Acquiring a book of business has traditionally been a labor-intensive, time-consuming task, often taking carriers weeks or even months to sift through data with endless back-and-forth communication before seeing any progress. Whether due to a merger, agency retirement, shift in focus, or regulatory changes, this process has been seen as a necessary pain. However, recent technological advancements are set to transform this landscape.
While several solutions are already available, a new platform is making waves—the much-anticipated integration of Ivans Bookroll with Ask Kodiak. Ivans Bookroll allows carriers to seamlessly receive and evaluate agency data, whereas Ask Kodiak functions as a search engine for commercial insurance products. In an interview with Insurance Business, Kathy Hrach, SVP of product management at Ivans, shared insights about how the integration was driven by market needs to address ongoing challenges.
“Carriers expressed a desire for a union of the two platforms—Ask Kodiak and Ivans Bookroll. This integration simplifies the process of determining which policies fit within their appetite during a commercial book transfer. Many carriers have to undertake this step manually after obtaining book roll data from Ivans,” Hrach explained.
With this integration, carriers can instantly identify which book roll policies align with their appetite, eliminating the need for manual verification. As Hrach conveyed to IB, this development is just the beginning of a series of new solutions designed to meet market demands, adhering to a ‘trial, amend, and adopt’ strategy.
“As with all our offerings, post-release enhancements are continuous,” Hrach added. “We are always exploring ways to improve. As we delve into distribution and sales for carriers, we are creating more integrations between our solutions. This is one of many future opportunities, facilitating even more integrations across Ivans solutions. The overarching aim is to deliver a truly end-to-end, automated process that carriers can manage, while minimizing manual steps along the way.”
A notable feature of the integration is its ability to show carriers a specific percentage point of appetite fit, offering both a broad overview and a detailed analysis of what matches their criteria.
“We’re also adding enhancements to the dashboard,” Hrach said. “Such as displaying book roll policies state by state, which will make the entire process significantly more user-friendly.”
Ivans is leading the industry with such an innovative integration, and they are dedicated to maintaining this pioneering position. Their strategy centers around simplifying and streamlining processes for agencies and carriers, allowing them to concentrate on client relationships.
“With commercial lines, our focus is on eliminating redundant steps,” Hrach emphasized. “It’s about facilitating carriers’ growth in distribution with the right agency partners and vice versa. This goal is always at the forefront of our efforts.”
From there, Hrach stated that Ivans is committed to making connectivity easier within distribution, refining the entire process within the insurance lifecycle.
“It starts with agencies looking to place business—then it’s about streamlining submissions, understanding carrier appetite, and identifying the right carriers for business placement,” Hrach added.
“At Ivans, we’re also focused on ensuring seamless integration back to binding and downloading information to agencies, enabling the business cycle to perpetuate. Our long-term vision, both at Ivans and Applied, is to facilitate a seamless workflow between agencies and carriers in the independent agency channel, enhancing both efficiency and competitiveness for better client service.”
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