A Special Section Sponsored by Alliance for Productive Technology, Inc.

READY, SET, GO ...

Growing numbers of agencies receiving benefits of SEMCI capabilities

By Richard H. Roy, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, AMS Services, Inc.

Having spent the last 20 years in the insurance technology marketplace, I am overjoyed to finally see not just light at the end of the tunnel--I believe the industry can now see the end of the tunnel itself!

Like many of you, I've lived through the "Paper Free in '83" slogans, the initial electronic exchanges using the 110 electronic envelope and the various interactive and batch uploads over the last 20 years. Now, finally, the end of the tunnel is in sight and we can all take advantage of efficient electronic data exchange between carrier and agency.

In 1998 and throughout the first half of 1999, AMS has continued to pour APT SAM licenses into our customer community. At an accelerating rate of almost 150 a month earlier in the year, our customers are confirming that the electronic parts necessary to achieve the efficiencies are now available. They are beginning to engage with their insurance company partners to use true SEMCI capabilities. Upload for new business and endorsement processing is available and rolling out with the APT SAM module today. This is a major crossroads where AMS has fulfilled our commitment to complete the tools. Now it is up to the community to utilize these tools to achieve efficiency. Again--ready, set, go--and you can be off.

Some of you have stated that you want to wait for the "new" process and believe that Internet technologies are the latest and greatest vehicle to exchange data electronically with your companies. Let me assure you from AMS's point of view that we too, along with APT, see its great potential and are investing in that technology.

For the agent today, however, the transition from what is available now (and offers a significant payback for the efficiencies it brings) to what tomorrow will bring is a migratory strategy, not an overnight replacement strategy. As such, I urge you to take advantage of today's industry deliverable of true SEMCI and enjoy the effectiveness and profitability that can result now. Talk to your carriers and make sure they are positioned to get you up and running ASAP. Every day that you wait is another day that costs your agency more. Once again--ready, set, go is finally available; make sure you get to enjoy and profit from it today. *

APT SEMCI PRODUCTS FOR EVERY CARRIER, AGENCY AND NETWORK

APT products, which are available from virtually all agency automation vendors, are based upon ACORD Standards. They support personal and commercial lines, claims, Action Flag and Full Image change processing and over 700 ACORD, CSIO, Lloyd's and carrier-unique forms. All software is network independent, which permits use of popular industry alternatives, including the Internet, intranets and IVANS. APT software supports both the IVANS Transfer Manager and PCeXpedite products.

Insurers use the PC-based Company Module^TM to establish and retain direct control over their unique underwriting, edit and data requirements without having to resort to customized editing or other types of proprietary upload.

Two APT desktop offerings are used by agencies to receive and apply carrier-defined edits and to upload error-free, industry-standard transactions. Participating management system vendors offer the APT desktop software in a variety of ways. Some vendors directly integrate the Agency Module^TM, completely retaining their own look and feel, while others integrate the SEMCI Access Module (SAM) and make use of its forms, data entry, printing and AL3 upload facilities. The SAM is also used by insurers to test the accuracy and completeness of their edits and data requirements before distributing them to agencies. SAM placements in agencies earned APT this year's ACORD Upload Award for Greatest Percent of Growth by a Vendor.

APT recently introduced webSEMCI, which includes all of the features of the SEMCI Access and Agency Module software. With webSEMCI, carriers that have licensed the Company Module can perform electronic commerce on any IP network accessible from a Web browser, using the same underwriting, marketing, editing, data requirements and forms that they now use with APT desktop software.

IVANS-hosted Internet or private IP demonstrations of webSEMCI can be accessed at apt.websemcidemo.com.