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Insurance & Technology caught up with some of last year's Elite 8 honorees to find out in their own words what has been the biggest change in their job responsibilities over the past year and what they anticipate to be their key areas of focus for the coming year.

Culture of Improvement

Annaclair Kiger SVP, Customer Service and ITColonial Life & Accident Insurance Co.

Change in Responsibilities?

Colonial's growth has accelerated over the past year, and that requires us to continually improve our systems and processes so we operate efficiently while still providing excellent customer service. For example, this year we launched our new Harmony enrollment system that gives customers more online and offline options for benefits communication, enrollment and reporting. Living a culture of continuous improvement means working to develop talent in both our business and IT areas -- people who understand how to use technology to meet the needs of our customers.

Future Areas of Focus?

Great customer service is a market differentiator for us. We're building capabilities that let customers choose the most convenient way to do business with us, including self-service capabilities using the Web, e-mail and voice technology. We're also investing in the continued effectiveness of our legacy administrative systems and expansion of our new Harmony enrollment system.

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