Sentry Insurance Goes Live on Guidewire PolicyCenter

PolicyCenter implementation has enabled Sentry to optimizes sales, underwriting and policy administration operations while improving service to policyholders, according to the insurer.

Sentry Insurance (Stevens Point, Wisc.) has gone live on Guidewire's (San Mateo, Calif.) PolicyCenter, according to a joint carrier/vendor source. The insurer invested in the solution in order to streamline its new business sales and underwriting processes, as well as simplify IT support efforts and reduce systems maintenance costs, according to the source.

Sentry uses PolicyCenter to support the account setup and submission process for 12 lines of insurance in more than 40 states. The system currently has 400 users among producers and staff handling submissions for Sentry's standard business products and dealer operations business units. PolicyCenter has been integrated with existing customer relations management software, document management and other legacy systems. The new system significantly improves Sentry's submission process that formerly required labor-intensive data entry into multiple systems, according to the joint release.

"Guidewire impressed us with the functionality of its PolicyCenter product. After an extensive review of options, we selected PolicyCenter for its flexibility which would enable us to readily adapt as our business requirements change," says Don Olson, vice president, systems, of Sentry's Business Products division.

Among the benefits Sentry has enjoyed from the implementation are the ability to replace multiple new business application systems with a consolidated, integrated and modern technology solution; implement an improved insurance application validation process on the front end of the application process, improving data accuracy and completeness; deliver increased straight-through-processing by eliminating the need to rekey data into the policy administration system; and decrease turnaround time in the new business application process through error reduction and increased automation of the application submission process, according to the Sentry/Guidewire source.

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio