Industry Leadership award
Industry Leadership Award — Presented to an organization that has implemented a solution or service in an innovative manner to solve a particular business need, and in doing so, demonstrated leadership and set an example for the industry.
Accident Fund Holdings
Specialty Markets Implementation
Accident Fund Holdings Inc. gave itself 4 months to create and launch a new company to target high risk policies for special handling in the workers’ compensation arena. The company leveraged several existing processes and enhanced the POINT IN Suite to accommodate the new business model. Accident Fund incorporated three new policy companies, updated the policy sequence number generator for quotes and policies, and added unique branding. The company made it possible for specialty markets agents to view just-generated policy documents in Media Management and added new fields throughout Agency Link to gather detailed specialty markets information. Accident Fund incorporated a checkbox for specialty markets to show if a quote had been sent to an insured and to aid in data mining. The company also expanded the declined and not taken abilities within the message center to capture information for data mining. These features for specialty markets were also added:
- A work transfer function to allow movement of policies between users within an agency
- An update comment button to allow users to enter free-form text that populates below the specialty market welcome letter and above the Agency Link quote information
- A function allowing underwriters and managers to bind quotes
- An attach/view documents tab to allow users to access the Media Management window within an Agency Link session
- Changes to the POINT IN logo, installment schedule, policy, invoice, mailer page, and Form WC120306.
As a result, Accident Fund is nearing $5 million in written premium in the new line YTD. The company has gained service center efficiencies and streamlined workflows. Thanks to changes in Agency Link, the specialty markets team has less of a bottleneck at the underwriting/quote phase.
Adventist Health
Custom Web Form Project
Adventist Health System worked with CSC to develop a custom Web form that allows employees to report patient and employee incidents in real time through the use of directed workflow Q&A. New functionality was developed into the Web form shell to authenticate users by IP address range in lieu of standard user ID and password login, providing an additional layer of security to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The Adventist Health System supports 43 campuses and employs 55,000 individuals. Adventist Health System hospitals are comprised of 7,700-plus licensed beds, providing care for 4 million patients each year through inpatient, outpatient and emergency room visits.
Arch Insurance Group
Countrywide Experience Modifier
Carriers with workers’ compensation policies spanning multiple states may want to apply a countrywide experience modifier to the policy rather than having to place modifiers on the policy at each state. Arch Insurance worked with CSC to create a countrywide experience modifier that can be overridden if an individual state has its own modifier. The countrywide experience modifier eliminates the need to enter and check the experience modifier on each individual state listed on the policy, reducing entry time and improving accuracy. The enhancement allows a user to enter the experience modifier once on a policy, adjusting the policy only for states that have unique experience modifiers.
Arch Insurance Group
Workers’ Compensation Rate Version Decline
In workers’ compensation, there will be times when policies are being negotiated and rates are being updated by the carrier. Arch Insurance Group worked with CSC to add a workers’ compensation Rate Version Decline enhancement that notifies the user if a new rate has been added to the system since the last time the quote/policy was rated. The enhancement gives the user the choice of whether to apply the new rate or the original rate.
Arch Insurance Group
Manuscript Endorsements
Arch Insurance Group needed a way for underwriters to develop language and supporting documentation for endorsements in situations where no company-specific equivalent exists. The company is adding a manuscript endorsement enhancement to allow users to create documents with rich text formatting, images, etc., outside the POINT IN application. The enhancement allows a user to save a document as a PDF, attach the PDF to the policy form in a Binary Large Object (BLOB)-type field available in EZ Data Capture, and send it to Document Production in an extract file to be included in the formset and configured to print.
The manuscript endorsement enhancement will allow underwriters to use special fonts and graphics for forms when developing endorsements and supporting information. The insured will receive a set of documents that includes both pre-defined policy documents and the PDF manuscript endorsements attached to the policy.
Arch Insurance Group
Binder Processing
Binders allow brokers to offer insurance coverage to customers while an underwriter develops complete policy language. Arch Insurance Group needed a way to produce binder documentation in POINT IN and bill for those binders.
The company worked with CSC to give users the option of converting a quote to either a policy or a binder. The new binder option is essentially an issued policy in the POINT IN application with an issue code of B. A binder will generate invoices based on the pay plan selected. Claims can be attached to the binders. Subjectivity tracking will also be available to track binders specifying contingencies that must be met in order for a policy to be issued.
