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Seminar Topics

8:00 – 8:30: Registration and Coffee

8:30	Welcome: Doug Grant Insurance-Canada.ca
8:40	Technology should Provide Benefits, not Baggage Craig Tilford, FCIP, Aon Reed Stenhouse.
Over the last 10 or 20 years the technology business model was to simply put the hardware or software in the user’s hands and then…walk away. Just put it in front of them, promise improvements and benefits, and simply walk away. Well that wasn’t and still isn’t good enough. Most users floundered. Adoption rates are poor. Benefits have been far less than their potential. All because users were not properly shown how use the tools and they don’t adopt. Who’s fault is it? Well that is complicated. What is the answer? Well that is both complicated and simple. A recent Gartner, Inc report stated "An untrained end user may take up to 22.5 hours to achieve the same skill level that it takes a trained employee 5 hours to achieve (including training)." So is training the answer? Well it helps, but it will not solve everything. It’s complicated and simple, but definitely solvable. Please attend "Driving Technology to Work" and find out Craig’s experiences in pushing technology to provide benefits, not baggage.
9:10	Integrating Call Centre and Web-based Customer Service Robert Bradaric and Patrick Vice, FigmentSoft Inc.
Insurance customers have taken to using the Web and call centres for buying insurance and for performing service functions on their own accounts. Leading brokers are taking advantage of this trend to increase revenue and reduce expenses. The next wave will be closer linking between web and call centre approaches, and the winners will be those who can supply seamless integration of the two. This session will provide an overview of methods to link call centres and web offerings, and insurance specific applications.
9:40	break
9:50	Managed I.T. Infrastructure Solutions for Brokers Arvin Jain, Noble House International Inc.
The significance of I.T. infrastructure for the broker industry. The basis of success for all I.T. solutions is founded on a strong I.T. infrastructure. Traditional I.T. infrastructure models within the broker industry. Emerging trends in I.T. infrastructure technology and solutions in the broker industry. Future trends in I.T. infrastructure technology and solutions in the broker industry.
10:20	Newer Technologies and Applications Helping to Improve Your Business Michelle Cole-Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, Applied Systems
Applied Systems has a long record of investing in new and emerging technologies in order that Broker customers can optimize the operation of their businesses. The stream of new technologies and uses of existing ones continues unabated. In this presentation Michelle will review how some of these are being deployed today: Distance learning is being deployed by many organizations in many industries. This technology is being used internally by Applied staff, and is now being offered as a way of training broker staff on the use of the Applied Systems. The benefits are many - education on demand, reduction in travel, living and time away from the office costs etc. Customers differ in the way they like to be serviced. One segment prefers self-service for any number of reasons. Allow them to access and/or view portions of their client and policy information via the Internet, for view real-time information and around-the- clock service from home, on the road or at their job site. Mobile computing continues to expand its horizons and the ability to process customer transactions, or deal with customer service requests while traveling or calling on them can be a real boon. Let's look at the opportunity and issues. Customer service is a key differentiator and BMS vendor too must address their customer expectations. Technology is one of the tools that is being used to improve customer support - some examples will be discussed. These and other examples will illustrate how computing and communications are becoming pervasive tools as Brokers look to increase productivity and focus on efficiency, effectiveness and customer service.
10:50	The CSIO Insurance Portal: Status and Next Steps Klaas Westera, CSIO
Over the last 18 months, the CSIO Insurance Portal has slowly but surely been moving from a dream into reality. The development and testing is now virtually complete and we are moving quickly to its rollout to the field. This important step signals the beginning of a new era in broker-company communications and transaction exchange. With the Portal's move to live production, the timing is opportune for a high level review of the Portal, its rollout timing and its future potential beyond phase 1. This session will provide a high level overview of the Portal, its critical success factors and how it will be used within the broker's office. Discussions will also touch upon possible future directions and uses of the Portal leaving time for questions from the audience.
11:20	break
11:30	Using Technology Effectively at CMD Insurance Services Inc. Rick Dresher, CMD
