From ‘Casablanca’ to Real Time

My favorite movie is “Casablanca” (1942), and my favorite scene in this classic takes place outside Rick’s Café. Rick (played by Humphrey Bogart) is having a conversation with French police captain Louis Renault (played by Claude Rains). Captain Renault asks Rick: “What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?” “My health,” Rick replies, “I came to Casablanca for the waters.” Renault, in disbelief, says, “The waters? What waters? We are in a desert!” Rick calmly finishes, “I was misinformed.”

And so it is with agents and automation. In the early 1980s, with the proliferation of computers and their systems created to make our lives easier, came a promise that we would soon have something called Single Entry Multiple Company Interface (SEMCI). The central idea behind SEMCI was that, as agents, we would be able to enter the rating elements of a client or prospect once into our automation system, transmit the information to multiple companies and, faster than one could say “play it again Sam,” we would get quotes from each market. Well, we too were misinformed. SEMCI did not happen—soon or otherwise.

Fast forward more than 25 years and what we have are individual proprietary rating and information management systems for each insurance company that we represent. An agency doing business with 10 different carriers must train its staff to become proficient in the use of each one of those systems in order to conduct daily business activities. Furthermore, as is typical with all computer programs, the agency is informed on a regular basis by each of the 10 companies of upgrades, tweaks and changes that require additional and continuous training!

Don’t get me wrong, automation has brought us much wondrous efficiency. However, in this area we have taken a big step backward. As my IT director Brian Swicegood told me the other day, “In a way, it was almost easier in the days that we completed one ACORD application and mailed it to multiple companies using the United States Postal Service.”

Before you are further reduced to tears by this sad tale, I must tell you there is hope for change and betterment! This opportunity to reduce our redundancy of keystrokes is called real time interface. Real time interface allows your account manager or CSR, with a click of the mouse from a client’s file, to quote, endorse, report claims—instantly receiving a claim number—and view real time policy information. In addition, from the same client’s file, one can request quotes from multiple companies. What a concept!

Well, real time is here but, in many ways it is in its infancy. It will not become all it promises until and unless we—the agency principals—demand its full fruition. Here are some important action steps for agency owners: Go to www.getrealtime.org and educate yourself about the capabilities of real time. Speak to your agency automation system provider and to every insurance company you represent that knows the difference between an Etch-A-Sketch® and a computer. Tell all of them that real time interface is important to you and to your agency. Tell them that you wish for them to make it a priority to adopt, maintain and improve the functionalities of real time interface. Also, encourage all your employees to implement real time wherever carriers offer it. If enough of us do this, real time will help us take a quantum leap in transactional efficiency in each of our offices.

Think about how the time saved by you and each member of your staff can be put to good use doing what independent agents do best: advising clients, not chasing redundant computer blips. We can become even more efficient Trusted Choice® agents dispensing choice, customization and advocacy. Who knows, one of your grateful clients might even offer to buy you a drink at Rick’s Café Americain in Casablanca!

Alex Soto
President