"I believe the rest [of the vendor community] are working on claims download, too," she adds. "It's a big request and area of need for agents."

Frankenmuth Mutual began piloting claims download with the Top O'Michigan Insurance Agency, based in Alpena, Mich., on Aug. 1. It took the carrier about two months to set up the initial pilot.

"Because we had built claims inquiry and the data bridge, we already had an extraction process in place. All we needed to do was alter that process to meet the needs of Applied's data mapping specs for download," Wachowicz says, adding there were "no major hurdles" to the project.

"We were happy Applied used ACORD XML standards rather than the traditional AL3," Wachowicz continues. "There are enhancements we want to make to the claim XML standards, including some data element lists we want to expand for the agents, which were flushed out as part of the pilot. We are going to work with Top O'Michigan Agency, Applied, and ACORD to make that happen."

With the initial mapping and development work done, it will be a "simple adjustment" on Frankenmuth Mutual's end to set up any agent running the newest version of the Applied platform, indicates Wachowicz.

"If an insurer doesn't already have a good understanding of ACORD XML and doesn't currently have extraction routines developed in support of claims inquiry or data bridging, its development and setup processes obviously would take much longer than ours did," he says.

The claims download process automatically locates matching accounts and policies within TAM 9.0 and creates new records based on the carrier's claim activity.

Frankenmuth Mutual can transmit all daily claim activities for personal and commercial lines within its nightly download communications. Therefore, rather than having to check manually on claim status and toggle between screens or applications to update claims, agents have current information automatically "pushed" to them.

Applied Systems notes claims download is available at no added cost for carriers and agencies using TAM 9.0 and its interface services.

"Once agents know their management system offers claims download capabilities, we expect to see many more agents inquire about it," Wachowicz predicts.

The biggest direct benefit of claims download, according to Wachowicz, is to the agent. "Claims download definitely eliminates the extra entry that is needed by the agency to maintain that data," he says. "Having claims download in place is going to save our agency partners hundreds of hours annually because we will maintain that data for them, which is an extreme efficiency for the agency."

This efficiency, in turn, delivers a benefit to Frankenmuth Mutual. "If our agency partners are more efficient, they have more time to service and sell Frankenmuth business," explains Wachowicz. "The competitive advantage we will have by being the first carrier to do claims download will subside over time, but adding it to the automation services we already provide our agents will help solidify our commitment to them and deliver long-term results for both of us."