Agent Channel Support

After searching for an end-to-end policy platform that would allow agents to qualify, rate, quote, bind and deliver policy products in real time, Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Western Life Assurance (US$57 million in assets) is using MFX's (Parsippany, N.J.) Web-based policy writing solution WriteNow on an outsourced basis as the platform for Western Life Assurance's suite of @pprove online term life products. "We felt this would help us gain a competitive advantage," explains Bruce Ratzlaff, president and CEO of Western Life Assurance. "We are focused on e-commerce, and with MFX we are scalable to produce 10 times more through our captive channels."

WriteNow is a Web-based Java application developed with a service-oriented architecture. The solution interfaces with Western Life Assurance's Unix server and a proprietary policy administration system. "Agents can log on to the system via the Internet and are able to accept an application, quote, bind, collect premium and underwrite it in six to 10 minutes instead of 14 business days," says Ray Roy, CEO of MFX. Adds Ratzlaff, "It has reduced our handling costs by 70 percent and has opened up the independent managing general agent life channels that we could not previously support." -- M.W.