by Laurie Shufeldt

Integrated data management technology can help brokers manage policy information, handle claims and underwriting, and organize documents and new customer files

A major challenge in insurance offices is storing and retrieving customer files. Insurance policies stored as paper files are detailed, bulky, and difficult to navigate. A single client may have multiple files and policies.

With the right technology solutions, brokers can combine digitized policies, records, and customer files with the electronic versions of other documents such as e-mail. This eliminates the need to access cumbersome storage files on a daily basis. In data driven industries like insurance, scanning, and imaging documents saves employee a lot of time retrieving and searching for missing files. Automatic alerts can give brokers time to update customers on renewing their insurance policies.

With a digital filing cabinet on the computer network, data is streamlined, workflow is more efficient, and files do not need to be duplicated in separate departments for separate functions. Employees can save time looking up information in a policy, which allows for fast response to customer inquiries.

When integrating existing software, look for seamless and affordable options that do not require frequent maintenance or timely training. Solutions should allow users to pull data from another application without the expense of custom integration. IT infrastructures need to be linked and updated quickly to keep abreast of compliance security issues. For help in selecting and implementing solutions, area brokers can rely on sources from The Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (www.ibawest.com) and (www.iiaa.org).

Laurie Shufeldt is the Vice President of Strategic Business Development at FileVision. Laurie Shufeldt joined FileVision in 2001, bringing more than 14 years of information technology industry expertise. Laurie can be reached at lshufeldt@filevision.net. For more information about FileVision, visit www.filevision.com.