Eliminating errors and duplicate entries between agents and insurance companies through business rules framework
The Problem: A Hard-To-Follow Paper Trail
Our client, a large P&C carrier, was tired of errors — from simple misspellings to incorrect ages, locations and more — and duplicate entries appearing in their policy database. The root of the problem was obvious: to sign up a new policyholder, agents had to fill out a pen-and-paper application. The messy process of transcribing handwritten information into the system led to too many errors, and agents ended up signing up clients who were already in the system, leading to confusing duplicate entries.
The Analysis: Thinking with Portals
It was clear that the handwritten applications had to go. The challenge, then, was how to integrate a computerized application into the existing database software, without letting any information slip through the cracks. We studied our client’s existing process flow, and determined the most elegant way to incorporate a policy signup into that process. Through regular consultations with our partners at the company, we created a blueprint for a portal-based application.
The Solution: A Seamless Sign-up
Working with the infrastructure that the client already had in place, we integrated an agent-facing portal that agents could log on to anywhere, so they could sign up new clients without ever uncapping a pen. The portal fit seamlessly into the existing database, so no information would be lost or duplicated. The result: a neater database, meaning that files could be accessed without wasting time on needless confusion or messy errors.
Eighty percent of new clients signed up on the computerized application go through without a hitch (the others may not be eligible for a policy). A process that used to take a week now takes only 15 minutes!