Arch Insurance Group will now have the ability to issue a binder for a policy while working with the broker and insured to obtain the documentation needed to issue a policy. Binder processing will also allow the company to bill for the binder during the period when the policy language is being developed.
Brethren Mutual Insurance Company
Credit Card Processing
More and more customers rely on credit cards to pay their policy premiums, and Brethren Mutual Insurance Company knew it was imperative to develop a more effective process within POINT IN to accommodate this need. The company worked with CSC to develop an enhancement to POINT IN that allowed the system to accept and process single credit card payments as well as credit card payments made online.
The enhancement captures credit card information in intermediate files for single credit card payments and online payments and in a customer file for revolving payments. It stores unapproved credit card payments in the intermediate file. It created an extract (for ICVerify/External interface) for all types of credit card payments. The enhancement creates separate batches for single credit card payments and payments through a website. It will also create a single batch for each type of payment for a particular day.
All approved payments are loaded in POINT IN using existing remittance processing. The system’s new functionality is similar to existing eCheck functionality developed for single credit card payments. Users can be allowed up to five attempts to have their payments verified. The number of verification attempts can also be configured based on Policy status. (For example, when N3 is generated – only one try is allowed, etc.)
This enhancement has improved Brethren Mutual’s speed and flexibility in processing various types of credit card payments.
Builders Mutual Insurance Company
Agency Link: BMIC’s e-Commerce Expansion
To remain competitive, Builders Mutual Insurance Company (BMIC) knew it needed to upgrade its technology to offer e-commerce services.
At the time, the company’s Agency Link system was restricted to Commercial Package Policy (CPP)inquiry only. The system did not allow agents to submit workers’ compensation or CPP applications online. BMIC handled online rating only — no submissions —through a separate vendor, a process that required a second login and password. Agents were very dissatisfied with the paper submission process and asked BMIC to implement a paperless, online solution for rating, quoting and issuing new business.
BMIC selected Agency Link as the common platform for agents to submit workers’ compensation, general liability, property, auto, crime and umbrella policies. This new platform would become the basis for future enhancements and for BMIC’s entry into the world of e-commerce. The magnitude of the project was grand. It included the rating, quoting and issuing of new business policies as well as online payments, upload and reservations. In addition, BMIC chose to completely revamp the screen flow to provide agents with the ability to ‘rapid rate’ in 3 minutes or less.
BMIC can now rate, quote and issue policies, process online electronic payments and upload workers’ compensation policies with Vertafore’s AMS360. Over $5 million in Direct Written Premium has been written since the February 2011 live date.
The new reservation system notifies an agent up front when a complete submission for the same customer has already been received by another agency. The message center provides a way to share specific information during the referral and approval process. New user interface screens were introduced for workers’ comp, and the CDRs and enhancements have been well received by the agents.
BMIC branded its new system “BOB 2.0” which stands for an enhanced two-way version of the former BOB – Builders Online Business platform. The company created a new landing page for agents, as well as The Wall, a Facebook-like page where agents can comment on the new system and make suggestions. Agents appreciate the single login process, and the Agency Link activity report created by BMIC’s IT staff allows Marketing and Sales to track agent input and analyze agent quote behavior and submission levels. The company plans to expand and enhance online service for agents and policyholders.
Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
Agency Link Attach Document to Quote
Florida Peninsula worked with CSC to enhance Agency Link by adding a new tab to the new business and endorsement quoting screens so that agents could easily attach documents using the Media Management C.0 release. Once an application is submitted, the documents are forwarded immediately to underwriting for review.
The company added a list of required documents to Agency Link’s quote summary. Next to each item is an indicator allowing an agent to quickly determine if that document is attached. As a configurable, Florida Peninsula created various edits for each document, requiring some documents to be attached before an application can be submitted. This enhancement allows underwriting to receive documents from agents in real time and underwrite the policy as documents are received. Essential to this process is the ability of agents to quickly view and determine which documents are required, to attach documents to the quote, and to notify underwriting of the attached documents once the application is submitted. Underwriting can then underwrite the policy immediately without the need to wait for additional information.
Since Florida Peninsula introduced this enhancement, the company has received numerous compliments from its agents, who appreciate the ease of use, convenience and speed. Florida Peninsula underwriters are able to review applications and make underwriting decisions faster and more efficiently. This is truly one enhancement that puts Florida Peninsula ahead of its competition.
