Gregory Maciag

Realtime & Download Survey Results

The Real Time/Download Campaign was founded to champion the adoption of Real Time and Download for independent insurance agencies and companies. Real Time provides agencies with a consistent workflow through agency management systems or comparative raters when doing business with multiple carriers.  Here is a copy of the Survey.  Download Agency Survey Report

Real Time Saves (Makes) Money

Real Time is the ability to click on a button from a client file in the agency management system or comparative rater for immediate access to carrier information on that client. The transaction may be a quote, billing inquiry, claim inquiry/loss runs, policy view, endorsements or a request for information.

This approach provides a single workflow for servicing or quoting with multiple carriers. The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America created the Agents Council on Technology in 1999 to encourage independent agencies and carriers to enhance their productivity and competitiveness by using the latest technologies and most efficient workflows. Likewise, agency system user groups have worked with ACORD in a coalition named AUGIE (ACORD-User Groups Information Exchange). Both these groups came together to lead the Real Time campaign, supported by carriers, solution providers and independent agent associations, striving to encourage standardised and streamlined workflows.

This industry campaign is intended to educate key agency system leaders about the benefits of using Real Time and Download (carrier data in bulk sent to update agency systems). 

READ MORE..... Download Insurance Day 18JAN2012

Real Time Best Practices Report

Courtesy of Jeff Yates, Executive Director of the Agent's Council on technology, I posted the latest report from the Agency Real Time Experience Work Group under Documents on the right side-bar.  It is titled Real Time Best Practices and is from the of the Real Time/Download Campaign work group chaired by Cyndy Smith of Haylor, Freyer & Coon, brought agents, carriers, vendors, user groups and associations together to outline the preferred real-time workflows that agencies would like to have from their carriers and vendors.

The work group is particularly indebted to Teresa Addy and Sara Richards of EMC Insurance Companies for putting the work group’s conclusions into a format that would be most useful to carrier and vendor implementers of real-time transactions, whether implementing the transaction for the first time or refining the current workflows that they offer to their agents. The report also outlines strategies that have proved successful for carriers and vendors as they roll out real-time functionality to their agents.

ACORD-User Groups Update

This February’s meeting brought together the AIMS Society, AUGIE and ACT participants.  The session discussions merged people skills with the technology that provides agency/brokerage staff with more time to service and sell. The attendees - carriers, agents/brokers, solution providers - confirmed that this session supported the business reason on why carriers need to be easy to work with, which is customer’s want quality service and insurance coverage to protect their assets or exposures, in a timely, efficient manner.

The meeting focused on one of AUGIE’s Priorities. Three of AUGIE’s other priorities rely on working closely with ACORD, who will assist with implementation of the standards. For example: 

• Commercial lines continues to be a priority and has been expanded to the entire workflow, application to download. AUGIE will help to encourage carriers to develop connectivity based on ACORD standards and to discover obstacles to implementation.
• ACORD forms are an important component to ease of doing business, yet as the industry moves to electronic implementation, carriers appear to be moving away from some ACORD Forms. AUGIE wants to help discover why and help to communicate how eForms, eSignature and dynamic forms implementation will help the carriers reduce their costs and support their agent/brokers goal of working with “ease of doing business” carriers.
• Gathering Information from the carriers will also continue to be an AUGIE priority. Face to face meetings will be held across the country. As we listen to the carriers, the findings will be communicated back to ACORD for assistance in resolving implementation obstacles. 

AUGIE continues to gather momentum; however, carriers are not utilizing ACORD standards across all lines of business, thus duplicate entry is still occurring. When this was communicated during the meeting, it was done so with a new twist.  Duplicate entry is an understatement…it’s really triple, quadruple input as the data moves through the pipeline. How much are these inefficient workflows costing the industry?

Here are a few AUGIE links:

AUGIE Priorities

News Center

AUGIE

Insurers Invited to AUGIE Meeting in Las Vegas

Here is the agenda for the AUGIE (ACORD User Groups Information Exchange) meeting set for Monday 24 May 2010 at our conference in Las Vegas.  The agenda is loaded with timely topics and insurers are invited to attend. For more information contact [email protected].

