Use these guidelines to implement a comprehensive imaging system.
Many agencies are testing imaging as a tool, while others have implemented it throughout their offices. Still others sit on the sidelines, unsure of how or where to implement this new technology.
To gain the greatest benefit from imaging, you need to implement it throughout the agency, in every possible area. Agencies reaping the most gain are using the technology to go paperless. That means no paper file at all. Although producers often have difficulty adjusting to this new way of working, once they use it for a while, they find that it's not that difficult. Customer service representatives, accounting staff, and marketers find that imaging streamlines their workflow significantly and allows them to take on more work.
Here are some of the areas in which agencies use imaging:
Marketing. In the past, placing a piece of new business required printing, photocopying, and faxing or mailing submissions and multiple attachments. Some agencies have been forced to mail submissions because they were too large to be faxed. With imaging, the application and all supporting documents (financials, pictures, loss runs, notes, summaries, etc.) can be scanned and e-mailed to the underwriter. A return receipt lets the agency person know that the underwriter received the submission and allows the marketer to track the progress of the submission electronically.
Marketing Information. Information that's not e-mailed from carriers can be scanned and stored in a central file for reference by everyone. Carrier-specific forms or non-standard forms can also be scanned for easy access and even set up as templates.
Claims. The claims department can scan legal documents, including summons and complaints, client or company correspondence, and other records that must be retained. Agencies with loss control consultants or claims management staff would also scan their reports and have easy online access to policies. In this area, as in others, it's important to evaluate what you need to keep before scanning it.
Account files. One of the most challenging tasks in an agency is maintaining easy access to account files. Agency personnel often spend time looking for files, seeking misplaced documents, and retrieving files from archives. Agencies with branch offices often maintain duplicate sets of files or periodically make copies of files (We've all heard the story of the producer with the file in the trunk of his car). Imaging allows access to files from all locations, reducing maintenance work and slashing storage space.
Customer information. All customer information that can't be stored in the paper file can be scanned for retrieval if needed. Examples would include all policies, endorsements, correspondence, copies of policies from carrier Web sites, non-standard forms, surveys, etc.
Accounting. Although accounting departments have long been automated, they still maintain paper files and spend time copying and retrieving information. With scanning, the documents they need are no longer in paper files, but accessible from their workstations. Employees can scan customer checks, customer-generated documents, carrier statements, deposit slips, bank statements, signed finance agreements, etc.
Carrier contracts. Even agencies with well-organized files run into problems when the person who has organized the files is out of the office. Imaging allows these files to be located in a network file where anyone with password access can retrieve it. Copies of contracts and addendums, financial arrangements with carriers, and carrier statements can be sorted easily and accessed in many ways, including by carrier and by year.
Licensing. Maintaining agency and individual licensing requires a well-organized paper filing system accompanied with some type of tracking system. With imaging, the forms can be organized easily and e-mailed to the appropriate individuals for completion and electronic signature.
Disaster recovery. Maintaining all records as image files and maintaining backup ensures that a physical or natural disaster won't destroy the agency's valuable files.
Employee benefits. This department is a logical place to scan files, as so much of the employee benefits information can't be entered into the agency management system.
If you're thinking of implementing scanning, follow these guidelines:
- Select an implementation team that knows the business side, as well as technology. Have the team review your written procedures to determine how scanning will change the workflow. Develop a list of practical questions to use in evaluating various vendors and their understanding and experience with the agency business.
- Monitor the type of documents being created and received on a daily basis. In Commercial Lines, these include both new and renewal declarations pages, issued endorsements, correspondence from insureds and company personnel, worksheets, premium audits, and cancellation notices. In Personal Lines, they might include inspection forms, photos, driver training certificates, jewelry appraisals, and some non-standard applications.
- Determine the indexing structure. Indexing is the method by which the software creates meaningful lookup options so that you can find images quickly after they're scanned. Retrieving stored images is critical to the success of any imaging system. Standalone imaging systems do not save images as attachments to the client file within the management system software. Most agencies take advantage of generally available indexing options to retrieve imaged documents using a variety of lookup criteria: Name, policy number, date of activity, etc.
- Determine how scanning will impact workflow. In most cases, imaging will be an additional step in some transactions and the agency will need to incorporate these transactions seamlessly. Determine what information to scan, who should be responsible for scanning the information, and provide guidelines for items that must be scanned.
- Start small, especially if you have no experience with imaging. Target one department and test imaging there before moving to another department.
As an agency adopts imaging, there always will be a cultural impact on the user; so be prepared for resistance. Involving your staff early on to gain their buy-in and working together to address problems will go a long way to helping your employees make the transition to a more effective system.