Protect Your Investment

On-demand printing means distributors must hustle to hold on to insurance accounts.

Not so long ago, selling forms to the insurance industry was an oasis of repeat business in an industry built on an ocean of paper. Today, however, this market may seem drier than a temperance society meeting during the Prohibition. The culprit—high-speed digital printing.

Though high-speed digital printing—and on-demand printing—have been heralded as both the savior and bane of the forms industry's existence, the truth is they're neither.

Sure, on-demand printing and e-forms have put the pinch on distributors to come up with new ways to serve their clients. But even as one industry heavyweight predicts a reduction in the use of paper-based communication, another one is busy predicting its growth. Make no mistake, digital printing is the wave of the future, but what changes do you need to make in your insurance accounts in order to stay afloat?

The answer for Ramon O. Nieves, president, IBF Business Products, San Juan, Puerto Rico was changing his focus—and seeing an opportunity to create new relationships. As a result, when he noticed IBF's forms sales were slipping, he didn't panic, he just tried to suss out other products his clients would find valuable.

"You just have to find out what your client needs and provide it," said Nieves. "Insurance companies don't want to compare services and look for lower prices. They want good service, on time, always."

Brad R. Dorsen, CEO, F.I.A. Corporation, Atlanta, agreed. Perhaps the best way to hang on to that business, Dorsen explained, is to anticipate your customers needs.

For instance, before the e-commerce revolution was even a twinkle in Bill Gates' eye, F.I.A. began using the electronic form, Jetform. Though Dorsen said he's never bought into the rhetoric concerning the "dawning of a paperless society", at the time, he said, he knew it would eventually be the way to go.

"I saw the need for this about 15 years ago for internal use," Dorsen explained. "Then about three years later I got a call from our largest insurance company asking if we had ever heard of Jetform—now it's standard."

Because insurance is a concept and customers prefer the security of having a written policy, Nieves predicted there will always be a demand for paper despite the fact that e-forms are cheaper and quicker.

"We have lost some business due to companies purchasing high-speed laser imaging equipment, agreed Nieves. "But the basics never change—the whole industry is based on forms and policies."

While this may be true, Mark Steinhauer, sales manager, National Graphics, Denver, said he's not waiting too long to find other ways to make money in insurance.

Like many forms distributors, Steinhauer didn't intend to sell promotional products. But when he learned that one of his biggest accounts switched to printing some forms in-house he knew something was up. When it nearly happened again, instead of throwing in the towel, Steinhauer sold the customer a hat.

"One of my biggest insurance customers has an annual golf tournament," explained Steinhauer. "So when forms sales started to drop off, we sold them hats and shirts for their tournament to try to supplement our income."

Similarly, in order to raise its level of customer service and head off any slipping sales, F.I.A. has decided to offer variable data printing to its customers as an added convenience.

Of course, purchasing a high-speed digital printer, or anything else outside of your company's ken, doesn't equal great customer service by itself. The point is: All companies have unfulfilled needs, you just have to identify them.

"No matter what the product is," Steinhauer mused, "serving the customer's needs is still the best way to ensure customer satisfaction."

By Allan Martin Kemler