Underwriting Just Got Easier: Technology Integration at Unitrin Direct Enhances Customer Service
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Anyone who has worked in an underwriting office understands the challenges of managing files, processing underwriting documents efficiently, keeping track of agents and clients on the move, and making sure customers are happy. Unitrin Direct, based in Chicago, Illinois and with offices in multiple states, recently made these processes easier by integrating diverse technologies and leveraging their effectiveness to offer faster and better service. Their vision and success resulted in the company receiving the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA) Technology Achievement Award in 2007. This was merely the beginning of what Unitrin Direct plans to accomplish as they enhance services to their customers.
Unitrin Direct, an insurer that sells direct-to-consumer automobile and homeowners insurance in 25 states, is a rapidly expanding company that conducts its business over the Web, by telephone and by using tools such as strategic partner sites to gain new business. Initially, management had a vision to expedite services by automating the processing of returned mail, incomplete customer submissions, and pursuit of signatures that were required on underwriting documents. By integrating digital workflow with their third-party automated call system, policy management software, third-party capture and indexing provider, claims management system, and data review criteria stored on their Web page, the company aimed to leverage the value of each of these technologies and do more work, faster. This increased efficiency has enabled the company to continue to grow without adding staff, and it has positioned Unitrin Direct to handle future growth effectively.
The Larger Vision: Underwriting Department Launches Enterprise-Wide Efficiencies
Jerel Titus, Underwriting Manager at Unitrin Direct, recalls, “Our plan was to engage in an enterprise-wide digital organization of our corporate information. Our vision was to expedite our business process by using automated workflow. We wanted to find a way to horizontally align disparate silos of information stored within a variety of departments.” Optical Image Technology’s DocFinity® Workflow was chosen as the engine to push and pull data wherever it was needed, and Underwriting – the heart of the company’s business – was chosen as the place to start. Titus says, “Our ultimate goal was to use digital workflow to connect multiple technologies in underwriting, claims, and customer service applications, tapping into web-based electronic forms, imaging, bar code reading and indexing, our automated call service, and more.” The success in the Underwriting department has helped management to continue to “grow the dream” for other business areas. The company can now offer innovative and better services enterprise-wide, both internally to other departments and to its clients.
Integration: The Picture Grows as the Dots are Connected
The underwriting department began integrating technologies with DocFinity early in 2005 as a model to showcase how workflow could orchestrate communication between information capture and digital storage systems, phone systems, and more. The vision included not only pushing documents through automated workflows for approvals, signatures, customized letters, and calls; it included the launching of business processes to direct actions that needed to take place automatically as a direct result of information updates in the central database. The system was configured to search the database for returned mail, incomplete forms, missing signatures, and other information, and the company was one of the first to tie electronic signatures into the workflow process to accelerate processing. As each integration has been successful, new ideas emerge, and the vision for the future continues to expand.
Expanding the Vision: Looking Toward the Future
As Director of Document Applications Carol McAllister reflects on the past, she states, “One thing that was surprising was the flexibility of Workflow. There was nothing that we couldn’t do.” The integration of technologies with DocFinity Workflow has helped Unitrin expedite underwriting, respond to claims more quickly, reduce processing costs, handle returned mail and document retention more effectively, and improve services. Looking to the future, Underwriting Manager Jerel Titus adds, “The ultimate goal is faster, cheaper, and better service. DocFinity Workflow helps us achieve all aspects of this goal and gain a competitive edge.” Unitrin Direct’s solution has helped staff offer better and faster service while reducing costs and stress in locating and processing paperwork – a winwin solution for everyone.
To learn more about how DocFinity software can help with the underwriting process and other areas of insurance, visit our Insurance Webpage, contact Optical Image Technology at info@docfinity.com, or call 814-238-0038. To learn more about Unitrin Direct, visit their website at www.unitrindirect.com.
