Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Launches Latest Upgrade for Commercial Lines
Nov 14, 2013
In a news release issued today, November 14, 2013, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (“Citizens”) advised that it has continued its companywide modernization with the launch of a “much-anticipated” computer upgrade designed to coordinate policy underwriting, claims and billing.
On November 4, Citizens began routing all commercial policy operations through the “Citizens Insurance Suite,” a comprehensive software package that will replace a handful of legacy systems currently responsible for new and renewal commercial business. Citizens handles approximately 39,000 commercial policies.
The rollout is the second major event this year as part of a larger effort to transition Citizens’ computer network to a centralized and more fully automated system that is expected to ultimately handle all aspects of its residential and commercial accounts. The overhaul was prompted by the need to replace aging technology, Citizens explained.
“The Citizens Insurance Suite will dramatically improve efficiencies and provide better service to both agents and their policyholders,” said Citizens Chief of Systems and Operations Kelly Booten. “We’re pleased with the successful launch for commercial policies and look forward to expanding the system to all lines by the end of 2014.”
Citizens Insurance Suite will handle all commercial policies renewing after January 1, 2014 for multi-peril policies and February 1, 2014 for wind-only commercial customers.
Citizens conducted meetings with agents and began online training in October in preparation for today’s planned November launch.
The system will be effective for commercial lines new-business submissions and renewals on or after:
- January 1, 2014 – Commercial Multi-peril
- February 1, 2014 – Commercial Wind-only
Personal Lines-related information is scheduled to be added to the system later in 2014.
For agents, a variety of systems training, tools and resources are accessible on the Citizens Insurance Suite page (https://www.citizensfla.com/agent/trm_cis.cfm). This training will prepare them for the transition to Citizens Insurance Suite and provide tutorials, navigational aids and reference materials. A “Learning Plan” is included to help agents navigate through the materials effectively.
About “Business Whys“
A new searchable help tool called “Business Whys” is also available at https://www.citizensfla.com/agent/trm_cis.cfm. It provides a glossary, process maps, best practices and other printable resources to help agents follow processes and procedures while using the new system. Click on the hyperlink below to access “Business Whys.”
Agent Training Requirements
Required training modules are located on the Citizens Learning Management System (“LMS”), accessible on the same page. The LMS is a new tool that helps ensure critical training courses are completed within a specified time and agent transcripts are updated accordingly.
Note: Agents appointed with Citizens for commercial lines are required to complete all training that appears on their personalized LMS page. To fulfill the training requirements, all training must be completed by the end of 2013.
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