Inefficient workflows and the desire to provide a seamless agent experience

Customer service is a top priority at Columbia, and the company wanted to provide its agents a seamless user experience. Columbia needed a solution that would streamline workflows across the insurance lifecycle, enabling increased efficiency and improved customer service.

An integrated solution to enable growth and customer service

Columbia chose to leverage Ivans cloud-based solutions to automate distribution and servicing to its agency partners. Ivans provides Columbia an end-to-end integrated solution to create and manage continuous interface with their entire agency distribution network, enabling growth and exceptional customer service with a direct connection into their agents’ management systems. By leveraging the Ivans network of more than 34,000 agencies and 450 carriers and MGAs, Columbia has expanded their distribution footprint to write more desired business, driving profitable premium growth via the independent agent channel.

Time saved for the carrier and the agent

Since implementing Ivans, Columbia has improved communication with its agents, provided a better customer experience and ensured accuracy and ease of use. “Ivans benefits both the agent and carrier,” said Ryan Ellis, agency automation specialist, Columbia Insurance Group. “We save time for the agent by eliminating double data entry, and for us, we improve our internal processes.” Columbia can also service agents faster with Ivans. “The biggest win on both sides is service time,” said Ellis. “It’s not only service time for our underwriting staff but also our agents can service their clients faster. It’s just another reason for agents to do business with us.”

Ivans quickly and seamlessly provides rates to agents in 10 seconds or less, creating a more streamlined and efficient process. “Agents can easily attach loss runs with applications and notify the underwriter, all within the same workflow,” said Ellis. “We enable agents to collaborate with underwriters to easily write the business.”

Agents can easily send data from their system to quote, inquire on a policy, bill or claim, submit a First Notice of Loss and obtain loss runs, receiving a response in seconds or minutes versus hours or days. “Our agents are thrilled with Ivans,” said Ellis. “They tell us it’s fast, efficient and working. It’s the reason they do business with us.”