Background
With market research indicating a significant lack of
resources for insurance companies requiring unbiased glass claims processing services,
Universal Data Interchange (UDI) was created in 1993 to address these market needs. UDI
serves as an industry-knowledgeable and impartial third party that provides glass claims
processing services for automobile insurance companies. Founded by a management team with
expertise in the glass industry, UDI utilizes its proprietary software, developed for the
sole purpose of auditing glass claims, to deliver the lowest average cost per claim.
Services are customized to fit each client’s corporate culture and specific needs. In
addition, UDI provides an unbiased analysis of each service provider based on measurable performance.
Business Challenge
To optimize knowledge share capabilities and reduce the
volume of back-office paperwork, UDI needed an e-business solution that could integrate
disparate client information and provide a single tracking system for the company’s
vast amount of claims data. The company also needed a central database in which corporate
information, including glass pricing, accounting records, customer data and repair
facility information, could be stored and easily accessed. This solution would enable UDI
to digitize many of its paper-based processes, handle claims quickly, and update data
easily. To implement this solution, UDI turned to the e-business expertise and systems
integration experience of Sysinct, an IBM Business Partner.
Solution
Using the open-standards-based technology of Lotus®
Notes® and Lotus® Domino messaging and collaboration software,
Sysinct designed and implemented an e-business solution that links claim processing
between UDI and one of its customers. The solution, called the Glass Claims Management
System, enables the automated reporting of glass claim information to insurance agents,
district managers and the client’s management through a central database. Using this
tool, managers can review critical information online while easily tracking key
performance indicators. By leveraging Lotus Notes to provide an integrated e-mail and
workgroup environment, Sysinct engineered a collaborative Internet application that allows
for the sharing and exchange of data between UDI and the client. In addition, the
scalability and open-standards connectivity of Lotus Domino enabled Sysinct to engineer a
multi-platform server foundation to allow interfacing and data transfer between the two organizations.
Benefits
With the Glass Claims Management System, Sysinct used Lotus
Notes and Lotus Domino to create a central online resource to enable UDI and its customers
to share and track claim information in a cost-efficient manner. In addition, UDI’s client
has realized a shortened cycle for receiving time-sensitive reporting information. With
the consolidation of data into a central Lotus Notes and Domino system, UDI and the
client’s employees have benefited from reduced time spent on administrative tasks and
tracking information through multiple sources. In addition, the shift from manual to
digital processing has resulted in significantly less paperwork and a standardized
document management process, ensuring that invoices and other documents are consistent in
format. Since the Web-based Lotus Notes and Domino system can be updated more easily than
systems that rely on paper-based processes, employees now have the assurance that the
information they find online is accurate and up-to-date. Due to the system’s success,
UDI’s client is considering implementing similar Lotus systems to connect to additional
auto insurance organizations.
Customer Quote
“To ensure that critical information was readily
available to our customers, we needed a solution that would enable us to easily access
client and corporate information, track claims and reduce time spent on unnecessary
paperwork, said Tom Sliwinski, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Data
Interchange. Using the collaborative, Web-based functionality of Lotus Notes and Domino,
Sysinct designed a database solution that has enabled us to automate our business
processes and allow us to focus less on administrative tasks and more on customer needs.”
