The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, Conn., has enhanced its small commercial automation to make quoting and submitting new business applications faster and easier for independent agents--whether they connect to the Internet from their office, their customer's place of business or on the road.According to The Hartford, its ICON 2.0 electronic quoting and submission system offers agents Web-based access, efficient navigation, and a host of integrated features that streamline the submission process for the company's key small business coverages. Those include Spectrum business owners' policy, workers' compensation and commercial auto. Similar support for The Hartford's new "Xpand" products is currently being piloted.
Key features of The Hartford's ICON 2.0 quoting and submission tool include:
- Web-based technology. ICON 2.0 is accessible via The Hartford's Electronic Business Center (EBC). Registered agents only have access to an Internet connection; no additional software or passwords are required.
- Integrated online sales guide and insurance risk appetite tools. ICON 2.0 provides agency access to information about The Hartford's appetite for a particular class of business, as well as its likelihood to write a particular account, eliminating the need to open and close multiple tools during the quoting and submission process.
- Dynamic, class-specific underwriting questions and coverage options. ICON 2.0 instantly gives agents a list of required information based on particular risk characteristics. The number of underwriting questions has been reduced significantly, and only those coverage options appropriate for a specific class of business are displayed.
- Risk-specific information incorporated into submission process. This feature enables agents to quickly determine the most appropriate classification for an account based on its specific risk characteristics. For example, a prospective account submitted in the "carpet store" class may be found through the submission process to have coverage needs more in line with those of a "contractor," particularly since it generates 75% of its sales from carpet installation.
Once information is submitted electronically through ICON 2.0, it can be serviced from The Hartford's EBC or directly from an agent's own agency management system. Agents can view customers' actual bills, claims and policies online through most agency management systems, and process endorsement requests on the spot. Agents can also download policy information and direct bill commission statements right into their system - without having to re-key information.
ICON 2.0 is currently being rolled out countrywide. For timing and availability of ICON 2.0 for their agency, agents should contact their Hartford business technology solutions manager or sales representative.
Source: The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.
