What started out as a small company supplying automobile insurance has become one of he largest insurance, banking and investment firms in the world. USA offers a wide range of insurance policies. They provide coverage for automobiles, homes, property, renters, watercraft, motorcycle, recreational vehicles, life, flood, health, small business and even aviation policies.
But their services don't stop at insurance policies. USA also offers banking services through checking and savings accounts, credit cards, car and recreational vehicle loans, home mortgages and student loans to name a few.They also provide Investment services through mutual funds and Iris as well as detriment services with the help of financial planning. Currently headquartered out of San Antonio and with only 12 U. S.
Locations and one overseas location, none of the services USA provides would be possible without the proper service and the proper information technology services (USA). This paper will discuss the technology USA uses to run its day to day services and help provide the best possible service to the united States military.One of Aqua's first major steps into the technology world came in 1990 when they partnered with IBM on an imaging project to help with the letter traffic in the repertory and casualty, C, insurance department. Up until 1990 a majority of the correspondence between USA and its customers came from paper letters. These letters which averaged just over two pages per letter came In at a staggering amount of 15,000 letters per day.
The partnership with IBM gave 1,500 image terminals to the employees of the P & C department to help them become more efficient.Employees scan all of the Incoming mall Into the IBM 3090 mainframe which then creates a digital electronic picture of it. Instead of the mail being sent out to the employees to e open and read, the employees can access the digital copy via computer. The digital copy can be accessed by any personnel in the P & C department and does not necessarily have to be by someone in the location that the mail was physically received at. High speed communication lines were installed at the same time the 3090 mainframe was installed so that employees in other cities can also access the mail.The actual letter does not leave the mail room, and over time is destroyed.
This has made USA more efficient in many ways. There Is no longer a need for office space to hold all of the mail that comes In. There Is no longer a need for employees to sort and deliver the mall to the respective departments. This system helped to reduce overhead costs with the reduction In staff and space needed (Lasher 552).
One of the most important aspects of Aqua's technology is their main web site to a physical site, this web page becomes a main source of communication with the company.Aqua's website will support a wide range of different web browsers. To ensure that customers get the highest quality of service, they specifically tested four of the most popular browsers to make sure they were compatible with their operating system. These four browsers include: Firebox 8+, Chrome 15+, Internet Explorer 7+ and Safari 4+.
USA also uses Java and JavaScript on their website for calculation and scanning capabilities as well as Flash Player for any video needs. These software programs allow customers to get the remote access they need to manage their accounts and services through USA.The website allows users to remotely login to their accounts to pay bills, view account balances and transactions, as well as add or change any of their current services. It helps provide them access to be able to contact representatives. It provides tips and suggestions for customers to secure their private information as well as how to protect their computer and mobile devices.
It provides information on all of the mobile applications that they offer and what they will need to access them.It also provides information about some of the basic aspects of being a military member (USA). The USA website is a great tool for any person who is thinking about becoming a member of USA. Another technological service that USA offers to their customers is the ability to have a video conference with a USA employee. The customers of USA are located throughout the entire world. When dealing with some of the services that USA offers, there are customers that feel more comfortable talking to and employee in a face to face setting.
Again because of the limited number of physical locations the company offers, being able to do that becomes difficult. The video conferencing technology was implemented a couple of years ago into the brick and mortar facilities with the help off Telecoms partnership. The hopes of this technology is to bring service to customers that have more complex services that may need to speak reasonably with a representative. There is also still a generation that wants and needs the face to face interaction to be pleased with the service they receive.The video conferencing tool can give that to them without them having to travel to a physical location (Adams 10). Another great technological tool that USA is using to help provide service to their members is the use of social media.
In today's society social media plays a big role in the everyday lives of many people. Social media has become one of the leading ways for companies to advertise and market their product. One of the more popular social media outlets is Faceable. USA recognized the trend of social media and now has a department specifically to develop and manage it.
Rwanda Crawford heads the department for social media and finds that it is a great way to be able to help members that may be dissatisfied with USA (USA 13). Aqua's Faceable page has a wide range of information as well as interaction. Visitors to the page can look at pictures of members during various activities during their military careers. Visitors can also visit the Wall of Honor section that allows people who have liked Aqua's Faceable page to nominate an active duty or retired service member who they feel deserves special recognition for their service.Right now they are hosting an Athletic Inspiration award that section that allows visitors to watch inspirational stories of There is an about USA section that gives a history of the company and provides information on the services they provide. It is also possible to request an auto quote and even log in to your USA account through the site.
There are currently 561,994 Faceable users who have gone to Aqua's Faceable page and liked it (Faceable). Social media like Faceable is a great way for USA to monitor customer feedback and concerns.It is a very relaxed environment that welcomes visitors to learn about the products and services they offer as well as to voice their concerns without the fear of retaliation. It allows for USA to get information out to the public in a means that is more conducive to today's technological society. In 2008 USA started to tackle the desire to move into the mobile world.
They started off by giving customers access to information such as balance inquiries via a two way text messaging service.This is again because a lot of the members of USA are active duty in the armed services, mobile services allows them access to their account 24/7/365 (Bills). USA has estimated that nearly half of its customers own and use a smartened and use it as their main means of technology. Aqua's mobile banking application can support users of Android, phone, and Windows browsers. From their phones members are able to make payments, view balances and transactions as well as contact the company (Adams 16).
This has led to the most recent mobile feature for USA of check capturing. Again because of the nature of he military life, USA understands that not all of their members can get to physical location to do their banking. The check capturing application allows members to use the cameras in their phones to capture a picture of check and then send that picture to USA for deposit into their account. This application allows for more accuracy inputting data, and provides a great amount of flexibility and convenience for the customer.If a member is stationed overseas and needs to deposit a check they have received it could take weeks for USA to receive it in the mail.
This option gives the ember instant access to those funds once they have submitted the picture. This application also allows new and current members to open up new banking accounts with USA. USA can take the information off of the members check and transfer funds into the newly opened account (Adams 5). Currently operating under Windows 7, Aqua's next step is to venture into the Windows 8 Operating System.USA wants to make sure that it continues to serve its customer in the best ways possible. Changing over all of their mobile banking applications to Windows 8 is time consuming.
USA is in the testing process to make ere that all of its mobile applications will be compatible with the new system. After the testing phase is complete USA will start to roll out the new system to its customers (Whiskies). In conclusion, USA has come very far since they first started their business in 1922.From video conferencing to social media, and digitally scanned mail to check capturing, technology has played a large role in the success of USA. Technology is continually changing.
In order for a company the size of USA and with the customer base that they have to remain competitive in the market, they have to be continually updating and testing new ideas. There is always a new idea or new concept that is waiting to be implemented and with the right tools and resources USA can capture their members.
