Ebix, Inc., a supplier of on-demand software and e-commerceservices to the insurance and financial industries, announces apartnership with Silanis, an enterprise electronicsignature solutions provider. Silanis will now becomethe preferred e-signature solution within Ebix's on-demandofferings used by brokers and insurance companies, representing inexcess of $100 billion in insurance premiums annually.

This partnership reflects the demand globally from insurancecarriers and agents to improve the customer experience across allsales channels with straight-through processing.

The agreement is transactional, whereby EbixExchange will firstintegrate Silanis' e-signature solution in the new businessapplication process within the EbixExchange CRM, as well as expandon other Ebix offerings. EbixExchange's CRM subscribers will beable to complete annuity and insurance new business immediatelywithout the delay of obtaining a paper-based signature from thepolicy holder.

Electronically signing the application will make it possible toclose business in one web session or in-person visit, improving thecompliance of applications by dramatically reducingnot-in-good-order rates while also eliminating costly manualprocedures. EbixExchange will initially roll out Silanise-signatures to its client base including broker/dealers, banks,clearing firms, captive agents and BGA communities, with plans toexpand the offering through other divisions, including P&C,international, health and BPO.

Gaining widespread adoption of e-signatures and e-policydelivery by agents has historically been a challenge in theinsurance industry, despite clear recognition of the benefits and adesire to use the technology. Lack of adoption stems fromreluctance on the part of agents to use a different way ofsubmitting new business applications electronically for eachcarrier they sell. For carriers, their concern lies in underwritingbusiness that may or may not have been originated in compliancewith regulations and corporate policy.

"The Ebix-Silanis partnership provides the answer withintegrated, robust e-signatures as part of vertical applicationsthey are already using, whether for new business or customerservicing applications," says Dan Delity senior vice president andhead of global sales for Ebix. "The flexibility and performance ofthe Silanis e-signature platform allows Ebix to scale across allour offerings with a legal, secure solution, while the transactionmanagement capabilities provide immediate visibility into theonline e-signature transactions for both the carrier and theagent."

 "We believe this partnership is key to gainingwidespread adoption of e-signatures within complex distributionchannels like the insurance industry," says Silanis CEO andco-founder Tommy Petrogiannis. "When electronic signatures ande-policy delivery are offered as a tightly integrated solution asthey are now thanks to Silanis and Ebix, both carriers and theirproducers win."