CARRIERS TO SPEND $1.06 BILLION ON NEW AGENT EXTRANETS.(insurance industry)

The use of agent extranets provides the clearest and most straight-forward path for insurance companies to benefit from using the web. Celent Communications' new report, Agent Extranets Overview, predicts that the number of carriers implementing these systems will more than double within 24 months, and that the total amount spent on these systems will top US$1.06 billion within the same period.

"Effective use of agent extranets can dramatically reduce policy origination and service costs," said Celent analyst Matthew Josefowicz, author of the report. "Even more importantly, reducing lag-time in agent communication can make independent agents more productive, and more loyal to the carrier."

In addition to reducing costs, the further computerization of policy origination and agent relationship management offers the opportunity to refine both areas through improved reporting and data monitoring.

The report includes summaries of the main features of most agent extranets and their benefits, and a step-by-step overview of the process of designing and implementing a system, from needs analysis through analyzing workflow impact, making the buy-versus-build technology decision, and driving adoption through hands-on training of agents.

The report also includes a sample ROI-calculator to help insurance carriers evaluate the potential impact to their organizations.

For more information, call 617/573-9450 or visit http://www.celent.com.

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