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Policy Administration

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How PacificComp Successfully Adapted Its Legacy Systems

Jon Siglar, VP and chief sales and field services officer for workers’ compensation writer PacificComp, talks to Insurance & Technology about how FirstBest’s UMS underwriting system and agent portal to improve its policy administration system.

Some carriers are looking to incorporate modern solutions that can boost the capabilities of their legacy systems if their business is not in a position to make a full-scale replacement. Jon Siglar, VP and chief sales and field services officer for Agoura Hills, Calif.-based workers’ compensation writer PacificComp (more than $100 million in statutory surplus) spoke with Insurance & Technology about how FirstBest’s (Bedford, Mass.) UMS underwriting system and agent portal to improve its policy administration system.

Insurance & Technology: What changed about PacificComp’s distribution strategy that made you realize your policy system was inadequate as constructed?

Jon Siglar: In June 2009 we made a decision to stop writing business directly and change to an agent/broker distribution model. Our systems were inadequate both to re-emerge into California and extend into other states. We needed a new underwriting management system that brought efficiencies and automation to the process.

I&T: How has FirstBest UMS helped you do so?

JS: It's kind of the center of our prospecting business, and it communicates with our policy issuance system, DCO. It also communicates with Salesforce.com once a policy’s been written — it’s a big part of how we did business as a direct writer, and it automated a lot of processes for us in there.

I&T: What else did you do to adapt your business to this new model?

JS: We were able to make some enhancements to DCO, but I think it's more of a short-term play. It's an older system. I think one of the major changed with our systems will be a robust policy issuance system, so that if we decide to expand into the western US we'll have those capabilities in play.

I&T: You mentioned Salesforce.com — how do you view cloud and software-as-a-service companies fitting into your business?

JS: If we were going to differentiate ourselves, we needed to bring the ease of doing business to the forefront and take a high-tech, high-touch approach. Cloud computing we really believe is the future. We're looking at ways to improve processes and improve the systems in that context.

To read other approaches insurers are taking to deal with their legacy policy administration systems, check out I&T's February digital issue

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio

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