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

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SEMCI

Agents able to spend more time selling and less time processing

"The ARGIAS user group is focused on doing everything
necessary to enhance the sales process through technology."

By Keith A. Savino, CPIA, President, ARGIAS
User Group; CIO, Insurance Resource Brokerage Group LLC

Why are we here? Why do agencies and the user groups to which they belong care so much about SEMCI?

Is it to save money? Reduce workplace stress? How about just plain upload, download, change processing, industry standards, service and underwriting? While all of these things are part of it, I'd like to suggest something much simpler. None of these things can occur without a sale. Without a sale there is no client, no agency, no process---no SEMCI.

The Association of Redshaw & Global Insurance Agency Systems (ARGIAS) user group is focused on doing everything necessary to enhance the sales process through technology. This was the primary reason for our support of APT, which was sanctioned by Delphi in January 1998 when Max Seybold, Delphi president and CEO, agreed to integrate Redshaw with APT. The original attraction of APT software to Redshaw users was its ability to support and keep current with new ACORD forms while avoiding duplicate data entry. Full forms support, including Canadian and Lloyd's forms, was delivered in Version 8.0 in January 1999 when Microsoft Word was joined with the APT SEMCI Access Module as an integrated third-party application.

It is important to note that within six months of Delphi's commitment, ARGIAS had a production version running at its June 1998 national conference in New Orleans. Since then, ARGIAS has hosted training sessions in Springfield, Massachusetts in October 1998, Toronto in November 1998, Orlando in January 1999, and in Tucson in April 1999. These sessions have been largely responsible for the fact that Redshaw users account for the greatest percentage increase in APT software usage within the Delphi community:

* Between January and June 1999, over 200 Redshaw agencies requested and received APT software for use as an integrated ACORD forms facility.

* 25 of these agencies are also in the queue for APT upload, which is a new option available with Elite 8.0. More agencies are expected to follow.

* cd.global, the logical migration path for many Redshaw users, will also support APT for both forms and upload by the time you read this.

A little more about our member base: Almost all are professional producers who want to work in agencies that provide systems that enable them to devote their time to selling insurance. Today, most members download charges/billing, run an NT or Novell network, and have access to the Web and e-mail. Many are also ready to do SEMCI upload or are already doing it using facilities that are not integrated with their management system.

ARGIAS has recently conducted a survey of its members regarding their plans for SEMCI, the results of which are available online at www.arias.org. The purpose of the survey is twofold--to gather specific insights and data on the plans of the Redshaw community and to use this information to approach carriers with lists of agencies that are ready to implement SEMCI.

This brings us full circle. The bottom line is that SEMCI frees agents to do what they do best---sell insurance! *