CLEMS/PC FROM ISO
FASTER...BETTER...MORE EFFICIENT

By Laura Biddle Bruckman laurab@in.net

When time is critical, CLEMS/PC delivers

Information. I want it faster, better and delivered more efficiently. And it must be accurate. I don't have time to be patient; I don't have time to file paper. I don't have time to leaf through voluminous editions searching for the latest update. What is the newest form? Has the law changed? The business climate in which we work demands that professionals be driven by speed and by accuracy. To accomplish this end, we are seeing advances in technology and the partnering of industry experts to facilitate providing fast, affordable, easy-to-access information. The time-intensive, people-intensive process of distributing, filing and updating of paper manuals is being replaced as a result of the need for speed and accuracy. Enter Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) CLEMS/PC™ product.

What does CLEMS/PC™ stand for?

Commercial Lines Electronic Manual Services... For Personal Computer...on CD-ROM

What does it do?

CLEMS/PC is an electronic partnering of insurance products that provides insurance industry personnel with the underwriting information necessary to quote or write an account. The information is provided sans any mainframe or network. In other words, CLEMS/PC™ operates in a stand-alone or LAN environment. (For company use, a mainframe version is available.) Monthly updates eliminate time-consuming manual page changes. This makes underwriting, rating, and premium auditing faster, easier and more accurate. Seems we have found the answer to the speed/accuracy puzzle.

The current electronic version of CLEMS/PC™ uses FOLIO^® programming. This important partnership can serve to ensure for the user that not only is the information there, it is also easy to find. All the good information in the world is meaningless if the user can't find it. FOLIO^® infobases (where the information is stored) are arranged in levels that make the search function highly advanced but still user friendly. The user can view the broad level of topics or categories contained in the infobase and then drill down to delve into deeper and deeper layers to concentrate on the specific topic at hand. The user can also bookmark a document or important section which allows customization and personalization, saving precious time and eliminating aggravation when the document is needed repeatedly.

Also built into the program are hyperlinks to predefined, relevant information. For example, a form or word may be cross-referenced to provide more information. The user can click on the hyperlink and be taken immediately to the additional information. ISO has built in an on-line help manual to assist the user when there are questions. The documents displayed on screen can be easily printed, and what you see on the screen is what you get on the paper. There is multi-user access.

A sampling of products available on CLEMS/PC

ISO Commercial Lines Manual (CLM)--The anchor of CLEMS/PC™ is the ISO Commercial Lines Manual. This manual contains the approved critical rules, loss costs, and forms which are found in ISO's 20,000-page Commercial Lines Manual. Some of the ISO information provided includes:

* Multi-state rules and state exceptions

* Loss costs/rates

* Classification table

* Notices to manualholders

* Sample forms portfolios

* Supplements and examples

* Public Protection Classifications

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes--In CLEMS/PC™ the ISO Classification Table displays the appropriate SIC code for each ISO classification code. A user can easily cross-reference between the SIC and CLEMS information using the hyperlinks--from SIC codes reference in the ISO Classification Table to the more detailed SIC code information. This Classification Table has been updated to include 42 new classifications that reflect new and changing businesses, most notably the computer and telecommunications industries.

Commercial Risk Management Survey System, Marketplace Search, and Policy, Form & Manual (PF&M) Plus Series from The Rough Notes Company--The Rough Notes Company is offering the Commercial Risk Management Survey System, Marketplace Search and Policy Form and Manual (PF&M) Plus Series. From The Commercial Risk Management Survey system, an agent can generate questionnaires, research a potential risk, review applicable coverages, and prepare presentations. There are in excess of 27 broad business and personal risk categories, analyses of more than 600 commercial risks, checklists for applicable coverages, cross-references and customized questionnaires. For hard-to-place coverages, Marketplace Search can help a user find a provider for unique insurance risks. The Policy Form and Manual (PF&M) Plus Series provides hundreds of pages of analyses on ISO and other coverage forms. Each core analysis is designed in a logical, comprehensive order.

Folio infobases are arranged in levels that make the search function highly advanced but still user friendly.

FC&S Bulletins from The National Underwriter Company--The FC&S Bulletins can help an agent interpret new policies and new policy language, see how court decisions affect certain coverages, and find out what the competition is doing. FC&S Bulletins are a tool that provides answers to agents on a wide range of insurance topics.

The Risk Report and Workers Comp--A Complete Guide to Coverage, Laws and Cost Containment--The Risk Report is a monthly newsletter that analyzes the latest changes in standard policy forms and provides insight into current developments in risk financing programs as well as reports on how the courts are interpreting policy provisions. Workers Comp--A Complete Guide to Coverage, Laws and Cost Containment provides summaries of state and federal workers compensation laws, explanations of policies and endorsements, an overview of risk funding alternatives, and suggestions for administrating successful cost-containment programs.

Best's Electronic Underwriting Guide and Best's Underwriting Newsletter--Best's Electronic Underwriting Guide is a reference tool that describes the hazards, exposures and underwriting considerations associated with evaluating commercial and industrial risks. It features A.M. Best's exclusive Best's Hazard Index, which indicates the degree of hazard for each applicable line of insurance. It highlights more than 500 risk classifications, including cross-references to Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and ISO classification codes. The Underwriting Newsletter is helpful in keeping an agent on top of the latest developments in the insurance industry and provides analyses of court decisions, practical business suggestions and tested ideas.

ODEN State Rules and Regulations Package--To help agents comply with state laws and regulations the ODEN State Rules & Regulations Package provides statutory and regulatory information for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information is included on:

* Cancellation and non-renewal

* Countersigning requirements

* Non-resident licensing requirements

* Surplus lines and premium tax

* Insurance commissioner's office personnel

* Automobile insurance verification form/proof of coverage

* Uninsured/underinsured motorists and PIP

* Motor carrier insurance and filing requirements

* Approved non-admitted companies

* Workers compensation

* United States Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act--requirements for self-insurance

* Assigned risk automobile insurance information

* Joint Underwriting Authority/Fair Plans/Market Assistance Plans

* Automobile self insurance requirements

Basic Manual and SCOPES from the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI)--Basic Manual for Workers Compensation and Employers Liab-ility Insurance provides all the approved rules an agent needs to write workers compensation insur-ance. SCOPES is a comprehensive source for information on job classifications and provides options for job classifications as well as state-specific exceptions. Also included is critical information on classification definitions, style and cross references.

ISO will continue to enhance the CLEMS/PC™ format to maintain a user friendly format. Agents can look forward to an integrated manual de-sign currently in the testing process where multi-state and state rules will appear together. "This enhancement represents a major rethinking of the way CLEMS/PC™ works," says Leslie Fellows, a spokesperson for ISO. *

Editor's note: Members of PIA and IIAA are entitled to discounted pricing on this product. For information regarding the discount or other questions, please call ISO's customer service division at 800-888-4IS0 or visit ISO's Web site at: http://www.iso.com

©COPYRIGHT: The Rough Notes Magazine, 1997