Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management articles from October 2004

Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management archives from October 2004

Grange Eliminates "Middleman" Download Fees.(Grange Insurance Cos.)
October 1, 2004... Regional insurer Grange Insurance Cos. hit the $1 billion revenue mark at the end of last year. Chairman of the Board Edwin Billman attributes the feat to the company's commitment to "ease of doing business." "That's what Grange is all...

Insurers Get Smart With BI.(Business intelligence software)
October 1, 2004... The saying goes: "If you want something done right, do it yourself." And, when it comes to sales and marketing analysis, risk management and financial reporting, insurance analysts, managers and executives are taking matters into their own...

Breaking Down Barriers To E-Services Adoption.
October 1, 2004... Technology has undeniably simplified how independent agents receive and send information to insurers. But the high expectations that accompanied the development of real-time interfaces and Web portals hasn't been achieved largely due to this...

Web Achievements Tainted By Shortcomings.
October 1, 2004... Although insurers' Internet experience is less than a decade old, it quickly has become an important channel for consumers and agents. This month's issue highlights the progress that insurers have made in developing e-business solutions, and...

Industry Research: Customer Satisfaction Drives Auto Web Sites' Traffic.
October 1, 2004... The Internet is the preferred vehicle of choice among auto insurance shoppers. But some big-name insurers' Web sites aren't designed to entice consumers on the information highway. That's the conclusion drawn by two separate reports, one...

Auto Web Site Rankings.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Top five sites based on customer experience criteria 1. Esurance 2. State Farm 3. Allstate 4. Nationwide 5. GEICO Bottom five sites 10. GMAC 11. MetLife 12. Washington Mutual 13. St. Paul Travelers...

Risk Management: Better Risk Modeling Needed To Contain Hurricane Costs.
October 1, 2004... As insurers in September mobilized their claims efforts following three powerful hurricanes, many insurers came to the realization that risk assessment for hurricanes is under closer scrutiny. Some insurers that conduct business in Florida...

Customer Service: Carriers' Privacy Policies Jeopardize Customer Relationships.
October 1, 2004... As it relates to their online activities, insurance companies are jeopardizing their relationships with customers by failing to protect the privacy of their personal information. That's according to the Customer Respect Group, a Bellevue,...

Product Previews.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Real-Time Alternative Parts Management Overland Park, Kan.-based APU Solutions is offering PartsNetwork 5.0, a real-time alternative part management and support tool. With the release of PartsNetwork 5.0, APU added the real-time recycler...

Consumer Satisfaction.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Top five auto insurance Web sites based on overall satisfaction 1. Amica Mutual 2. Erie Insurance Group 3. GEICO 4. Auto Club of So. Calif. 5. State Farm Bottom five sites 1. Allied 2. Liberty Mutual 3....

Business Alliances.
October 1, 2004... Latest offering in insureworx suite WorldGroup, Emeryville, Calif., and Document Sciences Corp., Carlsbad, Calif., have introduced Certs On Demand Solution (Certs-ODS), the latest in the growing family of InsureWorx On Demand Solutions....

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... 2004 Information Technology Conference Sponsor: Property Casualty Insurers Association of America When: Oct. 3-6 Where: Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort www.pciaa.net The Reinsurance Claims Process: Art or...

Contracts.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Contracts Update section includes announcements of contracts insurance information technology companies have signed with customers in recent weeks. Contract news can be faxed to Insurance Networking magazine at (312) 913-1366 or by...

Progressive Resurrects Its Patented "Usage-Based" Insurance Program.(Progressive Casualty Insurance Co.)
October 1, 2004... After testing the concept of usage-based auto insurance in Texas several years ago, Progressive has launched another pilot study, this time in Minnesota, using a more cost-effective data collection device. It's a logical concept: Where,...

European pay-as-you-drive program stalls.(Norwich Union PLC's service)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... U.K.-based Norwich Union announced its "Pay As You Drive" program in February 2002, shortly after the company received exclusive rights to U.S.-based Progressive Casualty Insurance Co.'s patented method of determining auto rates based on when,...

Adding A Spice Of Life To Web Self-Service.(Minnesota Life Insurance Co. adds self-service functionality to its Web site)
October 1, 2004... Taking cues from Web-savvy retailers such as Amazon and Lands' End, Minnesota Life has thoughtfully implemented self-service functionality to its Web site. Cash-strapped and under-staffed human resource administrators urgently need help....

Agents' Wish List Is Growing.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Independent insurance agents are pursing two e-services agendas with carriers, one that has existed for the past two or three years, along with an emerging wish-list of new capabilities. "The requirements agents have had over the years have...

Zurich NA uses intelligence to deliver on its claim.(Zurich North America Insurance Co.)
October 1, 2004... When you profess to be the lowest loss-cost provider, you had better deliver on that claim. Zurich NA is carrying out that value proposition by providing Web-based business intelligence to its large account customers-to help those customers...

Grange Eliminates "Middleman" Download Fees.
October 1, 2004... Most carriers pay considerable fees to download policy and commission information to their agents through a value-added network. But Grange Insurance Cos. found a way to do it-fee-free. EODB-as the company calls it-is the force behind...

e.Business Briefs.
October 1, 2004... Citizens and Hanover Launch The Agency Place The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Cos. have launched The Agency Place, a Web-based agency portal that provides the companies' network of independent agents with centralized access to information...

At-a-Glance.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Grange Insurance Cos. Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio Lines of business: Auto, homeowner, life, commercial, farm, boat, banking States: Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin ...

Web Rankings: Life Sites Get Timely Upgrades.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Every quarter, Dalbar Inc., a Boston-based research firm, examines insurance, annuity and mutual fund Web sites to spot innovative changes and identify trends across the financial services industry. The company ranks the top 25 Web sites based...

Pixie Dust Or Technology Panacea?: Standards for developing Web services for core insurance processing still need to emerge.
October 1, 2004... With almost every software vendor scrambling to reposition products to address the Web services technology paradigm, Web services have arguably become the hottest phenomenon in today's IT market. But in the stampede to get on the Web...