We are hard at work to improve ACORD eForms because I do not foresee a purely digital world no matter what pundits may say. Yes, the bulk of information flowing through fiber optic cables or over radio frequencies will be system to system messaging. And ACORD XML Messaging Standards will be the catalyst for moving this information in our business. But the wall that divides our digital and analog world is... well... right in front of your eyes.
People live in the analog world and we do have a symbiotic relationship with the digital world. (My Blackberry is chirping as I type). There was a time when everyone thought that ACORD Forms would be replaced by data messaging between computer systems. It didn't happen and I do not see it happening anytime soon. eForms are smart because they allow people to enter the data to save, print, fax or email. And they also allow people to save a data file that separates the captions and lines from the data itself. That data file can be used in many ways by system developers in order to avoid re-keying the information.
Almost all ACORD Forms in circulation today originate in agencies that use software products from vendors licensed by ACORD. Our goal is to make it easier for those vendors to keep up with changes and avoid work that ACORD can do for all of them. Insurers are typically recipients of ACORD Forms and they too will benefit by eForms where electronic messaging is not available or applicable.
I'll keep you posted on our progress and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on eForms.
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