Percent of business in Illinois by line:
Personal: 30% Commercial: 70%
Are you currently appointing new agents? Yes. Personal and Commercial.
What type of agency is your company looking for? Travelers is specifically looking for agents in Central Illinois in cities with a population of over 40,000. Also looking for multi line agencies that are intent on growing Personal Lines. To receive new appointments, agencies must be committed to efficiency in automation and must meet certain technology standards.
What are your premium volume requirements? $500,000, however, Travelers will work with smaller agents to achieve $500,000 minimum.
Are you currently doing any niche-marketing program? Generalist carrier appetite for both Personal and Commercial.
What is your company's most aggressive line of business? Aggressive in all lines. Want to grow by 20% in 2003.
Do you use credit scoring? Yes, used as part of underwriting process. It will never be used alone.
Do you currently download/upload with your agencies? Agents quote and issue both PL and Small CL accounts online. Electronic Policy View is now available to agents. Travelers received the inaugural Pinnacle Award for outstanding leadership in advancing the independent insurance agent's quest for efficient workflow from the Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group of Applied Systems agency management technology.
What methods do you use to distribute your insurance products? Only independent agents, but have one Internet program that sends 99.6% of referrals to independent agents.
What do you think makes your company different, or stand out from all the rest in Illinois? Why would an agent want to contract with your company? Financial strength and leading edge agency & customer technology.
What are the major ways in which you are interfacing electronically with your agents today? Are you pleased with the results? Travelers is the only company that fully uses SEMCI today. An agent can quote and write a policy within minutes. Travelers is the first company to implement real-time interface with IVANS Transformation Station TM, a platform that leverages ACORD XML and the Internet to reduce the time and expense for both the agency and the company in processing single-key-entry sales and service transactions.
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