The Chronicle: Issue 2011-47, November 22, 2011
What's Going Through The Intersection of Insurance and Technology, an Insurance-Canada.ca Blog.
- Putting Agency Connectivity to Work: Best Practices and Implementation Strategies
Sometimes it seems that most of the attention given to agency/broker connectivity focuses on what is the 'perfect' connectivity method and when (or whether) it will happen. The reality is that industry standard interface is happening now and some agents/brokers and carriers seeing real benefits by using it to improve workflow and customer service. - Rapid Adoption and Evolution Continue as Hallmarks of Mobile in Insurance
Implementers are advising that mobile technology continues demonstrate two characteristics: First, its use is growing rapidly among business users, and second, the raw technology and the applications continue to evolve with equal speed.
Technology
ICTA Nominations Have Insurance-Canada.ca Hopping!.
November 18, 2011, Toronto - The nomination period for the Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Awards (ICTA) has ended on a hugely successful note. Great interest has been shown by the P&C Insurance industry; participation this year surpassed that of the previous two years combined.
Distribution
Ontario Brokers Association Supports CSSI's New Technology.
(Toronto, Ontario - November 18, 2011) Today, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) applaud Custom Software Solutions Inc. (CSSI) on its recent introduction of new technology that enables PDF Dec pages to be accepted as part of the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) download standards.
Claims
Insurance Bureau of Canada congratulates York Regional Police.
TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2011 - Insurance Bureau of Canada's Vice-President, Investigative Services, Rick Dubin today congratulated York Regional Police for slicing off "another major tentacle of fraud". Investigators with the York Regional Police Major Fraud Unit, in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, have arrested 14 suspects and laid 145 charges following a lengthy investigation into a multi-million dollar fraud ring.
IBM Software Aids Research Aimed at Extending Seniors' Independent Living.
EDMONTON, Alberta & MARKHAM, Ontario - 08 Nov 2011: IBM today announced its software is being used to correlate data from sensors capturing patient activity and replicate that in a virtual world with avatars that represent the elderly subjects in a unique pilot aimed at providing health researchers and students with insights on how to care for Canada's aging population.
Guidewire ClaimCenter® to provide state-of-the-art claims platform to support Aspen's global insurance business.
LONDON and SAN MATEO, Calif., November 16, 2011: Guidewire Software®, a provider of core system software to Property/Casualty (general) insurers, today announced that Aspen Insurance, a division of Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd, has selected Guidewire ClaimCenter® as the claims management platform for its global insurance business.
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Satisfaction with Auto Claims is Considerably Lower among Total Loss Claimants.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 27 October 2011 - Auto insurance claimants who incur a total vehicle loss are notably less satisfied with the claims experience than are claimants who incur a repairable vehicle claim, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction StudySM released today.
Policy and Product Management
Exigen Insurance Solutions for Policy Administration, Billing and Distribution Deployed by AAA NCNU Insurance Exchange.
San Francisco, Calif., November 15, 2011 - Exigen Insurance Solutions®, a leading provider of modern core systems to insurers delivered through an aligned-outcome business model, announced today that AAA Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (NCNU) Insurance Exchange has rolled out Exigen Insurance Solutions' policy administration and billing solutions for its California book of automobile insurance.
Marketing and the Market Place
KANA Announces Major New Release of Service Experience Management.
SUMMIT 2011, MIAMI, FL., October 3, 2011 -- KANA Software, Inc., a world leader in software solutions for Service Experience Management (SEM), today announced the immediate availability of KANA SEM 11R4, which builds on KANA's vision for the future of customer service, marked initially by the launch of KANA SEM in 2010. Significantly, SEM 11R4 enables service organizations to collaborate with customers online and gain a deeper understanding of customers through social listening.
Social Business
eMarketer: B2Bs and B2Cs Diverge in Social Network Usage, Lead Gen Success.
NOVEMBER 3, 2011 - Business-to-business and business-to-consumer companies may have different target audiences, sales cycles and products, but when it comes to online marketing, they both must choose from the same set of tactics and channels designed to help them meet similar goals.
Business of Insurance
Manulife expands into Cambodia's life insurance market.
TORONTO/CAMBODIA/HONG KONG, Nov. 15, 2011 - Manulife Financial today announces that it has received "approval in principle" from Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance to set up a wholly foreign-owned life insurance operation. Cambodia expands Manulife Asia's operations to an 11th territory.
Consumer Information
Sun Life Canadian Health Index™ reveals majority of Canadians aren't prepared for future health costs.
TORONTO, ON (November 16, 2011) - How financially prepared are you for a serious illness? Nine out of 10 Canadians anticipate a financial impact if they were to experience a major or chronic illness, with more than half (53 per cent) saying that impact would be significant or perhaps permanent, according to the second annual Sun Life Canadian Health IndexTM compiled by Ipsos Reid.
IBC - Infoinsurance - Be well-informed to be well-insured.
MONTREAL, Nov. 17, 2011 - Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA) completely redesigned the infoinsurance.ca website, to more effectively answer the questions most frequently asked by consumers and make it easier for them to get information about auto and home insurance.
ICBC: What B.C. drivers need to know about winter tires and insurance.
November 10, 2011 - Although winter tires are not mandatory in B.C., ICBC recommends their use in winter conditions particularly if you live in an area where you would normally expect a lot of snow. In snowy conditions, driving without proper winter tires may not be the wisest or safest decision, but it does not affect a customer's insurance coverage or eligibility to make a claim.
IIHS: New brochure on motorcycle antilock brakes provides key safety information for riders.
ARLINGTON, VA - November 10, 2011 - Riding a motorcycle is safer when the bike is equipped with antilock brakes, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explains in a new consumer brochure."Motorcycle ABS: Why you want to ride with it" explains what antilock braking systems (ABS) do, how they work, and the key research on their safety benefits.
SGI: Operation HandsFree traffic safety blitz focuses on cellphone use.
Nov. 15, 2011 - Police across the province will be on the lookout even more than usual for drivers talking or texting while driving on Nov. 17 and 18. The two-day blitz, called Operation HandsFree, is the first of a new, province-wide co-ordinated approach to traffic safety created after a meeting of all traffic enforcement units in the province.
from Doug:
From my office window and balcony, we can see much of Occupy Toronto and St James Park, with the Cathedral beyond. Any number of photos have had our condo building in the background. As I look down now a day after the eviction notices, things look relatively quiet, people walking through the park. There appear to still be about thirty tents, more or less. Comments from around the condo have varied widely, from sympathy to indifference to antagonism, as you might expect. I have not paid attention to the news today, but I wonder what is next for the Occupy movement generally, and here in this city. Quite a different kettle of fish from protests going on in some less quiet parts of the world. I think I like it better here.