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Spring 2008 / No. 75
How Do Your Web Capabilities Stack Up?
The web is an important tool for many companies today. Use of websites for customer service, marketing, and sales is rising as more and more consumers become accustomed to online resources. The Eastbridge study, Online or Not? Voluntary Carriers’ Use of the Web, reviews the web capabilities of voluntary insurance carriers and answers questions about whether voluntary insurance carriers are staying up to date as well as offering the online capabilities the market needs and wants.
The report looks at the functionality (for voluntary products) that 16 different voluntary carriers offer to:
- Brokers
- Employers
- Employees
Some of the findings of the report include:
- Almost all voluntary carriers have some online capabilities and/or have a website.
- Most voluntary carriers seem to place a priority on providing brokers with online functionality.
- Commission information is one of the most important and most commonly offered functions for brokers.
- Overall, there is more consistency in what is offered to plan administrators (as compared to what is offered to brokers).
- Web billing, account status information, and employee-level data are the most commonly offered functions on plan administrator sites.
- Most voluntary carriers don’t offer much functionality to covered employees.
In addition, the study provides input from brokers as to what they believe is important when it comes to online capabilities. With this information, carriers can assess whether their own web capabilities are in line with the market, ahead of the market, or need some improvement.
The report is available for purchase for $2,000. More information and a table of contents for the report are available on the company’s website. To order the report, call Eastbridge at 860-676-9633 or email info@eastbridge.com.
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