Issue 2001-27: December 20, 2001
This newsletter is for members of the Canadian Insurance Industry, and those who serve it. The newsletter is published weekly, and notes information mostly about the use of the Internet and related technologies in the industry. Some is international, where we feel it is relevant to Canada.
Managing Relationships
Sun Life Financial announced new, innovative service enhancements for members of employer-sponsored retirement plans. Employees, who are members of group retirement or savings plans, will gain immediate access to live language interpretation in more than 150 languages, and Web-Assist, a service which provides 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week assistance. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/canada/SunL200112.php
Marketing
Every parent's nightmare: I Promise is an innovative scheme that helps take the worry out of teen driving for their parents, yet still preserves the independence teens crave and must have. As published in The Hamilton Spectator, Dec 11, 2001, more at www.insurance-canada.ca/market/canada/IPromise200112.php
Insurance Distribution
Consumers may now purchase property insurance online from one of Canada's top tier insurers, Allstate Insurance, thanks to enhancements to Allstate's 'Good Hands Network,' More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/Allstate200112.php
Kanetix, Canada's online insurance marketplace, announced a partnership with one of this country's largest insurance organizations, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, to provide a quote comparison service to consumers. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/kanetixAll200112.php
Royal & SunAlliance and The Guarantee Company of North America have signed a Strategic Initiative to provide their independent brokers currently dealing with either Insurer the ability to market both Construction Insurance and Contract Surety Bonds. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/RSAGuar200112.php
Within the context of the state of the Internet in Canada, the rate of Internet adoption by small business, and the nature of insurance product as a "financial services" service, a good number of brokers have made significant time and financial investments in the Internet and are finding advantages there. Internet Progress - Slow but Steady: by Doug Grant, for Alberta Broker Dec/Jan issue at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/IIBAA200112.php
CSIO Insurance Portal Status
The development team has completed the development or build of Quick Quotes - Auto. As well, we show the current status of some companies - Economical, Lombard and Markham General and some vendors - Sherwood, CIM-Data and Applied Systems - as they all prepare for the next phases of development and testing. We will be adding other companies', brokers' and vendors' status as it is provided.
The CSIO Board of Directors unanimously approved a special assessment for the CSIO Insurance Portal. This decision ensures that the necessary funds are in place to complete the Portal's development and roll-out to the industry. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/distribution/canada/CSIOIP200112.php
Claims
Please note: the date for our seminar "Claiming Benefit from Technology and the Internet" has been moved from Tuesday Feb. 5 to Thursday Feb. 14, 2002.
Accident Support Services Ltd., Facilitators of Collision Reporting to the Insurance Industry, will begin a 6-month pilot project with the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service on January 21, 2002. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/claims/announce/ASSIPet200112.php
Collision Reporting Centres Reduce Insurers' Claim Costs. The average tow bill in 1994 in Toronto was $150.97. Statistics for the first half of 2001 show $127.37 , a reduction of nearly 20 percent. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/claims/announce/ASSIcost200112.php
E-Business & Technology
Four Technologies for the Future: Gartner suspects these four emerging technologies are key in the next decade: Customer Self Service, Web Services, Wearable Computers, and Tagging the World. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/other/VIGartner200112.php
Computer Sciences Corporation introduced CSC CyberCare(SM), an enterprise information risk management service designed to support the full range of information assurance and information security needs of clients on a global basis. More at www.insurance-canada.ca/ebusiness/other/CSCCyber200112.php
from Doug:
We at Insurance-Canada.ca wish you, and yours, a Merry Christmas season, and the best in the New Year. Let us reflect upon this year's tragic events, and the economic woes which for many are hitting close to home. Celebrate with hope for better fortunes next year, and make some small contribution to worldwide peace and well-being.
We too will be celebrating over Christmas and New Years; look for our next newsletter on Tuesday January 8.