As we’ve discussed in the ongoing Insurance in the Cloud blog series, the insurance industry is undergoing a dramatic shift. Empowered by developments in technology, professionals in the middle market and large enterprise sectors are taking advantage of the robust tools that are now available. This transformation has never been more apparent than in the underwriting segment. More than ever, underwriters are expected to be the central hub of insurance operations.
According to Gail McGiffin of Ernest & Young, LLP in Future of Underwriting: A transformation driven by talent and technology:
Underwriters are naturally suited to leadership roles within the modern insurance enterprise. Their unique position makes underwriters the quarterback for the organization, coordinating between different functions to ensure the customer lifecycle is handled appropriately.
In the new digital age, underwriters take on the role of high-value relationship builders with the expectation that they will add value at every phase and interaction in the account relationship.
Underwriters in today’s industry need access to a secure platform for collaboration that drives productivity and accelerates innovation. With an enterprise social platform such as Chatter from Salesforce, underwriters now have a way to connect with agency principals throughout a customer life cycle, while tapping into their data all in one platform.
Here are three ways underwriters can use Chatter for Collaboration in an organization:
Connect Producers and Underwriters to Boost Sales Opportunities
In a customer-centric environment, it is important that the underwriting team is communicating quickly and efficiently with producers in the field. Chatter enables Producers to quickly share data and documents gathered in the field with underwriters – providing underwriters the in-depth knowledge they need to execute risk-analysis quickly and efficiently – effectively lowering time to provide quotes and win more deals.
Collaborate with Agents to Write Lines of Business
Linking agents to underwriters has always been a priority for carriers; however, real-time collaboration has lagged in the past. Agents are increasingly concerned with their ability to simplify the quoting and submission process. According to a recent study, 39% of agencies believe carriers need to provide more ways to collaborate on submissions than just email. As they work with underwriters, fast decision-making is critical to writing new lines of business. Chatter shortens the underwriting process by eliminating the need for re-entry of data and switching between agency management systems and other forms of communication. Chatter also provides management the ability to tap into insights into which carriers are consistently writing business.
Transform Claims Management with Collaborative Technology
From a claims perspective, it is imperative that the lines of communication are always open with the underwriters. Underwriters must have a solid understanding of the claim model in order to effectively provide the right price at the right time, and to manage the risk appropriately. An ongoing dialogue between Claims Management and Underwriting will ensure the credibility of claim data, and provide proper understanding of policy language. Collaboration is important to maintain stability in premiums and pricing allowing for quality trend analysis, and profitability.
As the quarterback for insurance organizations, carriers find great value in connecting the underwriters with insurance principals to drive productivity, simplify the submission process, and expedite the claims process.
For more information on how you can use Salesforce Chatter to inspire collaboration in your agency, please call us at 614-212-1111 or fill out the form below. Continue to follow our blog series: Moving Your Agency to the Cloud – Extending the Power of Salesforce for Insurance Professionals to learn how to get the most out of your CRM.