Download AUGIE Agenda Las Vegas

AUGIE Ends Long Time Rivalry

Now that they have accomplished this primary goal, the ACORD User Group Information Exchange (AUGIE) can now focus on supporting the implementation of ACORD Standards said Jim Armitage, Chairman. Pictured are Steve Aronson (Boston) donning the Yankee cap and Keith Savino (New York) who was unable to attend the parade today to celebrate the victory.

We Need Your Participation Too!

Yes... we missed you.  The ACORD User Group Information Exchange (AUGIE) met today in Fort Lauderdale at the ACORD Implementation Forum.  The open meeting attracted 150 participants and it was followed by an AUGIE Leaders meeting chaired by James Armitage, President of the AMS Users Group. The primary mission of the group is to facilitate the implementation of ACORD Standards. They recommend and coordinate participation on various working groups and reach out to insurers among other things.

If you are an agent, take a look at the AUGIE website and please consider volunteering for some of the working groups... or just one. If you are an insurer, please attend the next meeting. I asked one insurer systems person why he attended the meeting. He said, "This is a great opportunity to spend quality time with our agents, better understand the issues and work on solutions."  Apparently, some people working in Operations or Systems don't get this opportunity often. Where else can you see agencies, insurers and vendors sitting around the same table. You'll be amazed by the value of this kind of open dialogue. Contact Cal Durland for more information. [email protected]

AUGIE WEBSITE

Webinars for Agents on Real-Time

As a result of strong agent and carrier interest, the Real Time/Download Campaign (www.getrealtime.org) has added session dates to its monthly webinars titled, “Real Time: The Next Major Advance in Agency Workflow.”  The hour-long sessions provide independent agency owners and employees a free, convenient opportunity to understand how to leverage a wave of change underway that improves customer service and agency profitability. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for May 6 and June 3.

More than 1,000 insurance professionals have participated in the webinars already this year. In each session, presenters explain real time, demonstrate its capabilities, discuss benefits, and outline steps agencies and brokerages can take to implement real time or increase its usage. They also discuss the increasing importance of download, which completes the round trip of data between agency and carrier.

The free webinar, designed for principals, systems professionals and CSRs, runs an hour long, with time available for questions and answers. The webinars are relevant to agencies no matter which agency management system they use, as virtually all offer real-time functionality. Live demos of real-time quoting and inquiry transactions are shown. These vendor-specific demos are intended generally to show the efficiencies of real-time workflows.

Attendees can to listen to the audio through computer headsets or speakers or by dialing a long-distance number. A recorded version is available on demand at getrealtime.org.

Agents can register for the May 6 event, which will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST, at this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/771210636. To register for the June 3 session, which also will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST, use this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/770965005. To see the presentation outline, go to www.getrealtime.org/active/powerpoints.asp. Information to register for other webinars will be posted at the site later this spring.

Launched in April 2007, the Real Time/Download Campaign (www.getrealtime.org) is dedicated to improving the competitiveness of the independent agency distribution channel. The campaign goal is to double the number of real-time transactions each year.

Real time is the ability to click on a button from a client file in the agency management system or comparative rater for immediate access to carrier information on that client. The transaction may be a quote, billing inquiry, claim inquiry/loss run, policy view, endorsement or request for information. This approach provides a single workflow for servicing or quoting.

Campaign participants include agents, brokers, carriers, technology providers, user groups, and agent and industry associations. The campaign is sponsored financially by ACORD, ACT, AMS Services, AMS Users’ Group, Applied Systems, Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), Artizan Internet Services, AUGIE, EMC Insurance Companies, Grange Insurance, IIABA, IVANS, Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, MetLife Auto & Home, Nationwide/Allied, PIA of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut & New Hampshire, SilverPlume Rating Solutions, Strategic Insurance Software (SIS), The Hartford, and Westfield Insurance.

AMS & Applied User Groups Thank Volunteers

Mike Gray (AMSUG) and Mike Montgomery (ASCnet) published a joint letter thanking everyone for their participation and leadership in AUGIE and ACT and focused on the success of the Real-Time Campaign. The two associations represent 90% of the independent agencies in the United States.  The user groups have done a marvelous job with us in  AUGIE as well.
AMSUG ASCnet Joint Leadership Letter