One of the competitive tools used at CMD to better attract and service customers is technology. We try to be selective about what we use, but when we implement a tool or system, we will use it optimally within our brokerage and with our customers and providers. As an example of an implementation of a long-touted technology, we last year implemented a document centre. This proved to be a bit of a challenge to implement, but once there has delivered the expected benefits, and some additional ones which were not part of our business case. At last year's Insurance-Canada.ca seminar we looked at CMD's three stages of the use of the Internet. As traditional EDI linkages between brokers and companies migrates to new technologies and a variety of additional functions, CMD endeavours to take advantage of those things which will help us. The second part of the presentation will look at our experiences to date, and how we see the next steps with the CSIO Insurance Portal changing what and how we do things.
12:00	Does Your Web site do What you Want it To Do? John Kerr, BA CRM, Manager Accounting and Administration, CURIE.
Brokers must take their commercial clients' level of sophistication and comfort with technology into account when formulating their own strategies. CURIE - the Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange - has set up a sophisticated, yet very cost effective, technology infrastructure that is matched to the needs of its customers while at the same time providing valuable information to its internal clients. John has acted as the webmaster for CURIE and has advised other risk managers and brokers on tips and techniques for an effective Internet/Intranet presence. John has shared his experiences in presentations at RIMS over the past 6 years to rave reviews.
12:30	lunch
1:00	Technology and Advertising in Support of Customer Acquisition Lee Romanov, The Consumer's Guide to Insurance
Advertising is expensive, especially when your staff's time is taken up by having to deal with unqualified leads. The Consumer's Guide to Insurance has been able to qualify leads, through technology. The leads are sent, in real time, directly into the broker's or agent's computer for verification and processing of a policy. The lead is qualified, rated and, on average, cuts processing time by 13 minutes. Lee will outline the types of advertising which has been most effective, how to get in front of the media, and how to close and keep a lead referred by The Consumer's Guide to Insurance. She will also introduce additional areas of revenue that can be sourced through this 'new age' type of consumer.
1:30	Attracting and Converting Prospective Customers using the Web Chris Mildon, The Insurers Financial Group
Insurers Financial Group recognized early on the potential of the internet as a customer acquisition tool. However, there were many issues and considerations as the world in general, and insurance in particular, tried to understand what the internet is and what it is not. Chris will describe the business development and implementation of e-insurers.com as a separate brand and service which leverages existing IFG business processes and insurers and services relationships. The topics, lessons learned, and results will encompass these objectives: Design a consumer-friendly Web site featuring ease of use Develop and implement the site at a reasonable cost Incorporate point of sale software into the process Integrate the new channel into existing new-business processing systems Take advantage of the quality underwriting services of IFG Develop new market niches Create another tool for the marketing toolbox Experiment with different advertising approaches
2:00	break
2:10	Web sites for Commercial Lines - an Overview and a Summary Case Study Terry Neilson, Insurance Systems Inc.
Commercial lines products have been the last lines of business to be Web enabled by Insurers. Creating an easy to use site that provides value is a difficult task. Many companies have got caught up in the technology and lost focus of the business reasons for the development. The focus needs to be on ROI and the ability to increase premium volume and decrease costs. "OMMni.com" is a solution which was developed for CNA Insurance worldwide, and is used by brokers in Canada and around the world. This presentation will include an overview of the process of designing a site, and a case study on "OMMni.com". It will provide the audience with a good understanding of the issues required to develop a site that both brokers and clients will use, and a site that will provide real ROI to the Insurer.
2:40	Technology- Real World Comments for Brokers Bruce Rabik, Cookson Walker Consulting
Based on interviews with some 500 CSRs, producers and brokerage owners in the year 2001 alone, and based on dozens of review of the operations of brokerages, Cookson Walker will provide comments on what is really happening out in the field as far as brokers are concerned. Beyond the hype (everyone is always talking about what technology is coming next- not what is happening with the technology already out there) Bruce Rabik will discuss what impact current technology is actually having on brokerages and what lessons both brokers and insurers can learn from this. What correlation is there between the best brokerages and what type of technology they are using. How well are brokers using the technology and what are the challenges that brokers face will be discussed in detail.
3:10	Close: by Doug Grant Insurance-Canada.ca

