’Tis the Season to Document

Every few years, we would travel to spend the holidays with two sets of aunts and uncles in Chicago. What fun to see the city at its finest and participate in activities unknown to rural America. I remember one Christmas when the grown-ups received gifts from Saks. Wow! The young people got transistor radios from Aunt Grace and Aunt Leona. That was the first time I received a gift accompanied by what my grandmother called “rules and regulations.” They were actually operating instructions, warranty documents and a list of big-city stores where the item could be returned should it malfunction or need repair. The documents seemed overwhelming at the time, but we filled out the warranty forms and hopefully remembered to send them in before misplacing them.

Fast forward to present day and a simple thing like purchasing a new digital camera produces, count them, 22 different documents. I know—I just did it! The operating instructions are printed in eight languages, four documents require signatures and other information to fully authorize the product belonging to you and several pages advertise more things you can buy to make your priceless gift even pricier. I guess it’s just a sign of the times. We must document, document and document to make it all legal and perfect. Is it any wonder that we face the same thing in the daily operations of our agencies? How about those wonderful exercises in coverage certification? It’s something that used to be simple and now creates ire among the best of staffers—certificates of insurance.

We have witnessed mounting challenges for agents and brokers on this issue over the past several years. What seemed like reasonable consumer demands during the insurance transaction resulted in impossible negotiations with some carriers, increased E&O exposure and even cancellation of valuable accounts. But here’s where your dues dollars prove beneficial. The Big “I,” aware of continued frustration of the agency workforce and the alarm of agency principals, examined the problem from all sides. After months of work in the technical, legal and operations aspects of both the agency and company, the association now has an official policy on certificates of insurance.

Certificates of insurance play a critical role in many business transactions. The increasing complexity of transactions, volume of certificates requested and speed required for their issuance all contribute to the need for the industry to meet the growing demand more efficiently. The Big “I” is taking the lead in working with our company partners and other industry organizations to improve the certificates process while maintaining the integrity of the product. To see the policy statement, log in to www.independentagent.com and click “Legal Advocacy” and then “IIABA/Industry Information & News.”

The Virtual University Web site has tons of information on preparing certificates. Insurance News & Views, IA’s weekly e-mail newsletter, contains valuable information as well. A podcast, which has been downloaded more than 3,000 times already, is available online to agencies with the association-endorsed E&O coverage. And we’re not done! An exhaustive memo covering legislative, regulatory and educational resources and advocacy suggestions on certificates of insurance was just sent to all Big “I” state associations. We will continue our work to improve the situation and protect your interests and meet your needs.

We’re into month three of our association year, and before you pause to enjoy the holidays, please take a moment to evaluate your success in our yearlong campaign in “Living the Brand.” Month three of the Trusted Choice® blueprint for branding success instructs us to use Trusted Choice® and the Pledge of Performance in sales proposals to educate policyholders and prospects and to issue seasonally appropriate press releases. Send me one at bfulwider@fai-wai.com so I can experience the brand with you. Jan and I wish for you, your agency staff and your families a prosperous New Year. Happy Holidays!

Bob Fulwider
Chairman