9:45 am-11:00 am
Information Linking Using Internet and Extranet Technology
Moderator: Paul Tinnirello, Sr. Vice President, A.M. Best


Internet Can be Used to Build Relationships, Experts Say
While the early focus of the insurance industry on the Internet has focused on the sales side--marketing, quotes and submissions--the next frontier presents many more opportunities for building and retaining relationships with agents, policyholders and business partners, Robert G. Hamilton, vice president of electronic commerce marketing for CNA Financial, said Tuesday.

Hamilton was a panelist at a session titled "Information Linking Using Internet, Intranet and Extranet Technology" at A.M. Best Co.'s 10th Annual Insurance Information Services Conference in Washington, D.C.

The key is to make available highly relevant information by allowing, for example, commercial clients to easily request insurance certificates, as J&H Marsh & McLennan has done for IBM Corp., said panelist James M. Branan, client manager for IBM's Insurance Industry Solutions group.

The expansion of Internet and extranet technology does not require the insurers to scrap their legacy system--rather the new technologies present opportunities for leveraging existing technology by extending the reach of the information they provide, said Eric P. Consolazio, director of systems integration for Price Waterhouse.

An important challenge that insurers face is having business issues--not technology itself--drive decisions and processes. Another challenge is avoiding data overload in the search for valuable information, said Robert T. Wheeler, managing director and chief information officer for Crum & Forster Insurance. Wheeler called for information providers to provide insurance industry-specific search engines and links.