MAG Mutual Insurance Company
Policyholder Portal
MAG Mutual worked with CSC’s offshore team to develop a customer portal that gives policyholders the ability to view current policy data (including billing), view and print policy documents, request endorsements, make online payments, submit FNOL reports (and attach associated documents), and receive custom reports which previously required customer service intervention. The portal seamlessly integrates multiple disparate systems — policy, claims, imaging and custom applications — providing a common and transparent experience for the end-user. It also integrates with the company’s agent portal, allowing policyholders to interact with their agents using the portal’s automated workflow capabilities. Inversely, agents can access the policyholder portal to assist in servicing their accounts. The underlying technology of the portal is .NET, and it uses Oracle’s Access Manager for authentication. The custom-designed authorization schema also allows policy administrators to grant access to insureds to perform functions they deem appropriate. The portal leverages the framework of Agency Link to present policy and billing data imported every night from POINT IN. An interface to Media Management allows users to view their policy documents from within the portal without having to launch Media Management separately.
Using another interface to MAG Mutual’s applied system, which manages Non-MMIC policies, a complete view of all policies held by a customer is attained. A real-time interface to the Elavon Online Payment website was developed to permit customers to pay outstanding invoices. Requests for policy endorsements feed directly into the same ImageRight workflow processes in use by the underwriting department for its other policy-related tasks. Any information presented on the portal can be either printed to PDF or saved to Excel. A final key feature is that all requests, emails and documents generated from the portal are archived and available for access by the policyholder in a centralized communications center, allowing them to review the history of activity performed while using the system.
This effort resulted in an immediate return on investment through the renewal of one of the company's largest accounts. The client specifically stated that the capabilities provided in the portal were the reason for renewing. Indirectly, it also contributed to the favorable rating result MAG Mutual received this year from A.M. Best, which gave the portal a positive mention in its written report.
The Motorists Insurance Group
Motorists Enterprise Billing and Collection Solution
The Motorists Insurance Group writes both personal and commercial polices through four different affiliates covering 17 states. The company has configured and implemented Exceed Billing and Exceed Client as its enterprise billing and collections solution. With just one instance of the system installed and one enterprise technical support staff, The Motorists Insurance Group is able to manage and support the group’s different affiliates, each with its own varied rules and business needs with a reduced cost of ownership.
The Motorists Insurance Group is leading the industry in expanding the use of Exceed to serve different business models, and is pushing further the concept of concurrency in system support. This leadership allows fellow customer community members to see The Motorists Insurance Group as an example of how Exceed Billing can be used to serve enterprises with multiple brands and affiliates and to do this in a way that allows support costs to be shared and kept to a minimum.
Ohio Mutual Insurance Group
360Access
While direct writers can easily promote and provide access to customer information through corporate-branded websites, companies like Ohio Mutual Insurance Group that market products exclusively through independent agents must balance brand management overlap while simultaneously striving for a seamless and personalized customer experience. A medium-sized P&C writer ($163M DWP), Ohio Mutual wanted to support its independent agents’ desire to meet customer demand for 24x7 access to insurance policy information and documents in a way that would enhance the agency’s brand, preserve the company’s brand, and present accurate, legally-binding documents in a real-time environment.
Ohio Mutual Insurance Group’s 360access, developed to leverage the existing strengths of CSC’s POINT IN system, was the innovative solution. 360access uses the agility and flexibility of POINT IN’s open architecture through its Media Management system to present electronic copies of Ohio Mutual’s original policy documents to policyholders through agency-branded portals that interface with Ohio Mutual’s system, managed by POINT IN.
360access was developed by Ohio Mutual in cooperation with CSC and Artisan. More than three-quarters of Ohio Mutual’s independent agency base embraced 360access in the first six months after it was introduced in 2010.
Policyholders, who can self-register or establish account access through Ohio Mutual’s existing new-business application, e-Quip’d, now have 24x7 access to various policy documents such as declaration pages and automobile ID cards, round-the-clock claims reporting and servicing, bill payment functions, and other services — Web-based capabilities recently available only to customers of direct writers. The flexibility of 360access effectively leverages the company’s disaster-recovery infrastructure and will also enable Ohio Mutual and its agents to develop and offer additional agency-branded services to their insureds in the future, thereby ensuring the ability of the independent agent to effectively compete in an increasingly demanding market.
Preferred Managing Agency
Going Green Electronic Delivery of Insureds’ Documents
Preferred Managing Agency worked with CSC on behalf of Southern Fidelity to implement Green Email Functionality for insureds. This option gives an insured the ability to access policy documents electronically. The delivery of documents is controlled by an indicator set in POINT IN at the time the email address is recorded. The insured has the option to receive all policy documents electronically by email, or through print and email. To comply with regulatory authorities, specific documents can be forced to print and be mailed certified.
