San Francisco, CA � February 23, 2005 � In a continuing effort to provide its brokerage and consulting firm customers with the best solutions for customer relationship management and procurement in the highly competitive insurance market, BenefitPoint, Inc. announced today it is rolling out a complete Web services integration with Applied Systems� TAM (The Agency Manager ®) and Vision agency management systems.
Aptus, BenefitPoint�s CRM and procurement application for the employee benefits industry, has achieved widespread industry adoption with more than 400 broker and consultant offices using the product, managing over 50,000 employer clients with over 40 million lives and approximately $105 billion in premium. Brokers, consultants, health plans and carriers across the nation have adopted BenefitPoint Aptus and are looking to integrate it with their internal and client-facing systems.
The Aptus integration with TAM, the # 1 agency management system in North America, was released in January. Later this year, BenefitPoint will release its Aptus integration with Vision, a highly flexible client/server-based agency and brokerage management system built to meet the needs of customers with complex accounting and high-end database access and reporting.
Through Web services technology, Aptus and TAM are integrated to seamlessly transfer customer account, policy, and commission data between the two systems, eliminating the need for duplicate entry of data. The integrated solution will provide insurance brokerage and consulting firms with a complete overview of their insurance business within TAM, thereby expanding users� data management and reporting capabilities. Customers using both systems will benefit from real-time updates to account, policy and commission data within both Aptus and TAM without manual intervention.
�The real-time integration between TAM and Aptus is completely seamless,� said Tina Noke, director, sales engineer and former Applied ConneXion ® product manager. �BenefitPoint, with the help of agencies using both products, has carefully thought out every scenario and created an integration that works behind the scenes, every time. Our collaborative efforts have made integration a reality for our joint customers.�
Brent Rineck, BenefitPoint senior vice president, product development, noted, �The integration between Aptus and TAM is an exciting step forward for BenefitPoint, Applied Systems, and our mutual customers. Web services integration brings our users an elegant, efficient, seamless, real-time interface � far beyond the flat file data integration they�ve depended upon in the past.�
Jim Brady, leader of the integration project for the firm, Neace Lukens, said, �The integration between BenefitPoint and Applied will allow us to improve the efficiency of its employee benefits operation through the use of one comprehensive system by eliminating duplicate data entry, streamlining workflow, and minimizing opportunities for error. The integration also increases Neace Lukens� revenue tracking capabilities by monitoring the accuracy and timeliness of insurance carrier commission payments and providing improved forecasting tools for creating accurate financial plans.�
About Applied Systems
Applied Systems, Inc., is the leading provider of automated solutions for the property and casualty insurance industry. Since 1983, the company has developed software for independent insurance agents, brokers, managing general agents, and insurance companies, as well as financial institutions with insurance operations. Applied Systems has helped more than 10,000 insurance organizations achieve new levels of profitability and efficiency with its premier agency management systems, The Agency Manager ® (TAM) and The Agency Manager Vision Series™. Incorporating consulting services and third-party integration, Applied Systems automates insurance transactions at every distribution level from consumer through carrier. For information, visit www.appliedsystems.com.
About BenefitPoint
BenefitPoint, the industry�s leading customer relationship management (CRM) and procurement software platform, makes it easier for employee benefits professionals to manage, buy and sell benefits. Brokers, consultants and carriers realize expanded business opportunities, operational efficiencies and a greater ability to deliver quality information and services to employers and employees. Aptus, BenefitPoint�s CRM and procurement product, has been widely adopted by the industry. More than 400 broker and consultant offices use the product, managing over 50,000 employer clients with over 40 million lives and approximately $105 billion in premium. Over 420 carrier organizations use BenefitPoint to access broker and consultant requests for proposal and renewal requests. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, can be reached at 415.277.5700. Take a tour of the BenefitPoint Aptus Product Demo on the corporate website at www.benefitpoint.com.
