NU Online News Service, July 8, 2:29 p.m. EDT
Three producer groups have released a report intended to guide the development of excess and surplus lines brokers' Web sites with the aim of improving their interaction with retail agents.
The Independent Agents & Brokers of America's Agents Council for Technology (ACT), the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) through the Retail Agent–E&S Market Initiative released guidelines for managing general agents and wholesale brokers in the E&S (excess and surplus lines) market.
Titled "Roadmap to Effective General Agent (GA) Web sites," the report also promotes the electronic exchange of data between the parties and among the various systems used by wholesalers.
The Retail Agent–E&S Market Initiative was formed in 2008 to improve the efficiencies for retail agents interacting with the wholesale market.
The report outlines a four-step process for the evolution of the ideal wholesalers Web site functionality:
o Generation 1: basic marketing information.
o Generation 2: login capability with a quick quote or indication generator and view/request/report capability.
o Generation 3: straight-through processing from the general agent's Web site to back-end general agent systems.
o Generation 4: offers Real Time, straight-through processing to/from the retail agent's management systems (upload and download) by integrating with the wholesalers systems so the retail agents can work from and not need to leave their agency management system environment.
A copy of the full report is available online at www.iiaba.net/act by clicking on "E&S Market Issues."
"This roadmap establishes a directional guide to assist managing general agents and wholesale brokers in building out their Web site functionality so that it responds to the needs of retail agents and prepares [wholesalers] for future integration with [retail agents] and [wholesalers] back-end systems, raters and carriers," said Eldon Hunsicker in a statement.
Mr. Hunsicker is an independent agent with NOEL Insurance Agency in Ottumwa, Iowa, and chairman of the subgroup that created the report.
Angelyn Treutel, independent agent, ACT chairwoman and co-chair of the work group, said the group is making "excellent progress" with over 300 industry representatives from many sectors of the industry including ACORD.
John Deibler, director at Scottsdale Insurance and co-chair of the work group, said the E&S community is excited about the efficiency being developed by the roadmap.
The report also supports the overall working group's other goals of incorporating the ACORD standards, increasing the use of standardized ACORD applications and developing standardized supplements where necessary in the E&S market.
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