APPLICATION Mobile Solution Enables Real-Time Auto Insurance Enrollment At Car Dealerships
PRODUCTSierra Wireless AirCard® 555 on Telus CDMA 1XRTT Network,
IBM ThinkPad Notebook Computer
CUSTOMERBeginning more than fifty years ago in Prince George, British Columbia, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers established itself as a leading provider of comprehensive vehicle, homeowner, and personal insurance. Today, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers has grown to a total staff of over 500 people located in 54 branch offices across British Columbia. It is one of British Columbia's largest regional brokerage operations and is currently the number one reseller of auto insurance in B.C.
Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers also has a specialized mobile sales force of 40 people who travel to car dealerships throughout the province enabling people to purchase auto insurance directly on-site.
CHALLENGEHub International Barton Insurance Brokers has always looked for ways to offer improved service to its customers and it needed to streamline its paper-based auto insurance process. Before 1998, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers would receive a call from a local car dealership and one of the Barton mobile sales agents would be sent out to the specific dealership to create a temporary office where he/she would service the customer. Using this paper-based system, it would take upwards of 30 minutes for the sales agent to complete the transaction. Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers wanted to streamline its on-site auto insurance sales process while making the experience less timely and more efficient for the customer.
SOLUTION
In 1998, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers began to examine some innovative ways to better service its customers. After looking at several options, the decision was made to implement a wireless solution for its mobile sales agents.
Beginning in 1999, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers deployed a CDPD wireless solution using the Sierra Wireless AirCard 300 on the Telus network in the Chilliwack and Prince George areas. Initially, the solution was implemented using 10 notebook computers that were used by mobile sales agents in those areas.
"The initial CDPD solution was highly successful and enabled the sales agents to have a real competitive advantage since nobody at that time had the technology to implement such a solution," said Brad Henry, Director of IT, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers. "Within four years, all of the primary areas in B.C. were up and running and our revenues increased along with the opportunities to bring in new business.
Although the CDPD solution worked well, there were some issues with low connectivity speeds and reduced coverage in certain regions of B.C. Over the last year, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers has phased in a full migration of the Sierra Wireless AirCard 555 operating on the CDMA 1XRRT network to replace the Sierra Wireless AirCard 300 operating on the CDPD network. Currently, 40 mobile sales agents are using 30 Sierra Wireless AirCard 555 units with IBM ThinkPad notebook computers.
On a typical day, the mobile sales agents travel to their area office in the morning to get all the insurance material, plates, and decals and then work from the road for the remainder of the day. Each agent is assigned a region and within the region there are a number of car dealerships that will contact the agent when a customer is interested in purchasing auto insurance. Once at the car dealership, the agent uses the wireless solution to access the Internet and log onto the corporate VPN where they can process the auto insurance purchase. The entire process is completed in five to ten minutes while the customer waits at the dealership.
RESULTS
Since implementing the wireless solution, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers sales agents are now able to complete the transaction of selling auto insurance in a span of between five to 10 minutes compared to the 30 minutes needed with the previous paper- based system.
"The Sierra Wireless solution has enabled Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers to increase our overall revenue by 7 to 10 per cent, said Brad Henry, Director of IT, Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers. "By reducing the time it takes to buy insurance we have been able to dramatically increase our customer service and allow our agents the opportunity to meet more customers on a given day."
In today's society of instant information, having the ability to provide customers with auto insurance in real-time while at the car dealership provides a significant competitive advantage. The wireless solution has eliminated many of the inefficiencies associated with a paper-based system and has made Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers one of the preferred brokers among new car buyers in the B.C. region.
FUTURE
In the beginning, the Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers mobile sales agents were only selling auto insurance to new car buyers at the dealerships. However, with the development of the faster CDMA networks and the Sierra Wireless solution, some sales agents have started to sell alternate types of insurance, such as home insurance, and specialty vehicle insurance. Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers is looking into the possibility of enabling sales agents to sell more types of comprehensive insurance and increase the overall product offerings to customers.
CONTACT:
Sharlene Myers
Sierra Wireless
Phone: (604) 232-1445
smyers@sierrawireless.com