Handling Documents with Supermarket Efficiency

When fashion designers started affixing bar codes on models to indicate which outfits they should wear on the catwalk, any other use of the ubiquitous printed parallel lines seemed ho-hum.

Unfazed about fashionistas beating them to the punch, insurance technology developers forged ahead with their own plans for the assorted collections of machine-readable black lines in varying widths and spacings. The result is a time-saving enhancement to the document management function of an automated agency management system. Since the unveiling, brokers have been making more images than paparazzi during Fashion Week.

“Printing a bar code takes only a few seconds per document, then the batch scanning feature in our broker management system pretty much does the rest,” said Russ Tench, owner of R.J. Tench Insurance Brokers Ltd., in New Liskeard, Ontario. “We find the time it takes to attach each document is reduced by about half over how long it took to attach the paper document prior to bar coding.”

Tench is describing one benefit of an enhancement in TAM 8.0, the newest series release of The Agency Manager from Applied Systems, Inc. Bar code generation adds even more value to the batch scanning feature already in TAM.

BAR CODING 101

How does the bar code fit into the Tench Insurance workflow?

* A receptionist opens the mail and reads enough of each piece to produce a bar code, encoding name, type of mail, description and who gets the mail.

* The receptionist generates the bar code and affixes it to the mail item on the scanner.

* Dec pages, which are not bar-coded immediately, are delivered to the CSR for invoicing. [A “dec page” is the policy declaration page – a part of the policy that lists essential information such as the policyholder’s name, address, property being insured, location, description, premium, etc.] The CSR processes the dec page, puts the insured’s copy in the mail, generates a bar code and places it on the scanner, on top of the broker’s copy.

* When the scanner is full, the receptionist runs TAM’s batch routing program, which automatically attaches each document to the appropriate TAM file. While batch scanning runs, the receptionist is free to carry on with other work.

According to Applied Systems, agencies sometimes reported awkward maneuvering through the attachment workflow in earlier versions of TAM. Although the item would ultimately be attached, the effort and time involved often drained agency resources. Applied Systems determined to create a solution that would eliminate manual image routing, support the various processes used by customers and maintain reasonable cost. The company succeeded in creating a feature that eliminates the need to treat each account’s paper as a separate scan job.

Now the brokerage scans all the day’s paper as a single batch, which is parsed so that information is automatically attached to appropriate accounts. Associated activities are created for drill-down purposes. The solution is effective whether a brokerage scans on the front end, back end or in combination. It is another way to process documents, and all existing functionality remains intact.

“We did not incur any cost in implementing bar coding, since we already had a multi-page scanner,” Tench said. “We find TAM’s imaging works very well, and it’s free as long as you have an adequate scanner.”

PAPER IS HISTORY

Batch scanning and bar coding have enabled Tench Insurance to achieve the elusive goal of operating in a paperless environment. “We were almost paperless before [TAM] version 8.0 and its bar coding feature, but we were using separator sheets, then attaching individually,” Tench said. “Prior to bar coding, we found it too time-consuming to scan and attach the dec pages, so we t-filed dec pages and only dec pages. [T-filing indicates “transactional filing,” in which documents are filed by transaction date instead of alphabetically by customer name.] With bar coding, which streamlines the process, we found it advantageous to also scan the dec pages, so we are truly paperless now.”

Elaine Mustari of Twin City Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also appreciates the efficiencies of the bar code addition to batch scanning. “This allows the CSR to focus on servicing customers, not being required to handle clerical tasks,” Mustari said. “With the new feature, the person scanning doesn’t necessarily need to know anything outside of how to scan in the paper.”

Furthermore, Mustari likes the assurance that items are attached to the right accounts and that all information is located in the agency management system.

“TAM has everything we need,” Mustari said, explaining why her agency uses TAM for document management and does not use a third-party system. “We prefer to have all our information in a single system. CSRs only need to look in one place to see everything they need to service the account.”

PERSONNEL EFFICIENCIES

Another plus: less training, both now and in the future.

“There was little to no training required,” Mustari said. “In fact, our training decreased since the person scanning only needs to scan the paper versus having to select and attach to the account. We no longer have to train the ‘scanner’ to use the TAM attachment options, because the CSRs are handling that by use of the ‘generate bar code’ option.”

Tench also appreciates the personnel efficiencies. “When we started using batch scanning, we found we could have a junior employee do the scanning and attaching to customer files in TAM,” Tench said. “Our CSRs immediately found time savings: electronic images are always at their fingertips to be updated, faxed, or emailed.”

Applied Systems product manager Tracy Ustinov said the terms “document management” and “paperless” have become more than just buzz words over the past few years – they represent critical aspects of operating an agency or brokerage. Companies are increasingly looking for the ability to organize and maintain all paper and electronic correspondence within a single system.

“Even so, customers continued seeking doc management solutions outside of TAM,” Ustinov continued. “But our customers kept telling us that not everyone was willing to use a third-party solution. They balked at added cost, additional training and the complexities of maintaining yet another software program.”

In the aftermath of the hurricane devastation in the United States during 2005, many agencies and brokerages took a critical look at their operations, Ustinov said. Many realized for the first time that they could operate more efficiently by using the attachment features within TAM.

“We consider this bar coding feature a small and invaluable step in the natural evolution of the attachment module,” Ustinov said. “We are confident our customers in the United States and Canada will contnue helping us identify new business needs, and we’ll carry on the evolution as additional opportunities arise.”