Customer service

U.S. insurers with online sales strategies are able to lower customer acquisition costs.

New York — Columbia University ’s Science & Technology Ventures (STV) reports that it has licensed MedLEE, a natural language processing technology, to Columbia spin-out, NLP International Corp.

Orlando , Fla. - Olympus Insurance, an Orlando insurer that writes voluntary homeowners policies through a statewide network of more than 2,000 agents, is expanding its footprint in Florida . The company launched a new easy-to-use Web site (www.olympusfl.com), added new policy offerings, and hired two new regional managers in Northeast and Southwest Florida to better serve its customers.

The move reflects the company’s continued goal of streamlining services to contain costs and stabilize the market for medical malpractice insurance in New York.

Real Time users report using the technology with at least half of their companies for the following functions: policy view, claims status, billing inquiry, endorsements and single-company quote.

A new study finds that price is a key driver among both defecting and loyal customers, but insurers may be surprised by the other priorities swaying loyalty.

Retailers and hotels ended in the top spots of Forrester’s Customer Experience Index for all categories, while medical insurers and TV service providers ended up at the bottom.

Study reveals that adult Americans of all ages are showing greater awareness of and interest in online accessibility to their medical information.

The GMS Group believes its new platform will improve relations with its existing fixed-income clients, and deliver many managed account solutions to its high-net-worth clients.

Credit card bills are the most popular bill paid online, followed by utilities, telephone, cable/satellite television, wireless and insurance, according to research from Billeo Inc.

The D.C. Financial Group, a district network office of The Washington Group, will serve customers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including northern Virginia, suburban Maryland and the District.

The Agency of the Month program recognizes those Trusted Choice agencies that are exceeding the expectations of its Trusted Choice Pledge of Performance.

The health insurer is the first in the nation to be integrated on Google’s new platform.

A survey of nearly 700 experienced producers found that about one-third think the U.S. economy will stabilize within one year. More than 90% of producers surveyed think their business in 2009 will be as good as, or better, than they were in 2008.

Carriers are rethinking the role of technology in this crucial, customer-facing area.

Using emerging mobile devices to access CRM, analytics and customized business applications is a lofty goal. Are life insurers ready?

The tool directly connects carriers and distributors to agent licensing and appointment information.

Real-time capabilities support providers in discussing the actual costs for various health care procedures.

Providers are adopting electronic health records and one has earned a 2% cut in its malpractice insurance premiums.

AIG will start calling its aigdirect.com business 21st Century Insurance in January, reverting to the brand of a California-based car insurer acquired last year.