The Chronicle: Issue 2012-14, April 3, 2012
What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology, an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog.
- Success On-Line is 'Blurry' for Channels
An old saying suggests that trying to set strategy while dealing with a crisis is akin to trying to rake leaves in a windstorm while herding cats. Similar to the state of social media strategy and insurance. But help may be coming - from felines themselves. - Service Makes Big Claims Data Operational
Insurance has always had challenges with channel strategies. Historically, while there was some crossover, the majority of North American insurers did business either directly with customers or through independent agents/brokers. However, the on-line world seems to be challenging the distinction to the core.
Distribution
Applied Systems CSR24 brings competitive edge to Alberta insurance brokerage.
University Park, Ill. - March 28, 2012 - Freeman Insurance Agencies of Innisfail, Alberta, recently selected Applied Systems CSR24® to provide insureds with online policy access and self-service, capabilities the brokerage considers critical for being successful in a competitive insurance market.
Technology
IBM Introduces New Predictive Analytics Services and Software to Reduce Fraud, Manage Financial Performance and Deliver Next Best Action.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK and LONDON, U.K., March 20, 2012 - IBM today announced new consulting services and software that take the power of predictive analytics to new levels of impact for the highest-priority issues of C-suite decision makers. The new analytic offerings address the emerging opportunities of big data to manage financial operations, decrease fraud and nurture next-generation customer relationships.
Compuware Gomez Publishes New Whitepaper: "How End-User Experience Affects Your Bottom Line".
DETROIT, March 22, 2012 -- Compuware Corporation , the technology performance company, today announced that it has published a new whitepaper titled: "How End-User Experience Affects Your Bottom Line." The paper explores the business impact of application performance and explains why end-user experience is the ultimate measure of an application's success that can affect an organization's bottom line.
Social Business
eMarketer: Social Is Sticky for Companies in Canada.
MARCH 28, 2012 - Canada's early embrace of social networking has developed into an ingrained behavior for consumers and a lucrative channel for marketers looking to influence them. In 2011, Canada ranked first globally in social media penetration as a percentage of population, according to eMarketer estimates, and will slip to second in that statistic by just a fraction of a percent in 2012, behind only the US.
Celent - Collaboration and Insurance 2.0: An Overview of Social Software and Enterprise 2.0 for Insurers.
In a new report, Collaboration and Insurance 2.0: An Overview of Social Software and Enterprise 2.0 for Insurers, Celent reviews how collaboration is relevant, accessible, and being deployed by the insurance industry. The report offers a definition of Web 2.0 and what these technologies mean in the context of a regulated environment dominated by disparate teams and workflows.
eMarketer: CEOs Who Tweet Held in High Regard.
MARCH 27, 2012 - There may be new reasons for CEOs and CMOs to join the Twittersphere. According to a study by social media branding firm BRANDfog consumers and employees regard company leaders who engage on social media platforms positively.
ISO ClaimSearch Leverages Cutting Edge Screening Techniques to Locate Self-Reported Social Media Postings.
Jersey City, N.J., March 27, 2012 - ISO announces a new resource that will help claims and fraud investigators identify an individual?s presence on social networking websites. Web Presence Search - available through the ISO ClaimSearch® Decision Net® public records information portal - will identify an individual?s "web footprint" or trail of digital information left as a result of postings on social networking websites.
Claims
ISO ClaimSearch Joins Forces with Digital Recognition Network to Offer Vehicle Location Reports on DecisionNet.
Jersey City, N.J., March 26, 2012 - ISO announced the release of a new information source for claims and fraud investigators that will bolster industry efforts to fight insurance fraud. Through an alliance with Digital Recognition Network (DRN), an industry pioneer in asset location technology and services, ISO is introducing Vehicle Location Reports, available through the ISO ClaimSearch Decision Net® public records and investigations portal.
Policy and Product Management
Innovation Group Releases Insurer Configurator To Enhance Industry Leading Innovation Insurer Suite.
27 March 2012 - The Innovation Group plc (Innovation Group), a global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and software solutions to the insurance, fleet, automotive and property industries, today released Insurer Configurator, a new component of the Innovation Insurer suite.
Marketing and the Market Place
eMarketer - Canada Hits Smartphone User Milestone.
MARCH 26, 2012 - Smartphones have irreversibly changed people's mobile habits and how marketers interact with them. eMarketer expects that smartphones will continue to grow in popularity worldwide, and Canada, which will pass 10 million smartphone users this year, is no exception.
Our People
Sun Life Financial launches innovative, interactive recruiting tool - Avez-vous la bosse Financière Sun Life?.
MONTREAL, March 28, 2012 - Sun Life Financial is launching a tool today that helps demystify the financial security advisor career and encourages talented candidates to join the ranks of Sun Life Financial advisors in Quebec. This innovative tool shuns traditional approaches and uses instead an entertaining and interactive web platform. And it would be safe to say that this is a platform totally unlike anything you would expect from an insurance company!
Business of Insurance
Great West Life: Quebec's proposed voluntary retirement savings plan offers a strategic framework for other provincial plans.
WINNIPEG, March 28, 2012 - The Great-West Life Assurance Company commends the Quebec government for its proposed voluntary retirement savings plan (VRSP), the province's version of the federal pooled registered pension plan (PRPP) initiative, now in its third reading in Parliament.
Desjardins Financial Security: surpasses $2 billion of in-force group insurance premiums.
Montreal (Quebec), March 29, 2012 - Desjardins Financial Security (DFS) the life and health insurance arm of Desjardins Group, recently surpassed $2 billion of in-force premiums for its Group and Business Insurance business line. DFS, whose annual general meeting is today, offers employers a complete range of products and services that incorporate a comprehensive approach to workplace health. It's ranked first in Quebec's group insurance market and fourth in Canada.
Consumer Information
InsuranceHotline.com - Changing Insurance Companies: How and When to Switch.
You've shopped around and found a good insurance rate - now what? Here are a few easy steps to follow and things you should know before making the switch:The first step to changing insurance companies is to select a new company and policy. Start by obtaining quotes from a variety of companies.
ICBC speakers deliver powerful message to Lower Mainland students ahead of grad season.
March 26, 2012 - With the graduation and prom party season around the corner, ICBC's road safety speakers are touring the Lower Mainland this spring to share their personal, heart-wrenching stories with local high school students to remind them of the importance of making smart driving decisions.
Thomas Cook offers improved travel insurance options.
TORONTO - March 28, 2012 - Thomas Cook Financial Services announced today an enhancement to its travel insurance product - now offering Canadians peace of mind for most potential travel mishaps imaginable. The changes, effective today, follow extensive research from across Thomas Cook's broad network of stores and affiliates and provide new additional coverage options for most scenarios impacting your vacation or travel plans.
from Doug:
Our condo meant a radical downsizing from our former Victorian house. I spent the weekend assembling an IKEA day-bed to take the place of a Queen size bed that almost filled our guest room. I hurried along and paid the price - disassembled and reassembled some things twice just because I didn't sort the parts inventory properly at the beginning and did not read thoroughly the instructions. It did get done, and my wife is pleased with the results. The acid test will come when one of our 6'4" sons visits for a weekend - then we will find out if the bed meets requirements!