Case Study
The pace at which technology changes the way business operates today can be staggering. Regardless of a company's size, utilizing technology effectively enables it to handle a larger workload--serving more customers in less time. This is especially true for Align General, whose technology-led business model would have been impossible even 10 years ago.
When the founder of Align General developed the company's business plan, the core focus was to minimize the number of human interactions required to quote and issue new business insurance policies and to provide 24 hour, 365 days-a-year online self-service for their independent insurance agent customers post-sale.
While this concept may sound relatively straightforward in today's world, finding a systems solution provider that could deliver all of the features and functionality required by Align proved to be a challenge. According to Kieran Sweeney, President and CEO of Align General, "Our distribution model required a fully automated and integrated system that would allow real-time, end-to-end policy and claims processing. We identified several providers that offered certain of the required components, but only one that offered a complete array of system capabilities."
Align desired a server-based platform, and ideally, preferred Microsoft solutions that would utilize a SQL database to facilitate the use of a consistent set of reporting tools across the business. "We evaluated a number of options, but only Insuresoft's Diamond System had all the core processing elements we were looking for," Sweeney explained.
Other requirements included user-configured rating, and a web-services capability that would allow them to process all policy transactions instantly. By fully leveraging the Internet on the front-end, Align manages their business in real-time, eradicating the delays and lost efficiencies associated with overnight batch processing. Closing out transactions instantly allows Align to process a higher volume of transactions while providing a superior customer service experience with fewer internal customer support personnel.
Align's investment in the Diamond System has truly enabled them to scale quickly and to generate enhanced operating margins. At the same time, it is easier for Align's customers to do business with them as compared to competitors," explained Insuresoft President and CEO, Tony Villa.
Even so, Sweeney notes that there is more to Align's successful growth than just Diamond's powerful processing capabilities. "Insuresoft's dedicated Diamond team developed an impressive understanding of Align's business goals and unique systems requirements during our first implementation. This allowed us a rapid, cost-effective expansion into other states." Since first implementing the Diamond System in Texas in February 2005, Align has successfully expanded into California and plans to go live in another state in the near future.
Ultimately, Align's success depends on the company's ability to offer their customers superior products and services. To ensure a result that met Align's standards, Insuresoft integrated with Align's other key business vendors to provide a fully automated, enterprise-wide solution. "We were pleased with Insuresoft's ability to seamlessly work with our other vendors; such as our general ledger package provider," Sweeney added. "The Insuresoft team and the Diamond System have allowed us to deliver the superlative products and services to our customers that they've come to expect. Simply put, we made the right decision to select Insuresoft as our long-term systems partner."
In today's world of perpetual flux, the only constant is advancing technology and the catalytic effect it has on producing newer and faster methods of doing business. With the help of Insuresoft and the Diamond System, Align is positioned to reap the rewards available to those that fully embrace today's best technologies.