The Chronicle: Issue 2011-22, May 31, 2011
Policy and Product Management
Duck Creek Announces Release of Product Studio.
BOLIVAR MO-May 23, 2011 -- Duck Creek Technologies, Inc., a provider of innovative software and services for the insurance industry, continues to expand its portfolio of product definition tools with the release of EXAMPLE Product Studio™ (Product Studio), the core of a product development suite designed to improve efficiencies by giving insurance professionals control of all aspects of the insurance product development and maintenance process, freeing technical resources to focus on technical tasks.
Guidewire-Commissioned Survey Connects Property/Casualty Underwriting Performance to Leading Practices That Drive Profitability, Growth, and Efficiency.
SAN DIEGO, Calif., May 23, 2011 - At the ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum, Guidewire Software®, a leading provider of flexible core systems to property/casualty insurers, today announced the results of its underwriting and policy management research study. The Guidewire-commissioned study, conducted by Ward Group, an independent consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry, identifies and compares insurer characteristics and system functionality needs by type of underwriting strategy.
Distribution
Brovada: Karl's Corner Blog: The Proof is in the Pudding.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 - With the recent addition of Wawanesa for inquiry, new business, and endorsement upload - along with new business functionality for The Dominion, Pembridge and Grenville Mutual - our transaction numbers will see another substantial increase over the coming months.
Accenture Survey Finds North American Consumers Prefer to Buy Insurance through Agents.
SAN DIEGO, CA; May 24, 2011 - Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of U.S. and Canadian consumers are planning to renew or purchase insurance products through an agent in the next 12 months, according to a survey of 2,500 consumers in both countries by Accenture. While younger consumers also predominantly favor agent networks - 59 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds prefer buying insurance through this channel - almost one-third (31 percent) of them said they plan to purchase online in the next 12 months.
Claims
Itech Recognized as TEAP® III Registered.
May 6, 2011 - Itech, an environmental recovery and restoration company headquartered in Brantford, Ontario, has been recognized by leading Canadian chemical and transportation industry associations as a registered service provider for dangerous goods emergency response under the Transportation Emergency Assistance Program (TEAP® III).
Aite Group Report - Claims Supply Chain Management 2.0: Moving From Cost Management to Service Delivery.
Boston, May 3, 2011 - A new report from Aite Group examines the applications of supply chain management (SCM) within North American property and casualty (P&C) insurance claims operations -and specifically, auto claims. It introduces the concept of SCM 2.0, which uses the Internet to increase innovation, information sharing, and collaboration among stakeholders while driving service delivery improvements.
Aon Hewitt Survey Finds Canadian Organizations Taking "Wait and See" Approach to Drug Plan Cost Management Solutions.
TORONTO, May 19, 2011 - Despite the ever-escalating cost of drugs, Canadian organizations that sponsor benefit plans are slow to adopt more innovative solutions to manage this expense, according to a survey conducted by Aon Hewitt, the global human resources consulting and outsourcing business of Aon Corporation. As a result, drug costs continue to eat up 60 per cent to 80 per cent of medical benefit plan budgets, leaving organizations with concerns about whether or not they can continue to provide this coverage for their employees.
Managing Relationships and Customer Service
NexJ Contact for Finance Rollout by Investors Group Completed.
Toronto, May 24, 2011 - NexJ Systems Inc. ("NexJ"), a leading provider of enterprise private cloud software, delivering customer relationship management (CRM) solutions for the financial services, insurance and healthcare industries, today announced that Investors Group, a national leader in delivering personalized financial solutions to Canadians, completed its rollout of NexJ Contact for Finance to deliver an Integrated Desktop to its Consultants.
eBusiness and Technology
Gartner Highlights 2011 'Cool Vendors' That Are Delivering Technologies and Services to Improve Business Outcomes
STAMFORD, Conn., May 16, 2011 - Delivering and consuming services to improve business outcomes is the new driver of "coolness" for the 2011 Cool Vendors research series, according to Gartner, Inc. Innovative technologies, the ongoing consumerization of IT, and cloud computing also continue to characterize vendor coolness.
eMarketer: Tablets Beat Smartphones for Online Shopping, Buying.
MAY 23, 2011 - Tablets hit it big only in 2010 with the release of the iPad, but their owners are already making use of them for commerce-and doing so to a greater degree than smartphone owners, according to research from the e-tailing group. eMarketer estimates the US tablet installed base will represent 7.6% of the population by the end of 2011, up from 3.1% in 2010. Smartphone ownership, by contrast, will reach 23.4% of US consumers this year, up 4 percentage points over 2010.
Marketing and the Market Place
Ipsos Reid: Usage Skyrockets as Canadians Get Wise to Smartphones.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Vancouver, BC - Canadians have jumped on the smartphone bandwagon and are continuing to do so one upgrade at a time. According to the most recent Ipsos Inter@ctive Reid Report, three-in-ten online Canadians (31%) now own a smartphone, an increase of over 50% since previously measured in the spring of 2010. And as ownership rises, so too does usage, with smartphone owners spending an astonishing 17.3 hours per week using their device.
Consumer Information
Aviva Canada establishes temporary Slave Lake office.
May 27, 2011 - As the residents of Slave Lake, Alberta return to their properties after the lifting of the evacuation order, Aviva Canada, one of the country's leading providers of home, auto, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance, has established a temporary Slave Lake location and deployed a team of 20 field staff to more efficiently serve the needs of area customers.
IBAO: Ontario Brokers Urge Caution when Driving Motorized E-Bikes.
(Toronto, Ontario) Today, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) is urging Ontario citizens to exercise caution when using motorized vehicles such as scooters and electronic bicycles (e-bikes), as these vehicles offer limited or no liability coverage on a consumer's insurance policy. Ontario brokers want to educate Ontarians on the dangers associated with driving vehicles of this kind and remind them that the coverage they need may not be available to them.
Manitoba Public Insurance increases funding: RoadWatch highly successful.
May 20, 2011 - Funding for the highly successful RoadWatch program will be increased this year, Marilyn McLaren, President and CEO of Manitoba Public Insurance announced today at a RoadWatch checkstop. "Visible enforcement is one of the most effective ways of deterring impaired driving behavior," said McLaren. "RoadWatch is highly effective when combined with public awareness and education.
Allstate Wants Canadians to Make Preparation a Priority: Tornado Season Has Arrived.
TORONTO, May 10, 2011 - Regardless of where you live, major disasters can strike at any time, so it's important to be prepared. Many Canadians don't realize that Canada ranks second in the world in terms of frequency of tornadoes, with an average of 80 each year. As tornado season begins, Canadians should make preparation a priority.
from Doug:
I visited Dad on the weekend and took the opportunity to show him my pictures from our recent trip to England and Scotland. It was good to run through them as goodness knows when I would get to them otherwise. Dad and Mom so enjoyed travel, and Dad continues to enjoy it vicariously - having just turned 90 and using a walker, he feels most of his travel is behind him. Nonetheless, he is so full of questions and comments about what we saw, that I think he enjoyed our trip almost as much as we did. But then he seems to have that outlook on life generally. I hope I can be as interested in things at that age, should I get there.