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Friday
September
29, 2006
Article reprinted from Windows in Financial Services
- http://www.windowsfs.com/
"Willis Automates Lifecycle With New Agency Management
System"
In 2005, Joe Plumeri, chairman and CEO of the global
insurance brokerage Willis Group, commissioned an
initiative focused on improving Willis’ operational
capabilities in the US retail offices. The goal was to
improve the company’s ability to provide superior client
service while maintaining a keen focus on reduced
operating costs. The existing operating procedures were
varied and cumbersome: document creation was manually
intensive, required multiple handoffs, and required users
to re-key data into multiple systems.
By the end of 2006, those inefficiencies will be gone and
Willis brokers will be generating proposals in minutes
using a single database that enables them to service
clients from anywhere at any time.
After deploying a multi-functional team to determine scope
and business requirements, Willis began to assess
potential technology solutions. Developing an internal solution would have required
significant design and development effort, and taken years
for the business to see results. Adopting a third-party
package would allow Willis to quickly deliver needed
functionality with a substantially smaller investment.
“While several insurance brokerage solutions were
identified in the market, most were not sufficiently
sophisticated or robust to address the complexity at the
higher end of our commercial insurance business,”
explained
George Stephanos, project lead and a vice president of
Willis global
operations. The team ultimately selected the Nexsure
insurance agency management system developed by
XDimensional Technologies (XDTI), a founding member of the
Microsoft Insurance Value Chain.
“Nexsure was selected due to its ability to be extended
and tailored
to Willis’ business needs,” said Stephanos.
Nexsure is a Web-based agency management system that is
built on Microsoft® .NET technology and XML. Its
application service provider (ASP) model, with the
application residing in two XDTI data centers, provides
users with real-time access to data via the Web at anytime
from anywhere in the world. This uninterrupted access to
client data enables Willis to serve customers from remote
locations in the event of closed offices or local
disasters.
Willis and XDTI collaborated on adding features such as
supplemental
Willis templates and functions to complement the general
ACORD templates already found in the Nexsure system.
“Willis appreciates our ability to react quickly,”
comments Robert
Juracka, XDTI’s president. “Even before they inked their
contract, many of the enhancements they wanted were in the
product.”
Testing scripts were run to ensure that the system would
handle Willis’ volume correctly. The resulting solution is
a Nexsure system that is tailored to Willis’ business and
is scalable for enhancements and additional lines of
business that will be added over the next few years.
Prior to finalizing a technology solution, Willis
developed standard operating procedures based on best
practices from across its offices.
“This is not a technology rollout as much as it is a
revamping of our business process,” said Stephanos. “We
are establishing a consistent and efficient way of doing
business that will be the same from one office to the
next.” This combination of a new centralized policy
management system and new workflow processes is called the
Willis Client Platform (WCP).
“This platform automates a large part of our business
lifecycle,” explained
Jeanette Scampas, executive vice president in charge of
global information
technology and global operations at Willis. “It eliminates
the manual efforts and costs that today are associated
with shared drives, hard files, and re-keying of
information into multiple systems. It will allow us to
accomplish what no other brokerage firm has accomplished –
build economies
of scale and dramatically increase the value delivered to
clients.”
Realizing the impact that this system and operating
procedures will have on its business, Willis has embarked
on a very aggressive deployment
schedule. After conducting three successful pilots last
fall, Willis is now deploying the system to more than 50
US offices and more than 800 associates in 2006.
To achieve its ambitious timeline, Willis engaged Diamond
Management and Technology Consultants. “Diamond brings a
combination
of strategy and execution skills that enabled us to
rapidly customize and pilot the Nexsure product,” said
Stephanos.
With its fast rollout, Willis is going to reap the
benefits of a new system while competitors are still
studying alternatives.
“While other top-tier national brokerages are now
exploring the necessity for platform modernization and the
benefits of a consolidated
database, Willis is already implementing,” said Juracka.
Early feedback has been positive.
“We are very excited about the reactions we have seen in
the field, but we understand that it takes time for our
associates to become truly comfortable with a new system
and work processes,” said Stephanos. “By partnering with
XDTI, Willis greatly reduced the time needed to deploy a
client management solution to professionals across the US.
Deploying Nexsure allows our highly knowledgeable
employees to spend more time working closely with clients
to develop optimal risk management solutions,” said
Scampas.
About XDimensional Technologies, Inc.
XDimensional® Technologies, Inc. (www.xdimensional.com)
based in Brea, CA., develops and markets Nexsure®, the
Internet insurance agency management solution that
connects agents, carriers, brokers, and policyholders,
driving efficient business production, superior customer
service, and insightful business management. Nexsure
offers robust contact management, sales force automation,
advanced work flow, standard (property and casualty, life
and health, benefits) and custom lines of business, policy
life cycle management, CRM, and multi-office accounting
and reporting. Nexsure is a scalable, web-based, Microsoft®
.NET application with built in web services, data
processing, and transactional capabilities. Nexsure
provides unmatched ease of use, scalability, and
information availability to help insurance agencies
achieve their business goals. XDimensional Corporate
Headquarters are located at 145 S. State College Blvd,
Suite 160, Brea, CA. 92821, tel: 714-672-8960, fax:
714-672-8908
| Contact
Information |
| Warren Long, VP
Marketing |
| XDimensional
Technologies, Inc. |
| Phone: 800-789-2567 |
| E-Mail:
warren.long@xdti.com |
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