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Seeking to improve ease of use for its distributors and streamline internal processes, The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (Warren, N.J.; $38.4 billion in assets for 2003) has redesigned its Web site, www.chubb.com. Enhancements include new content, simplified navigation and direct access to the @chubb extranet for agents and brokers.

Producers formerly interacted with the carrier via separate sites with separate log-in processes, according to Scott Wickstrom, Chubb's e-business manager. "Now, producers, individual policyholders, as well as some commercial policyholders, can access account information from one platform," he says. Agents and brokers no longer need to leave chubb.com to sign into @chubb, where they can perform functions such as view policy details, conduct claims inquiries and access sales aids. The plan, says Wickstrom, is to make it easier for producers to find information. The first version of the Chubb Web site was launched in 1994 and has undergone only one significant upgrade since then, in 2001.

Agents and brokers now can service their customers or find out how to do business with Chubb through an integrated agents and brokers section on the site, according to Wickstrom. All of the tools and services for agents and brokers, as well as for policyholders, are password protected and integrated within the main platform, providing a one-stop shopping experience for anyone doing business with Chubb.

A primary functional improvement of the site is the addition of applications in PDF format, including new business and renewal applications, as well as policy specimens and marketing brochures, all of which can be downloaded over any Internet connection. Additionally, "If an agent has found an application they would like to send to a client, they can e-mail it directly from the Web page," relates Wickstrom. Secure online submission of forms already was available before the upgrade.

An important improvement offered by the new version of chubb.com is allowing "content management to be in the hands of the content owners," says Wickstrom. Although he declines to mention the technology vendor, Wickstrom explains that Chubb uses a purchased system implemented by the company's IT team. The system itself allows the company's different stakeholders in areas such as underwriting, service and marketing to produce and publish their own content for the site.

The advantage this development provides is that the internal stakeholders who know the information best are the ones who keep the information fresh and up to date. "Our employees can publish, un-publish and make updates using the same workflow for all types of Web content," says Wickstrom. Featured content on the new site includes up-to-date information about products and services, risk mitigation tips, articles by Chubb's practice leaders on risk and insurance issues, and history and management information.