Technology doesn’t have to be expensive or cumbersome, and ACORD e-documents and e-messages prove the point. With the flip of a switch, our carriers are able to deliver our own documents to our agency management system, giving us 24/7/365 access to crucial client documents, massively cutting our time and effort. 

We were using so many hours retrieving documents then saving them to our own agency management system. We didn’t even know there was an alternative, but in 2013, I attended an ACT meeting in Arizona and heard about ACORD eDocs and e-messages. I was there primarily because we had switched agency management systems the year before and I wanted to learn everything that the new system offered so we could maximize our use of it. This was the only place I’d ever heard about eDocs and e-messages. And I was immediately intrigued.

I could see the time savings and improvement in customer experience right away, so when I got back to the office, we asked one of our major carriers if we could try out eDocs. We started with just the declaration pages and found it was phenomenally easy. All they did was flip a switch, so to speak, and we started receiving the documents we needed—no more saving them and uploading them into our system. That would now be done automatically by the eDocs protocol behind the scenes. And there was no difference in how they looked when we pulled them up. It was so easy!

It makes a tremendous amount of sense for commercial documents since they are so bulky. It’s much more cost-effective to e-transmit those. The first carrier we worked with on eDocs also offers indexing, so organizationally it’s neat as well. Additionally, it’s really timely; we receive automated download 13 times a day, so changes to policies or other documents are updated in near real time.

I feel like ACORD eDocs and e-messages is the biggest thing that has happened to the property-casualty market since comparative rating. IVANS is the only one offering this service. They keep up with ACORD standards, so there are no discrepancies in forms and agencies are pleased with this. For users, it eliminates one of the distinguishing characteristics of direct writers; it levels the playing field for independent agents by providing a faster, smoother customer experience and by lowering response time and manual input at the agency.

No longer does a client have to call or email the agent and request a document only to have to wait until the agent is available or can access the requested information. A few key strokes, and clients can access their own information without going through the agent if that’s their choice. If clients make a change to their information—their address or other important data, for example—the change is loaded and included in the next automated update.

And on the agency side, you can choose what documents you receive electronically. We chose to get clients’ copies plus rate sheets and other needed documents. You can turn those choices on and off as well, so you’re not locked in to a protocol that you grow out of or don’t like. As far as cyber-security concerns, there are no notable changes. We were already storing and communicating data securely, so we were practicing solid cyber security. There were no special upgrades or alterations once we moved to eDocs.

We’ve found ACORD eDocs allows us to compete with direct writers and our agency peers in more than just ease of access, too. We want to offer documents to clients before they even know they need them. That puts us ahead when it comes to expertise. Say a client begins a conversation with one of our agents and is gearing up to ask a tough question that requires access to his documentation. Not a problem. We have all that right at our fingertips with eDocs, and we can have him looking at the same document online that we are looking at. That makes communication and clarity much better.