Affordable real-time quoting, 24/7 agent connectivity and customized brand appearance arm smaller firms with blue-chip service offering
WYNCOTE, Pa.—June 5, 2011—A new agent portal that empowers small- and mid-size property and casualty insurance companies to compete with the largest of insurance businesses has been introduced by Insurance Data Processing, Inc. at IASA 2011, June 5 – 8, Nashville, Tenn., Booth 717.
The service, called the InsuraSphere™ Agent Portal, provides users with real-time quoting, 24/7 agent access, a customized portal environment and a host of functions that satisfy the business needs of agents. The portal integrates with virtually any back office, requires no upfront licensing fee and is available on a tiered pricing scale.
According to IDP President and CEO Bob Blitshtein, InsuraSphere Agent Portal was developed specifically to meet the agent support needs of smaller property and casualty insurers, as well as Managing General Agents (MGA).
“Prior to the introduction of InsuraSphere Agent Portal, only larger companies that have millions of dollars in IT resources could provide their agents with reliable real-time quoting,” Blitshtein says. “At IDP, we have a tiered pricing model that makes InsuraSphere Agent Portal affordable for virtually any size company. We are the champion of small and mid-size insurance companies, so our solutions are priced accordingly.”
Blitshtein notes that some smaller agencies currently employ a data feed that transmits quotes to agents and use generic agency management systems for fielding their inquiries. However, the EDI feeds can not usually deliver real-time quotes to agents and the agency management systems are devoid of the insurer’s brand or cultural expression.
“Very few small to mid-size insurers have real time quoting,” says Blitshtein. “For inquiries, some insurers are able to connect with agents through an impersonal agency management system, but such systems build no brand equity for their users. With the InsuraSphere Agent Portal, IDP establishes one-on-one relationships between a carrier and its agents. The portal will show the carrier’s brand images and incorporate its visual theme in both background and functional graphics. Equally important, all business processes in the portal are specific to that carrier. This includes alerts and messages, loss reporting as well as the carrier’s specific quoting process. The portal’s advanced capabilities will give a competitive advantage to early adapters who can rightly claim agent processing capabilities equal to that of the property and casualty industry’s largest players.”
A prior version of the InsuraSphere Agent Portal enabled a New York insurer to increase its revenue by 400% and earn a first place ranking by PIA.
System functionality includes Real-time Quoting for any personal and commercial line of business, Policy Inquiry and Download, Claim Inquiry and Reporting, Billing and Payment Inquiry, Payment Processing, Commission and Operational Reports. Added features include Credit Reports, CLUE Integration, MVR, Policy bill payment, Document Printing and Distribution, Electronic Funds Transfer for commissions and OFAC compliance checking.
About IDP
Founded in 1949, IDP is among the most experienced property and casualty management system companies in the U.S. IDP launched its first electronics-based insurance products and services in 1963, accounting for nearly 50 years experience with high-tech insurance management. The company is headquartered in Wyncote, Pa., with a branch office in Solon, Ohio. Mission priorities include timely responsiveness to customer needs and creative problem solving. Software products range from policy rating and issuance, claims administration and accounting, to regulatory compliance and bureau reporting and submission. IDP lays claim to an extraordinary skill level for consulting on both insurance business and technical matters. The organization’s management team combines depth of experience with multi-discipline expertise.
Visit IDP at: http://www.idpnet.com.
Editor’s Contact: Bob Giuliano
610-328-1051
Bob.Giuliano@prplace.biz
Customer Contact: Jim Hayward
Office: 267-620-2313
800-523-6745
jhayward@idpnet.com