Southern Fidelity can also customize emails generated based on transaction type to enhance the receiver’s understanding of the content. When a transaction is processed, the insured receives an email that contains a link giving them access to specific documents relevant to their policy. When the insured attempts to access the link, a security question is presented to verify that the user has basic knowledge about the policy in question. “Smart device” users have the added benefit of being able to receive and view their policy information on their mobile devices. If an insured requests, a duplicate copy can be resent by a CSR.
An administrative Web page has been created to control email follow-up processing. Southern Fidelity is able to track if and when a recipient views an email, create automated follow-up rules for unread email, and resend emails on demand. Southern Fidelity marketed this enhancement to its insureds using the traditional mailing process with a ‘Go Green’ promotional flyer, and by adding a logo to declarations and envelopes. The company is also marketing the option on its home page. Southern Fidelity began offering this option to insureds on April 15, 2011. As of June 30, 2,600 customers had signed up. This represents 3 percent of the company’s book of business. Already, print and postage costs have dropped by $3,000.
The Republic Group
Series II Real-Time Processing
The Republic Group has been at the forefront of system modernization initiatives involving CSC products and methodologies. As part of its embrace of the Series II Extend, Enhance and Evolve strategy (E3), Republic has successfully implemented Real-Time Processing (RTP), and is enjoying the benefits of instant once-and-done policy issuance and multiple daily real-time endorsements and error corrections. In addition, Republic is exploiting the power of Series II RTP to generate immediate printing of policy documents such as declarations and ID cards, thereby saving considerable time and expense and generating goodwill for unmatched fast service to its agents.
Building further on available technologies, Republic recently completed an above-the-line technical upgrade, and is presently working with CSC to leverage IBM’s Transactional VSAM to enable last-day-of-month closeout processing with the Series II 24x7 enhancement.
By leveraging leading-edge technology and the componentized approach of the Series II Extend, Enhance and Evolve strategy, The Republic Group has been able to preserve and invigorate time-honored business applications that have made it one of the industry’s great success stories. The Republic Group’s efforts have resulted in: real-time policy issuance; real-time endorsements; real-time error correction; real-time output (Immediate Print); fast service to agents; customer goodwill; last-day-of-month closeout processing and enablement of 24x7 system availability; and preservation of investments in, and invigoration of, robust time-honored legacy apps.
Safety Insurance Company
Safety Claims Catastrophe Process
Using CSC technology, Safety Insurance has implemented a solution to meet clients’ needs during natural disasters.
With Claims Desktop technology, Safety has tapped into a storm forecasting system which Claims Desktop uses to gather policy information from Series II, then create skeleton claims within the Exceed Claims system.
Through Exceed, users will be able to activate catastrophe claims with one click, opening them and creating reserves. Claims managers are notified immediately of the activation so that the process to automatically assign independent adjusters can be executed.
Claims Catastrophe processing gives adjusters the ability to cut checks faster to help get the affected insureds in safe housing and speed claims processing time. It is significantly reducing manual intervention and shaving valuable time off response time to each claim.
Tower Group Companies
Web-Based Monthly Payroll Reporting (MPR) Service for Workers’ Compensation
Tower Group identified a need to provide Web-based monthly payroll reporting, workers’ compensation billing and administration service to policyholders. This service will automate the calculation and payment of actual earned premiums by payroll cycle. Using a combination of Agency Link and Tower’s internal online payment application service, policyholders are able to self-register online, enter their monthly payroll amounts, calculate the premium due, and make online payments — all in one seamless transaction. These transactions will be uploaded to POINT IN in real time as verified interim audits. Email notifications and confirmations are also generated to the policyholder.
POINT IN has been enhanced to calculate a non-working security deposit to be billed with the policy along with calculating unique commission and earnings amounts. POINT IN billing was significantly enhanced to display the monthly payroll reporting period details as well as automating the cancellation process for non-reporting by the policyholder. Payroll companies are also supported with the addition of a bulk audit upload feature added to POINT IN. This new functionality will offer Tower’s policyholders more predictability and will assist in maximizing their cash flow along with the elimination of excessive final audit premiums. This implementation also supports Tower’s “Green Initiative” as output for all MPR invoices and monthly payroll reporting transactions have been suppressed.
