Old American Insurance Introduces 'Easy Rater' an Advanced Agency Automation Program.

DALLAS, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Old American Insurance begins distribution today of its new state-of-the-art agency quoting and interface software, Easy Rater. The Easy Rater software program makes its debut at the Fourth Annual Automobile Insurance Agents of Texas (AIAT) convention being held at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel on the historic Riverwalk in San Antonio.

According to James Dickey, Marketing Vice President for Old American, "We are truly pleased to make this significant announcement at the AIAT convention. The selection of this venue for our announcement, even more than our Platinum-level sponsorship of the convention, shows how significant our relationship with this great organization has become."

The new software, compatible with the Windows 95, 98 or NT platforms, allows Old American agents to quickly quote an accurate rate for customers seeking auto insurance coverage in Texas. Advanced features in the software include the ability to quickly verify credit information and easily transmit application data to Old American over direct-dial or internet connections.

Phil West, Information Services Director at Old American, reports that, "The technologies used in this program enable consistent, reliable performance for our auto insurance agents. They also provide a firm foundation for building on in the future -- including internet initiatives. Our group is already hard at work preparing for the next round of enhancements to the software, and we are prepared to provide solid technical support to our agents along with continued improvements to the program."

Development of the software was not done in a vacuum or ivory tower. "We had multiple rounds of agency user testing and feedback that was invaluable in ensuring that we created software that truly made an agent's work easier," said James Dickey. "Their input helped us avoid numerous errors insurance companies typically make by assuming they know the 'best' way."

Bob Ellis, President of Bob Ellis Insurance Services in Terrell, Texas, summed it all up, "Once again Old American showed their true attitude of partnership with their independent agents. The final product is significantly better than even the Windows-based software of some of their competitors, and light-years ahead of most companies' programs that are still DOS-based. More important, though, was the fact that they asked for -- and listened to -- agents' input during the process."