National Service Group, Inc.

4525 Park Road, Ste. 103B

Charlotte, NC 28209

800-527-4401

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE STRATEGY

WELCOME

National Service Group, Inc. (“NSG”) helps guide independent insurance agencies in the customer service arena by providing on-line customer service tools and integrated electronic marketing solutions that build on and maintain trusted relationships with customers.

In 2000 we released the first version of i-REP, our 24/7 Online customer self service module. i-REP is a dynamic real time platform that allows your agency to establish two way communication with customers electronically by utilizing the email addresses and customer information in your agency management system.

Our Internet Service Rep takes a giant leap forward in the effectiveness and efficiency of electronic marketing and on-line customer service by providing a “customer centric” Website strategy. The result is a comprehensive, integrated, and scaleable platform that manages electronic communication with your customers.

HISTORY

For years the agency automation initiatives focused on building an internal database that was accessible from inside the agency walls. Today the Internet is presenting a new challenge, tearing down the walls and making that data available for your clients to manage. i-REP now offers the agency the facility to take advantage of this Internet technology.

SINGLE ENTRY

Since this dynamic platform utilizes the customer information stored in your management system there is no additional re-keying or re-entry of customer information. i-REPintegration “bridges the gap” between your management system and Website, allowing your agency to utilize the two most important pieces of technology and information already available.

BRANDING

NSG will meet the needs of the independent agency by customizing i-REP to integrate with the existing templates in your agency Website, which means you still maintain the current “look and feel” of your Website. Since i-REP is a custom product NSG or i-REP will not appear on any pages your clients are viewing, actually they never even realize that they’ve left your site.

PERSONAL PORTALS

i-REP has been specifically designed to interface with your management system through a dedicated and secure point to point Internet connection that allows agencies the ability to create secure and private “personal portals” for their customers.

REAL TIME COMMUNICATION

i-REP distributes and receives information in real time, so customers are always viewing their current policy data and when they request changes, the CSR assigned to that account is notified through the management system suspense.

CUSTOMER SURVEY’S

Over the past year the Independent Insurance Agent has seen vast changes occur to the Internet technology offerings available for the industry.i-REP allows your current Website the ability to make use of new technology and also gives your agency the ability to adapt to the changing needs of the customer.

According to a study conducted by the research firm Cyber Dialog:

-67% of insured would like to check on what’s covered by their policy online

-56%of insured would like to check on the status of their claim online

-47%of insured would like to look up data on other plans online

-40%of insured would like to file a claim online

The IIAAconcluded that over 70% of the people they surveyed wanted online access to their insurance information.

E&O DISCLAIMERS

The customer will be notified through several methods that they are making a request and that coverage is not issued or bound until they hear back from the agency. NSG provides four different disclaimer locations throughout the I-REP system to assure that your customer understands the process of submitting change requests.

1-At the beginning of each I-REP session your customers will be prompted to read a disclaimer regarding the submission of a change request and when that coverage is bindable.

2-The same disclaimer is located in a prominent place in every I-REP screen.

3-The insured is notified by a pop-up box that the request is being processed by the CSR.

4-Email notification after submission that assures your customer that the request was received and the appropriate action is being taken and that coverage is not bound until they hear back from your agency.

HOW CAN i-REP TRANSFORM YOUR WEBSITE?

“i-REP allows your agency to formulate an e-commerce strategy and move beyond the marketing and branding aspect that the Internet had to offer years ago and begin to recognize the Internet as a vehicle for attracting new customers, retaining existing customers, and lowering costs through higher efficiency and less human intervention.”

5 SERVICES IN ONE MODULE

These are the services your customers may perform while using the I-REP Platform. You have control of enabling or disabling any service for your agency or customers.

Policy Services
View – Basic Personal Info
  • View Policy Detail (coverage’s, limits, premiums)
Request Changes
  • Add/Delete Driver
  • Add/Delete Vehicle
  • Add/Delete Mortgages/Additional Interest
  • Basic Personal Information
  • Policy Detail

Certificate of Insurance

  • View/Print Existing Certificates
  • Add New Holder
  • Request New Certificate

Auto ID Cards

  • View/print Existing Auto ID Cards

Claim Services

File a Claim – First notice of loss

ASP HOSTING

i-REP’s on-line subscription service makes available the most advanced 24/7 on-line customer service system without purchasing software or hardware, installing upgrades, maintaining a server, or troubleshooting the system. Instead of buying a system, you subscribe to an ASP version hosted in our data center.

PROACTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

Wouldn’t the possibility of finding out what customers think as they are thinking it be a revolutionary development? Proactive customer service anticipates the needs of the customer and reacts before the customers have time to ask a question. i-REP improves your customer service performance by sending two automated E-mail messages, these will be an integral part of every transaction. The first e-mail is sent the minute the customer makes a request for change, confirming the submission. The second message is sent when the transaction has been processed letting the insured know the outcome, whether insurance has been bound or not.

e-CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

This feature allows your agency the capability to use all of the E-mail addresses already stored inside of your AfW database. Until now the process of sending broadcast E-mails to these customers has been difficult to say the least. This feature puts the power of E-mail marketing at your fingertips and will help you utilize the low cost of Internet communication.

  • Market new product offerings
  • Conduct agency surveys
  • Publish an online newsletter
  • Remind customers of upcoming renewals
  • Cross-sell competitive products

i-REP RESPONSE TRACKING

Run daily or weekly reports to track each i-REP action. These reports will be generated directly from your AfW suspense and will help determine your continued return on investment. By understanding the service habits of your customers and measuring i-REP’s activity you may anticipate future needs proactively.

“I-REP saves your agency time and money while providing your customers with a valuable tool to help them manage their lives.”

i-REP SECURITY

NSG has dedicated substantial time and resources to ensure that adequate firewalls have been constructed to address all security issues and to fully protect agency data. All data shown on the screen is transmitted entirely from the agency’s AfW SQL server and is up to the second in terms of how current the information is. No information is stored on i-REP. Every time information is displayed it is called directly from the AfW database.

AGENCY ADMINISTRATION

i-REP goes beyond basic security procedures to allow your agency to enable or disable certain functions per customer or per agency guidelines. This administration level will allow you to turn functions on/off like a switch, so the agency has control over the functions of i-REP. These features include;

  • Print/View Auto ID Cards
  • Print/View Certificates, Add a Holder
  • File a Claim
  • E-mail Response
  • Viewing of Customer & Policy Information Only

Typical i-REP Flow Chart of Connection to Client AfW System

ABOUT NATIONAL SERVICE GROUP, INC.

NSG is an Internet and technology solutions firm. Since 1995, we have concentrated the core of our focus on insurance and securities technology. We apply our insight, experience and time tested methodologies to help companies innovate quickly and align their organizations for strategic success.

We are passionate about transforming the way business gets done. “E-business”

has taken on a whole new meaning in the insurance industry. Most agencies now realize that they are in need of re-positioning themselves into or expanding upon their existing e-business strategy. We believe successful e-business will make use of technology that enhances the enterprise’s ability to adapt to customer needs.

CoreCompetencies:

Listed below are some of the skills and tools that NSG offers for the construction, hosting and maintenance of world class Web development projects:

Development Tools

MS Visual Interdev
MS Visual Studio
MS Visual Basic
MS Visual Fox Pro
MS FrontPage
ColdFusion Studio
Corel Draw
Adobe PhotoShop
Macromedia Flash
Macromedia Director

Databases

MS Access
MS SQL Server
MS Visual Fox Pro
Oracle /

Languages

HTML
JavaScript, Java Applets
C, C++
TCL
VB Script
Visual Basic
Fox Pro
Cold Fusion (CFML) /

Methodologies

Project Planning (Scope)
Risk Analysis
Quality Assurance Protocols
Documentation
Release Management
Proactive Management

i-REP FAQ’s

Q: How does i-REP connect with my agency database?

A:NSG will connect i-REP to your database through a static IP address that can be routed through your proxy server or external router. This is the only part of the process that requires

any agency involvement.

Q: How will i-REP integrate with my existing Website?

A: NSG will meet the needs of the AfW agency by customizing i-REP to integrate with the existing templates in your agency Website, which means you still maintain the current “look and feel” of your Website.

Q: Does this solution require my agency to purchase additional equipment to run

i-REP?

A: No. The only requirement to connect with your agency is dedicated Internet access, a static IP address, and AfW 4.0 or higher.

Q: How does i-REP communicate with my CSR?

A: Through your AfW suspense. Anytime your customer submits a request for action, i-REP will notify the CSR handling this account by posting a suspense to that CSR. Then your CSR would process the request the same way they would a voice mail or fax request.

Q: Does i-REP write the customers request to my AfW tables?

A: No, i-REP doesn’t automatically make any changes it simply submits a request for change to the CSR handling that account.

Q: Will i-REP Notify my customer when the requested action is complete?

A: Yes. i-REP will automatically notify your customer by email when the request is submitted and when the action is complete. This type of proactive customer service will allow your agency to address any questions of bound coverage before it arises.

Q: What security features does i-REP possess?

A: NSG has dedicated substantial time and resources to ensure that adequate firewalls have been constructed to address all security issues and to fully protect agency data. All data shown on the screen is transmitted entirely from the agency’s AfW SQL server and is up to the second in terms of how current the information is. No information is stored on i-REP. Every time information is displayed it is called directly from the AfW database.

