption on the back burner while they attend to morepressing matters.

"If we don't embrace real-time now, what will happen with thenext generation of customers who will expect 24-hour/7-days-a-weekservice?" asked Ms. Favreau, who is the commercial lines managerfor Connell & Curley Insurance Agency in Natick, Mass.

"This will hurt the industry as a whole. It's hard on carriers,too," she noted, adding that some insurers are becoming frustratedwith agents who don't use the technology that is being offered.

Still, despite the snail's pace in adoption thus far, shebelieves that someday agents will be able to do even more withreal-time transactions. "We'll be able to tell customers, 'I can doeverything for you,' including a lot of things that are carrierfunctions now," she said.

"Having to send customers away from our agencies to carrier Websites cuts down on the relationships we're trying to build withthose customers," said Ms. Favreau.

"To agents who haven't adopted real-time where it is available,I would say, take a step back and think about it," she added. "Ifwe all work together, it will happen faster. We need to work withthe carriers on using it and on solving theproblems--together."

The biggest hurdle when it comes to agent adoption of real-timetechnology is educating those who are uninformed, according to Ms.Favreau.

"The message carries more weight when another agent tells you,"she explained, noting that industry events--both national andlocal--offer prime opportunities for agent-to-agent education.

Meanwhile, at the same conference, Linn Wheeling, CEO of ASCnet,told a general session audience that "hundreds of agencies and morethan 80 carriers are using real-time interface to reducetransaction times for customers and to enhance the productivity oftheir employees." She added that the agencies "are experiencingincredible results."

According to Ms. Wheeling, higher customer expectations aredriving the implementation of real-time.

"Our customers don't have different expectations for theirinsurance provider than they do for many of their everydayservices," she explained. "The leap has been made. They wantinstant access--and ease of doing business. They want it, and theywant it now."

She added that real-time adoption could also help attracttalented young people to the insurance industry by demonstratingthat insurance is a "technologically advanced" business.

"The industry has the technology," said Ms. Wheeling, "but weknow we can do more. We need more agencies and brokerages to usereal-time, more companies to support it, more industry leaders tolead the charge."

During the conference, ASCnet also presented awards to severalinsurance companies in recognition of their work to implementdownload and real-time interface technology with appointed agenciesand brokers.

Ohio Casualty Group was the top winner, being presented with theEase of Doing Business (Gold) Award, and being named Personal LinesInterface Carrier of the Year. In addition, an Ohio Casualty fieldmarketing representative, Byrin Bratcher, was given the 2007Carrier Field Representative Award.

Frankenmuth Mutual was honored with the Ease of Doing Business(Silver) Award, and ACUITY was presented with the Ease of DoingBusiness (Bronze) Award.

Finally, Selective Insurance was honored as the Commercial LinesInterface Carrier of the Year.