Distinguishing Your Agency in the Marketplace

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Like many professional agencies, the Gateway Insurance Agency of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, recognized previously by Rough Notes Magazine as their Marketing Agency of the Month, uses AcuComp to evaluate workers compensation coverage for commercial insureds.

AcuComp, which is provided at no charge to their clients, is made available through a partnership arrangement with National Insurance Advisory Services, Inc (NIAS) of West Palm Beach.

"A Marketing Tool that Separates Us From the Competition" Group 500 member Michael J. Weinberg, president of Gateway Insurance Agency, commented in the October 96 issue of TAAR Magazine. Michael then went on to say, "AcuComp offers three primary services. The first is an experience modification verification program, which checks and verifies experience modification factors in all states. Yes, other programs do the same thing and many agencies offer this service. But what made us give the nod to NIAS is that when a mistake in the calculation is discovered, NIAS handles making the correction in all states. This gave us a chance to take the typical service one step further by offering a capability we lacked internally.

"Second, AcuComp creates numerous mathematical models. Using actual data, AcuComp will compare the client's or prospect's actual 'mod' to a hypothetical 'mod' that the client could have had if they had self-insured up to various levels. For example, a client who turned in every claim and had a 'mod' of, let's say, 1.10 could have perhaps achieved a 'mod' of either 1.00 or 0.90 had they simply paid out of pocket (or self-insured) all claims below a level of $2,500 or $5,000 respectively. The program then compares the client's present premium at the 1.10 'mod' level to what the premium would have been with the lower 'mods'. Finally, the program shows the extra claims costs versus the premium savings and allows a client to knowledgably and confidently select a loss sensitive program in the future that will yield the lowest possible total net cost. This is a great service for the client who recognizes the need for such analysis, but lacks the capability to perform it 'in house'.

"AcuComp's third service is the coup de grace. We furnish AcuComp with actual loss runs for our largest clients each month. Then, on a quarterly basis, AcuComp sends a team to each carrier's claim department to pull all of our clients' claims with over $10,000 in reserves. Too often, companies set reserves for all of the wrong reasons. AcuComp audits each claim, asks the company to justify or reduce reserves, and checks for possibly third party reimbursement for claims paid. After each visit, we receive a written report for each claim, which we forward to our clients with personalized letters.

"AcuComp services have demonstrated to our clients that we can deliver on our promises, saving them tens of thousands of dollars in premium expenses. The service is truly appreciated, and replacement by a competitor is virtually impossible. "