AMS to Provide Employee Benefits Automation.

Business Editors

WINDSOR, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2003

AMS Services, Inc. is introducing two new products, AMS Benefits Workflow and AMS Benefits Administration, both of which are the primary offerings of a new AMS business unit called AMS Benefits. The creation of these new products and the new business unit follow the completion of AMS' purchase of software developed by Agency Workflow Automation, LLC (AWA). Both products - AMS Benefits Workflow and AMS Benefits Administration - will be offered to agents and brokers in ASP format, hosted by the AMS Data Center in College Station, TX. The AMS Data Center currently hosts agency management systems for more than 13,000 property and casualty insurance professionals.

The founders of AWA, Patric Murphy and Markus Waite, have joined AMS Benefits as vice president of sales and vice president of development respectively. Erik Pedersen, an insurance software veteran, has joined AMS Benefits in the capacity of vice president and general manager.

AMS Benefits Workflow's functionality includes sales force automation, client servicing, agency management, and commission tracking. A key strength of the product is its ability to structure a best practices workflow that ensures consistency in handling cases, minimizes E&O exposure, and brings junior staff up to high performance standards more rapidly. Benefits Workflow is currently in beta with several employee benefits brokers in the southwest and is expected to be in production rollout by in the fall. Policy summary information and commission data developed in Benefits Workflow will be integrated with AMS's traditional agency management systems.

AMS Benefits Administration is fully integrated with Benefits Workflow and will allow an agency to administer employee benefits programs for its clients. Benefits Administration supports communication of benefits plan options to employees and facilitates both initial enrollment and ongoing changes to enrollment. Benefits Administration can also be extended to clients for self-administration of their employee benefit plans.

Loren Parsons, AMS's executive responsible for new ventures, noted, "A significant part of AMS's agency management systems customer base is active in employee benefits. While our traditional P&C agency management systems provide some support for an employee benefits department, many functions needed for effective automation of employee benefits are strikingly different than the functionality needed to support P&C agency business. We believe that software specifically built for employee benefits sales and service will be welcomed by many of our customers. Appropriate integration between the employee benefits software and our P&C management systems will be provided to allow agencies to see all of their business with a commercial client in a single system."

Erik Pedersen, general manager of AMS Benefits, said, "We are excited about the potential for Benefits Workflow and Benefits Administration not only for current AMS customers, but also for pure benefits brokers. While many vendors offer software to benefits brokers, most of the software available today tends to be narrow in scope. We believe that a single integrated system with broad capabilities will be welcomed by benefits brokers and benefits departments within diversified insurance distributors."

For further information on AMS Benefits, contact Patric Murphy at [e-mail].

About AMS Services

AMS Services, Inc. provides software and automation services to insurance agents, brokers, carriers, banks, MGAs and other distributors of insurance and financial services. To learn more about AMS products and services, call 800.444.4813 or visit our Web site at www.ams-services.com.