Seminar Sponsors:

ci   Canadian Insurance Magazine

Speaker Information

Klaas Westera, President, CSIO

Klaas Westera has a 28 year background in information technology. Since 1976, he has applied this knowledge to the task of delivering a competitive advantage to the Independent Broker Distribution Channel through automation and workflow improvements.

In the private sector, Klaas has been involved in the design, delivery and support of brokerage automation products and services, company underwriting information services and pre-insurance inspection services. As General Manager and Vice President of Delphi Information Systems (formerly Redshaw) from 1986 through to 1996, Mr. Westera managed all Canadian operations. From then until 1999, he performed a variety of functions for CGI Insurance Solutions and Services, including internal business consulting, product management and strategic planning.

Mr. Westera's industry standards activities began twenty years ago with the ACOS change form followed by years of active CSIO committee work. As President of CSIO since the summer of 1999, Mr. Westera has overseen a dramatic growth in CSIO standards and services. Over that time, CSIO has expanded its standards from the original EDI and forms to include new standards for XML, web screen standards and terminology standards. These 5 standards are now all incorporated into the CSIO Insurance Portal which Mr. Westera has been championing since inception as an idea.

A graduate of Brock University in St. Catharines Ontario, Mr. Westera holds a Masters of Science degree in theoretical physics.

H. Christopher Mildon, B.A. Economics Partner, Executive Vice President, The Insurers Financial Group

For the past 13 years, Chris owned and operated a successful independent insurance brokerage in Unionville becoming a seasoned specialist in the area of group home and auto insurance.

Always innovative, Chris strives to make the invisible visible to his clients. He's always invested significant time and energy establishing and reinforcing his clients' understanding of their own insurance needs

Married with two young sons, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and is involved in a number of organized sports.

Terry Neilson, President, Insurance Systems Inc.

Insurance Systems Inc. (ISI) is a Canadian Software development company that specializes in developing transactional Web sites for Insurance Companies. Terry was an Insurance Broker for 25 years and in 1997 started ISI to develop web based solutions to increase productivity between Insurers and Brokers.

John Kerr, BA CRM, Manager Accounting and Administration, CURIE

John Kerr is the Manager of Accounting and Administration for the Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange (CURIE) in Oakville, Ontario. CURIE is a self-insurance mechanism that was established in 1988 to underwrite the liability and property exposures of 50 of Canada's most distinguished universities.

His career in insurance and risk management began just over fourteen years ago with Canada's largest life insurer, the Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. Between then and now he has worked in a variety of administrative positions of increasing responsibility for the country's largest property and casualty insurer, The Co-operators General Insurance Company; the commercial lines department of a mid-sized Toronto insurance broker; and most recently prior to joining CURIE, the risk management department of a multinational building products manufacturer, Indal Limited.

He is a member of both the Toronto Chapter of RIMS, a member and Director of Business Programs for the Canadian Insurance Accountants Association, and is also the founding chair of RIMS' Technology Advisory Council.

He has spoken on risk management, insurance, and information technology issues to client and peer groups and has taught business applications courses at the York Board of Education. His business acumen and interest in technology comes together in his role as webmaster for CURIE and St Johns United Web sites at www.curie.org and www.stjohnsunited.ca

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and his Canadian Risk Management (CRM) Diploma from the University of Toronto.

John lives with his wife Angela and their three daughters aged 6, 4, and 1 in Oakville, Ontario.

Michelle Cole-Kennedy, Vice President, Client Services, Applied Systems Canada Inc

An executive of Applied Systems Canada Inc., Ms Michelle Cole-Kennedy has 15 years experience in the insurance industry and has worked at both the broker and company level. Ms. Cole-Kennedy has worked for Applied Systems Canada for 12 years in Services, Information Technology and Development. Some specific accomplishments include:

• Adept in Relationship and Project Management

• Successfully developed innovative standards in Client Relationship Management (CRM)

• Developed Strategic Organizational Technology Plans for Brokers

In addition to her consultative responsibilities, Michelle also oversees the following divisions, Information Technology, Support Services (Call Centre), Training and Development, Technology and Design as well as the newly formed Applied Consulting Services.

Caroline Kennedy, Manager, Applied Systems Canada Inc.

As a Manager of Applied Systems Canada Inc. with an educational background in business, Ms. Caroline Kennedy has over 10 years experience in the areas of Training, Development and Support. Some specific accomplishments include:

• Entire design and implementation of Training programs offered by Applied Canada

• Creation of all Training documentation to accompany Applied’s Training programs

• Actively involved in Applied’s new Web-Based Training initiative

In her role, Caroline manages the Trainers at Applied Systems Canada and oversees both the Mississauga and Montreal office Training Departments.

Craig Tilford, FCIP V. P., Process Manager, Aon Reed Stenhouse Limited

His focus is Aon’s strategy to improve business through process, technology and most importantly people. Essentially he helps accelerate Aon’s drive to do business better.

