Issue 2003-36:   September 9, 2003

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.

Distribution

Novinsoft's Insurance Portal integrates with CoVirt's VirtGate Agency Management System to streamline Universal Life Illustrations.

Novinsoft, Inc. and CoVirt Inc. (Canada) jointly announced today that they have formed a strategic partnership where the advisors of a Canadian managing general agent (MGA) using CoVirt's VirtGate back office system can hyperlink straight to multi-carrier Universal Life illustrations for that client. (Tim Fitzpatrick, CoVirt, is presenting at this Friday's seminar).

IVANS Further Expands Agency Interface Solutions.

Reflecting a growing community of users for the next generation of electronic interface between insurance carriers and independent agents and brokers, IVANS, Inc., the industry's agency interface solutions provider, has announced new flexible, Internet-based services and pricing models for interface. IVANS' new models provide carriers and agents the ability to leverage Internet technology and still realize the benefits of the managed solutions they have deployed since the 1980s, according to Anna England, vice president and general manager of the IVANS Insurance E-Commerce Solutions Division.

CSIO Insurance Portal Status Update

Week ending September 5: CSIO is working diligently with several organizations to get the next set of functions going as soon as possible. We are all anticipating several concrete indications of progress imminently.

Marketing and The Marketplace

New Eastbridge study finds that worksite executives see major changes to the worksite market over the next five years.

In a recent study by Eastbridge Consulting Group, Inc., The Future of Worksite Marketing: An Executive Perspective, worksite marketing executives said they expect major changes to virtually all aspects of the worksite business over the next five years.

USA Auto Insurance Premiums Continue to Increase Significantly, Customer Satisfaction Stabilizes After Two-Year Slide: J.D. Power.

Calif.Automotive insurance premiums show no sign of leveling off as rates increased an average of 13 percent since 2002, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2003 National Auto Insurance Study released today. Despite increasing costs, customer satisfaction with auto insurance providers has stabilized after a two-year slide. Customers report spending an average of $1,190 annually in auto insurance premiums in 2003 - up from $1,050 in 2002. Since 2000, customer-reported insurance premiums have increased an average of 32 percent.

E-Mail Open and Click Rates Rise Year-over-Year: eMarketer.

According to the latest "E-Mail Trend Report" from DoubleClick, e-mail marketing open rates and click-through rates rose in Q2 2003 year-over-year. Since the first quarter of this year, however, open rates have declined from 39.2% in Q1 and click-through rates have fallen to 8.3% this past quarter from 8.9% in Q1. Nonetheless, it is important to note that legitimate e-mail marketers can carve a space for themselves over time.

The ABCs of A/B Testing: eMarketer.

To determine the credibility (which can impact sales, referrals, visitor loyalty and responsiveness to advertising, among other things), there are a number of factors to examine. According to Stanford University and Consumer WebWatch, these include site design, information usefulness, bias, functionality and readability. The design seems to matter most.

Technology and eBusiness

InSystems Launches Calligo(TM) Doc Services.

InSystems, a leading provider of solutions for transactional-portal and document-intensive business processes announces the availability of InSystems Calligo Doc Services, an enterprise software platform that complements core business systems by managing simple to complex, event-driven document processing.

KANA Expands Lead in E-mail Response Automation With Banter Server Integration to KANA Response.

KANA, a leading provider of enterprise customer support and communications applications, today announced that it has embedded Banter Server in KANA Response(TM) software. The integrated technology enables more effective and cost-efficient response to customer inquiries by combining natural language understanding capabilities from Banter with KANA's market-leading e-mail response management application, setting a new standard for e-mail response automation in the industry.

Managing Relationships

kasina's 3rd Annual Survey of European Mutual Fund Web Sites Names Top 10.

Significant budget cuts notwithstanding, the retail Web sites of European asset management firms are improving, but could benefit from increased end user interactivity, revealed management consulting firm kasina today. "The results of our third annual study indicate that budget constraints have asset managers looking for new ways to boost user satisfaction," said Steven Miyao, chief executive officer of kasina. He notes that 13 percent of shareholders are currently registered to access their accounts online at top European fund sites, and expects this number to grow.

from Doug:

Our presenters at this Friday's Life Distribution seminar bring good experience and knowledge of tools in support of insurer-distributor improved communications, from straight through transactions to integrated marketing campaigns. Join us.

Fortune has smiled kindly on my parents, with whom a small family gathering celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past weekend. Married in the face of adversity in September 1943 in the midst of a World War, with Dad in his RCAF uniform, they have enjoyed their life together. We offspring have enjoyed it too!