Customer experience

Lansing, Mich.–A new Web-based sales and training tool from Jackson National Life Insurance Co. (Jackson) is designed to help simplify the process of selecting an optional living benefit within Jackson’s family of variable annuities. The Living Benefits Selection Center (LBSC) enables registered representatives to get instant, client-approved output based on a client’s profile information after answering a handful of qualifying questions. The tool also features multimedia presentations, fact sheets and side-by-side comparisons of Jackson’s optional living benefits.

Chicago — Destiny Health, a Chicago-based provider of wellness-based health insurance, is launching operations in Missouri, and intends to make its products available across the state. The products are pending approval by the Missouri State Department of Insurance.

Los Angeles - The Automobile Club of Southern California (Auto Club), the largest AAA affiliate in the nation, has selected the ClaimCenter product from Guidewire, San Mateo, Calif. ClaimCenter will consolidate and ultimately replace the company’s existing legacy claims systems, performing end-to-end claims handling functionality for all Auto Club lines of business.

Miami - To deliver on the commitment to promote ecosystem-based innovation and collaboration, Walldorf, Germany-based SAP AG announced that the industry value network (IVN) for insurance will join 13 existing industry-focused IVNs hosted by SAP. The IVN for insurance will bring together independent software vendors, system integrators and SAP to co-innovate with insurers to help them improve profits, customer relationships and their competitive position through effective applications and a flexible IT environment. Members of the IVN for insurance will initially focus on issues facing property/casualty insurers in the North American market in the areas of claims, customer service, sales and distribution, and underwriting and policy processing.Plans for the IVN for insurance currently include key innovative partners in the insurance industry: Adobe, CGI, IBM, MSG, Opentext, Planetsoft and Skywire. The partners and SAP will initially collaborate to bring together industry expertise, knowledge and capabilities in a multi-vendor ecosystem to address the high-value business needs of customers. Customers will be invited to participate in the second phase of the IVN.

New York — New York Life Insurance Co. was the No. 1 seller of fixed immediate annuities in the first quarter 2007, according to LIMRA International, U.S. Individual Annuity Sales Survey, Fixed Immediates, First Quarter 2007 results. (Fixed Immediates include Fixed Period Annuities.) New York Life's guaranteed lifetime income annuity sales rose 45% in 2006 on the strength of its product suite and distribution, and continued on that pace in first quarter 2007.

Jersey City, N.J. — Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO), Jersey City, N.J., is working with United States Department of Agriculture/Rural Development in a joint endeavor to provide communities with information regarding the Community Loan and Grant Programs that are available through USDA/Rural Development and the Rural Housing Service.

Austin, Texas — Lombardi Software Inc., an Austin, Texas-based business process management software provider, has been named a finalist for customer service excellence in the 2007 Greater Austin Business Awards. Lombardi is named as a finalist in the large company award category.

Denver - Colorado Casualty's appointed agents in Arizona and New Mexico are the first in the Liberty Mutual Group member's six-state territory to be equipped with Commercial IQ, the company's, Web-based technology for commercial lines quoting, binding and policy issuance.Commercial IQ is designed to deliver an automated underwriting process with expanded, yet simplified, eligibility criteria, and a sophisticated pricing system with multiple price points, which results in fewer referrals, less intervention, the best price up front and quicker policy issuance. Commercial IQ's "Quick Quote" feature enables agents instant access to a faster online quote with minimal entry of information, according to Liberty Mutual Group. Agents also can select the most appropriate product for a commercial risk using Commercial IQ's SmartNav, the pre-qualification tool that requires only a business class code and responses to a few basic eligibility questions to best meet customers' needs.

Armonk, N.Y. and Ottawa - IBM and Cognos have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire Cognos, a publicly held company based in Ottawa, in an all-cash transaction at a price of approximately $5 billion or $58 per share, with a net transaction value of $4.9 billion. The acquisition is subject to Cognos shareholder approval, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.The acquisition of Cognos supports IBM's Information on Demand strategy, a cross-company initiative announced on Feb. 16, 2006 that combines IBM's strength in information integration, content and data management and business consulting services to unlock the business value of information, according to IBM. Integrating Cognos, the 23rd IBM acquisition in support of its Information on Demand strategy, will enable new business insights to be delivered to a broader set of people across an organization, beyond the traditional users of business intelligence.

Pittsburgh – Looking for something special for a special someone this holiday season? Highmark Inc. has come up with a novel marketing idea - the Highmark Healthcare Visa Gift Card.