Customer service

Los Angeles - The Farmers Insurance Group HelpPoint claims call center has just been recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for the third year in a row for providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience." The recognition is for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program.

Atlanta - SunGard Data Systems Inc., Wayne, Pa., has acquired DSPA Software Inc., a Mississauga, Ontario-based supplier of sales compensation and distribution management software to the insurance industry. DSPA Software will become part of SunGard's insurance business.

Insurance customers won't tolerate difficult navigation, endless loops that prevent transactions or other Web site challenges, according to survey results released by San Francisco-based Tealeaf Technology Inc. The survey, conducted by Rochester, N.Y.-based Harris Interactive Inc., indicates about nine out of 10 consumers conducting transactions online (within a number of industries) have experienced problems. This year's survey highlights online consumer intolerance, as 42% of those who have experienced problems when conducting online transactions switched to a competitor or abandoned the transaction entirely. Additionally, 52% who experienced bad customer service from a company's contact center following an online issue stopped doing business with the company as a result.

Adding metrics to customer touch points results in agency's ability to increase first-call closes and improve overall sales.

You can't hop into a cab, step into an elevator or walk down the street without passing someone using a Blackberry, iPhone or other type of mobile device. Business professionals, students, police and even your kids are connected every second of the day. As a result, more and more carriers are recognizing the inherent value of mobile technologies as a productivity tool, and have embraced this technology.

In a new 68-page report entitled 'BPO Opportunities in the Property & Casualty Insurance Sector,' analyst John Willmott finds that P&C insurers perceive themselves to be in a mature and highly competitive industry where process cost reduction and continuous service improvement are viewed as far more important mechanisms for achieving improvements in competitive positioning than process innovation.

Bala Cynwyd, Pa. - Philadelphia Insurance Companies, a writer of commercial property/casualty, personal lines and professional liability insurance products, is launching a new online policy delivery system effective December 1, 2007.

Los Angeles – Using the 2006 fatal crash data released by the U. S. Department of Transportation just weeks ago, Farmers Group Inc. has completed a study to determine the most influential factors in drivers’ mortality rate in multi-vehicle accidents.

Needham, Mass. — The insurance industry has relied upon the independent agency system as a main distribution channel for decades. However, new business concerns are threatening its success and even its existence, according to recent research from Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup Inc.

Oakland, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente has received the "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its efforts to provide health plan members across the country with culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services.

Los Angeles — Annette Thompson, VP of marketing operations at the University of Farmers was awarded Learning Leader of the Year for her leadership, organizational commitment, vision and ability to deliver organizational results during the International Quality and Productivity Center Conference held at the Disney resort in Orlando, Fla.

Wellesley, Mass. — The U.S. division of Waterloo, Ontario-based Sun Life Financial Inc. has been awarded the LOMA Educational Achievement Award for the third consecutive year. Of more than 1,200 companies worldwide that were eligible for this award, Sun Life is one of only 15 to be recognized for its educational efforts. Sun Life was honored in both the global and regional (United States and Canada) categories.

Cincinnati — The Midland Co., a Cincinnati-based provider of specialty insurance products and services, today reported that it has signed a definitive merger agreement with German-based Munich Re, whereby Munich Re will acquire all of Midland's outstanding stock. Under the terms of the agreement, stockholders of Midland will receive $65 in cash per share. This represents a 13.5% premium above the Oct. 16, 2007 closing price of $57.27 and a 55% premium over Midland's share price at the start of 2007. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2008, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions.

Chicago — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), Chicago, and participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies joined with four U.S. physician groups, national employers and national consumer groups to examine a patient care model that places the patient and primary care practice at the center of care.

Hamilton, Bermuda — Reinsurance Holdings Ltd. announced Flagstone Underwriters Latin America Ltd. A.I. was successfully formed and licensed, and will conduct business from its offices in Puerto Rico.

Thousand Oaks, Calif. — For small-business owners who face pressure to provide their employees with affordable health insurance, one statewide provider has devised an online solution to address the situation. Blue Cross of California has released a new tool that makes it easier for small-business owners to navigate the health care arena and find the most affordable products for their employees with the launch of an online tool called Click4Biz.

Washington – Thanks in part to technology that automates the credit-verification process within 48 hours, an unlikely contender is entering the mortgage lending business. A division of Citigroup Inc. is piloting a program to offer mortgages to Washington-area residents with "limited credit histories" who "therefore often end up with high-cost or risky home loans." Setting aside $200 million for the program, the division, CitiMortgage, has partnered with Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C. and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., Bloomington, Ill., which together agreed to buy $100 million worth of the loans. To qualify for the program, a person must be in the country legally and have alternate credit lines, such as rental payments, utility bills or a tithing record, that a lender can use to evaluate creditworthiness. Historically, gathering the paperwork to confirm these trade lines has been a laborious process that could take months, which often discouraged potential buyers and hurt their chances of closing a deal, reports The Washington Post. Neighborhood Housing Services, a sister organization of Washington, D.C.-based housing advocacy group NeighborWorks America, will use a system that automates the credit verification process and delivers results to CitiMortgage within 48 hours. The technology evaluates whatever information is available at the national credit bureaus as well as from other sources. To participate in the mortgage program, called R-Home, potential borrowers will first go through credit counseling. One of two District-based nonprofit groups, HomeFree-USA or Manna Mortgage, will work with potential borrowers, vet their qualifications and match them with a loan. If the best loan is with CitiMortgage, then CitiMortgage will fund that loan and sell it to Neighborhood Housing Services, reports the Post. The nonprofit group will then sell the loans to State Farm and Fannie Mae. Sources: The Washington Post, American Banker

New York — Switzerland-based Zurich Financial Services Group named Kevin Dunham as senior vice president and global relationship leader for the Western region of its Global Corporate in North America business unit. Dunham is based in Glendale, Calif., and will manage accounts primarily in the Southwest and Western United States."Kevin's range and depth of experience in all aspects of customer service and relationship management, specifically in this region, make him an ideal candidate for this role," says Mario Vitale, CEO of Zurich Global Corporate in North America. "His focus will be on developing and expanding relationships with our brokers and customers in order to provide them with a differentiated experience, and to deliver Zurich products and services."

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.