Craig’s background is extensive in both insurance and technology, with emphasis on using technology to accomplish insurance. He operated his own brokerage, and started other businesses, including commercial insurance consulting.

His career has taken him from underwriting to broker, from a Commercial Manager to Commercial Consultant, from the fields of SW Ontario to the board rooms of NYC. All the while pushing technology to provide benefits, not baggage.

Arvin Jain, CEO, Noble House International Inc.

Mr. Arvin Jain is the CEO of Noble House International (NHI), a company primarily dedicated to I.T. management Service Provisioning (MSP) solutions and consulting. Mr. Jain has applied his extensive knowledge of the technology field along with strong communicative skills to clients in the area of managed I.T. infrastructure solutions. The focus of NHI's MSP solutions is on assisting customers in their growth, implementation and migration to new technologies and I.T. business solutions. NHI's MSP solutions are aimed at the development of systems, which support and promote existing and new business growth in emerging markets, and enterprise environments.

Rick Dresher, Vice-President, CMD Insurance Services Inc.

Rick Dresher started working in his father's brokerage at age 13, and was licensed as an insurance broker at age 18. He attended the University of Toronto and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Economics in 1983. At that time, he joined Dresher Insurance Brokers as a producer and became president in 1987. In 1991, Rick returned to the University of Toronto to add an Environmental Studies major to his degree. Rick continued at the University of Toronto, where in 1998 he earned a Masters of Science in Urban and Environmental Planning. He is now vice-president of CMD Insurance Services Inc., an amalgamation of a number of brokerages. One of Rick's major duties is to oversee I.T. at CMD.

Lee Romanov, President, The Consumer's Guide to Insurance

Lee started this referral service for brokers and agents in 1994. Presently, it refers 500 to 1,000 Auto, Home and Life leads daily, and has recently expanded nationally.

She hosts the Insurance Hotline Talk TV Show on City Pulse 24, does regular morning spots on Global TV, Channel 11 and features The Romanov Report on 740 AM Radio.

Previous to CGI, Lee owned a direct response Travel TV Show and Travel Agency, worked with the marketing and promotion of Expo '86 in Vancouver, and did marketing and underwriting for The Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, Safeco Insurance and Halifax Insurance.

The combination of her insurance experience, promotion, and direct response techniques have made a powerful impact on the way consumers are now beginning to purchase their insurance.

William Bruce Rabik, MSc., B.Comm. CIP, Partner, Cookson Walker Consulting Group

Bruce has 15 years experience in the insurance industry as a consultant, commercial underwriter, and as a broker. Bruce was the Director for Western Canada for Trivest - recognized as the first "consolidator". Later he was the Chief Operating Officer for a 100-employee brokerage in Alberta, a founding partner of Privilege50 Insurance - a call centre based brokerage, and a founding director of INS. He was also an original director of Zenith Insurance Services - a major call centre based operation in Ontario as well as a Director of several brokerages in Alberta and Ontario.

As a partner with the Cookson Walker Consulting Group, Bruce has consulted to brokers from Vancouver Island to the Maritimes. He has extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions, operational reviews, compensation systems, strategic planning and cash flow budgeting. With a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, Bruce brings a special perspective to all aspects of the "people side" of broker management including the recruitment and selection of staff, psychometric testing and sales, service and management training.

Bruce is a member of the Insurance Institute of Southern Alberta, an Affiliate of the American Psychological Association, and a member of the Canadian Human Resource Planners’ Association.

Hosts and Presenters

Patrick Vice, Vice President, FigmentSoft Inc.

Patrick has over 20 years experience enabling electronic commerce in the risk management and insurance communities. He works with insurance companies, risk managers, insurance brokers, and technology suppliers to successfully define, market, and implement projects and programs to realize the benefits of existing and emerging technologies. For a more extensive biography.

Doug Grant MBA CIP, Consultant, Insurance-Canada.ca

As a keen analyst of computer and networking evolution for more than thirty years, and the opportunity and impact on the insurance industry, frequent industry speaker, columnist, and consultant, Doug is cognizant of the changes that are occurring in the Internet insurance world. As a principal in the Insurance-Canada.ca Web site, he brings a unique perspective to the session. For a more extensive biography.

Patrick and Doug will be host of the seminar and will welcome and set the stage, build the linkages between topics, and then provide conclusions and points to ponder at the end of the session.

(Examples will be used throughout)

Questions? call Doug Grant 416-921-7756 or email at doug.grant@insurance-canada.ca

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