IBM Software Insurance

Strategically planning aneffective collaboration solutionfor insurance companiesUsing the IBM Collaboration Agenda approach

2 Strategically planning an effective collaboration solution for insurance companies

In response to the recent economic downturn, declining profitmargins and growing competition, insurance companiesworldwide have been looking to revamp their organizations.To thrive, insurance companies need agility to make rapiddecisions, the right information to innovate and reduce risk,and relationships that can cultivate opportunities. Moreover,they must be able to respond to a dynamic marketplace withcustomers who demand exceptional service—including 24x7 access to information, lower rates and greater controlover their coverage plans. Effective communication and col-laboration, both inside and outside the company, can helpdefine results and, in turn, yield better business results.

Establishing a strategy for effectivecollaborationThe IBM Collaboration Agenda™ approach can better con-nect agents, adjusters, customers and other stakeholders byshowing you how to develop an industry-specific road map totransform interactions into a strategic asset. Through a seriesof highly interactive, customized workshops held right at yourwork location, you can leverage software, services and industryknowledge to embrace your own collaboration vision andagenda. Discover how to overcome barriers such as organiza-tional silos, geographical boundaries, functional divisions andinformation overload—within the context that you’re alreadyworking. The result is an expertise-based organization thatleverages the knowledge, skills and experience of people insideand outside of the organization with speed and agility.

Celina Insurance Group achieved aroughly 25 percent increase in premi-ums with approximately 40 percentfewer staff by using the CollaborationAgenda approach.

Working smarter and more collaborativelyMany roles within insurance organizations require interactionswith several contact points. But people are limited by whothey know and where they can find information—and theseinteractions sometimes take longer than they should. Theresult can be lower customer satisfaction, loss of insured mem-bers and decreases in revenue.

A Collaboration Agenda approach maximizes the businessvalue of collaboration by focusing on industry-specific jobroles and their interaction patterns. We examine each rolewithin your organization to determine how communicationstechnology can be embedded into your processes to improvecollaboration and access to information, helping employees invirtually all roles and departments achieve better results.

AgentsAlthough agents need access to basic productivity tools such asemail, calendaring, web meetings and transaction services,they also need better access to industry experts to acceleratethe claims process. Agents who can easily find experts andquickly get the answers they need—using instant messaging;presence awareness; and the profiles, blogs and wikis availablein social software—can drastically reduce claims processingtimes, in turn optimizing efficiency, reducing costs andincreasing customer satisfaction.

AdjustersBecause they work in the field, adjusters need the ability towork from practically anywhere, at any time. Using mobiledevices to access messaging, collaboration and real-time com-munication software as well as portal- and cloud-based collab-oration tools, adjusters can receive new claims, respond toexisting claims, contact customers and communicate withbusiness partners—whether they are in the office or on the go.

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Senior executivesTo help ensure that their businesses stay on track, senior executives need enterprisewide visibility and fast access to revenue and cost figures, customer acquisition numbers, prod-ucts purchased and much more. Using instant messaging andpresence awareness, they can easily find and connect with staffto quickly get the information they need. And portals withdashboard capabilities allow executives to view key perform-ance indicators (KPIs) and other data from a single interface.They can get the insight they need to analyze performance,revise strategies and manage tactics accordingly.

CustomersCustomers demand convenience and self-service capabilitiesfrom nearly every business with which they interact. Offeringinsurance information that is accessible 24x7—via websites,smart phones and other mobile devices—can boost customerloyalty.

In customer communities, made possible by social softwareand web portals, customers freely exchange information andcomments about their insurance policies and companies.Through comments, rankings and other feedback, these com-munities provide insurers with key insights into how to keepand build positive customer relationships, up-sell services andproducts, and create new offerings.

“ Because [IBM] Lotus® has helped ustightly integrate the agents into our business processes and collaborative envi-ronment, their lives are easier—that’s acompetitive differentiator.”

—Rob Shoenfelt, CIO, Celina Insurance Group

Improving interactions and access withcollaboration technologiesThe IBM Collaboration Agenda approach can help yourinsurance organization embed collaboration technologies intoprocesses by examining each role within your organization todetermine where software and other technologies can best beutilized. Collaboration tools integrated with business processescan help you:

● Ensure that agents, adjusters and executives have the tech-nologies they need to access expertise and communicatemore effectively in real time.

● Accelerate the return on investment (ROI) and obtain meas-urable business outcomes.

● Increase productivity throughout your organization, speed-ing and improving responses to the customer, which canlead to higher satisfaction and retention rates.

● Connect your agents with customers through real-time com-munication channels, enabling them to address questionsmore easily about claims and coverage and to evaluate risk.

● Empower customers with the information and self-servicetools they need to understand their coverage, to file andcheck on claims, and to find the answers to questions.

● Use social software, such as wikis and blogs, to link staffwith the customer feedback they need to develop new insur-ance offerings and services.

● Establish web portals to develop a single view of a cus-tomer’s account, where staff can access claims data, demo-graphics and all other information from one screen.

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Getting started with the IBM Collaboration Agendaapproach

In just a few easy steps, you can start on the road towardtransforming your everyday interactions into strategicassets. First, access our collaboration assessment tool, and then respond to a quick questionnaire. When you’redone, you’ll receive a customized report that can help you:

● Understand the effectiveness of your existing collabora-tion solutions.

● Quantify the value of leveraging new or unused collabora-tion tools and implementing a collaboration strategy.

● Identify the collaboration enablers that can transform yourcompany into a best-in-class organization.

● Estimate the ROI you may achieve with a collaborationstrategy and tools.

● Develop a strategic road map for collaboration as a cross-boundary enabler.

Try the collaboration assessment tool:ibm.com/software/lotus/collaborationagenda

For more informationTo learn more about how IBM can help your business improve operational efficiency, more effectively link peopleand communities, spur innovation through collaboration, and improve responsiveness, please contact your IBM repre-sentative or IBM Business Partner, or visit:ibm.com/software/lotus/collaborationagenda

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Produced in the United States of AmericaAugust 2010All Rights Reserved

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