Agency Administration of Interactive Functions

i-REP goes beyond basic security procedures and gives your agency peace of mind,

by allowing you to enable or disable certain functions per customer or per entire agency. This administration level will allow you to turn functions on/off like a switch, so the agency has control over the functions of i-REP. These features include;

i-REP FAQ’s

  • Print/View Auto ID Cards
  • Print/View Certificates, Add a Holder
  • File a Claim
  • E-mail Response
  • Viewing of Customer & Policy Information Only

Q: Does i-REP require any data removal or additional processing from my agency?

A: No. i-REP will simply run query’s against your database to deliver the correct information to your customers. All information that is displayed is in real time and up to the second in terms of how current it is.

Q: Does i-REP offer any additional functions on the agency side?

A: Yes, i-REP allows your agency the capability to use all of the email addresses currently stored inside of your AfW database for content publishing or sending broadcast emails.

Q: What lines of business does i-REP support?

A: In our current release i-REP will display information on the following lines of business;

  • General Liability
  • Personal Auto
  • Commercial Auto
  • Personal Property
  • Commercial Property
  • Commercial Umbrella
  • Workers Comp
  • Inland Marine

Q: What type of SQL Server access license does my agency need?

A: You must posses or purchase a Client Access License (CAL) from Microsoft, it costs about $70.

Q: How quickly can i-REP be integrated into our Website?

A: Usually in under 30 days.

Q:What kind of technical support is included with i-REP? If we have a problem, who do we call?

A: NSG hosts i-REP on our servers and supports this application for your agency. Through our 800 number NSG will handle any technical issues or agency questions concerning i-REP.

Q: Will I receive updates and functional enhancements as part of my Licensingagreement?

A: Yes. You will receive all updates and enhancements as long as you are an i-REP customer.

A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE OF I-REP FEATURES

Kempkey Insurance and Risk Management Services Inc. licensed i-REP in the fall of 2000 to add onto their existing Website. They are used as our case study as we look at some basic policy service features of i-REP.

INTRODUCTION AND LOGIN SCREENS

Here you can see how Kempkey customized the name of i-REP to “Customer Zone” for integration with their site. The welcome screen tells existing policyholders that they can either log into their account or request logins by choosing a user name and password. A new user cannot gain access to their account information throughi-REPalone; they must obtain approval from the contact at the agency first. This access is given by the CSR using the “Internet “ button in AfW.

The login screen allows existing account holders to open their own “personal portals” where they manage their own information, submit requests for policy services, or perform the type of certificate and insurance services available.

WELCOME, NAVIGATION & CHANGE INFO SCREENS

After the insured logs into the system, they see the information that is available to them from i-REP. It includes all of their name and contact information, and displays the policy(s) that are covered by the agency. They can then choose to begin working with the actual policy they wish to work with by clicking the “next button”.

“Imagine the convenience you will provide your CSR by allowing Mr. Jones, who works late practically every evening, the option of requesting a change to his policy or adding a driver without playing phone tag for days. When he arrives home at 7pm, logs into his account and he creates a request that is transmitted in real time to his CSR for processing the next day. That’s a “win-win situation.”

TECH BYTE

All of the data retrieval is done through point-to-point communication, from fixed IP addresses, which are allowed to penetrate the firewall hardware and/or software on the agency premises. Bandwidth is dramatically conserved as only text and numeric data is called between the two systems. All graphic storage and information assembly and processing are done on NSG’s state of the art servers, with full back up and redundancy for 99.9% up-time reliability.

ISSUING CERTIFICATES OF INSURANCE

When an insured chooses a policy that has a certificate already generated in AfW, they can then re-generate the certificate from i-REP in real time. Simply by choosing the “Certificate Type” button, the user can than re-print an existing certificate. While it is an electronic file, it acts a great deal like a snapshot photograph of the document itself. This extra precaution helps reduce instances where insured’s may change their policy information.

“Imagine the time you will save your CSR by allowing your commercial customers access to printing their own auto certificates of insurance or auto ID cards. Think of how simple you will make this process for your largest customers who are online and using their computers all day anyway. You are creating a win-win opportunity.”

TECH BYTE
When creating the file, NSG uses secure .pdf generator code they created in-house that allows information to post directly from form fields to pre-formatted .pdf files and all of the fields are locked for editing. We use standard Acord form styling for duplication of the Acord forms in AfW.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

NSG offers the agency support and maintenance for their i-REP tool through NSG’s 1-800 support number. It also includes periodic software upgrades of the existing i-REP tool programmed by NSG.