AMS Expands TransactNOW With Real-Time Navigation, Automated Sign-on
Windsor, Conn.-based AMS has introduced Carrier Passport, an expansion of its TransactNOW product that provides automated sign-on and real-time navigation direct to insurance carrier Web sites through the AMS management system.
Carrier Passport takes advantage of TransactNOWs single sign-on database of carrier logins and passwords. With AMS Carrier Passport, users can automatically authenticate and navigate the carriers Web site and find what they need in a matter of seconds, noted AMS. The company said that with Carrier Passport, combined with the transactions that are being added to TransactNOW, agents can process more and more business with carriers, without ever leaving their agency management system.
"AMS customers have enthusiastically embraced the superior customer service, significant time savings and automatic password management that TransactNOW delivers," said Dave Shea, president and chief executive officer of AMS Services Agency Markets in a statement. "The addition of Carrier Passport further extends these benefits by seamlessly enabling access to Web site features when the workflow calls for that. We are pleased to be able to deliver such significant business value to both our agents and carrier partners."
Carrier Passport is offered to all carriers who are part of TransactNOW, said AMS. The first companies to implement the program have been The Hartford Financial Services Group, Progressive Insurance, Travelers Property Casualty, Encompass Insurance and EMC Insurance Companies.
In September, AMS announced that State Auto Insurance Companies became the 17th carrier to join the program.
Transactions available today are personal and commercial lines billing, claims and policy view inquiry.
According to AMS, since TransactNOWs launch in April, more than 1,800 agencies have begun using the product, and the number is growing.
TransactNOW uses ACORD standards and XML technology to integrate carrier Web site functionality into agency management system workflow, said AMS.
Developed in close cooperation with the AMS Users Group, TransactNOW is available to all agencies using AMS management system products. The up-to-date list of transactions, carriers and Carrier Passport availability can be viewed at http://www.transactnow.com/.
For further information, contact AMS at iisg@amsworld.com.
AMS has also introduced two new products, AMS Benefits Workflow and AMS Benefits Administration. Both products are the primary offerings of a new AMS business unit called AMS Benefits.
The creation of these new products and the new business unit follow the completion of AMS purchase of software developed by Agency Workflow Automation, LLC (AWA).
AMS Benefits Workflow and AMS Benefits Administration will be offered to agents and brokers in ASP format, hosted by the AMS Data Center in College Station, Texas. The AMS Data Center currently hosts agency management systems for more than 13,000 property-casualty insurance professionals, AMS said.
AMS Benefits Workflows functionality includes sales force automation, client servicing, agency management and commission tracking.
AMS noted that the product is intended to structure a best practices workflow that ensures consistency in handling cases, minimizes errors and omissions exposure, and brings junior staff up to high performance standards more rapidly.
Policy summary information and commission data developed in Benefits Workflow will be integrated with AMS traditional agency management systems, the company said.
AMS Benefits Administration is fully integrated with Benefits Workflow and would allow an agency to administer employee benefits programs for its clients, AMS added. Benefits Administration supports communication of benefits plan options to employees and facilitates both initial enrollment and ongoing changes to enrollment. Benefits Administration can also be extended to clients for self-administration of their employee benefit plans.
Loren Parsons, AMSs executive responsible for new ventures, noted: "A significant part of AMSs agency management systems customer base is active in employee benefits. While our traditional p-c agency management systems provide some support for an employee benefits department, many functions needed for effective automation of employee benefits are strikingly different than the functionality needed to support p-c agency business. We believe that software specifically built for employee benefits sales and service will be welcomed by many of our customers. Appropriate integration between the employee benefits software and our p-c management systems will be provided to allow agencies to see all of their business with a commercial client in a single system."
Erik Pedersen, general manager of AMS Benefits, said: "We are excited about the potential for Benefits Workflow and Benefits Administration, not only for current AMS customers, but also for pure benefits brokers. While many vendors offer software to benefits brokers, most of the software available today tends to be narrow in scope. We believe that a single integrated system with broad capabilities will be welcomed by benefits brokers and benefits departments within diversified insurance distributors."
Benefits Workflow is currently in testing with several employee benefits brokers in the Southwest and is expected to be rolled out universally in the fall, said AMS.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, October 17, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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