Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., April 11, 2011—Property/casualty insurers need to utilize mobile technology, but doing so will not be as easy as adapting current web applications to handheld devices. A richer, more integrated level of service will be expected, especially among young people who have grown up in a digital world.

That was the message today from several expert speakers at the AAIS Main Event, an executive conference held by the American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS), a national advisory organization that develops standardized policy forms and rating information used by more than 700 property/casualty companies throughout the U.S.

Jamie Bisker, IBM’s global non-life segment manager, opened the conference with a presentation saying that commerce today is divided between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants." The former are those who have grown up surrounded by web-based connectivity; the latter have had to learn how to use consumer technology and apply it to business purposes.

"You think about technology differently when you were born into it," Bisker said. "Digital natives expect things to work easily, and they'll drop you quickly if your applications don't."

Property/casualty insurers are steadily implementing applications of mobile technology, according to Martina Conlon, a principal in the insurance practice of the research firm Novarica. Among the many findings she shared with the group, Conlon noted that nearly half the P&C executives surveyed by Novarica believe business conducted through "smartphhones" and related devices was having a strong positive impact on their operations.

“Producer and consumer expectations about mobile access to information is driven not by what insurers are providing to them today, or by what other insurers are providing to their customers, but rather by what banks, airlines, hotels, and other service providers are offering them in their day-to-day lives," she said.

Because of that, mobile "apps" developed by P&C insurers must provide more information and functionality than carriers have previously provided online, said members of a panel of experts on the topic.

"Apps that allow a customer to make payments or report a loss are now just table stakes," said Stephen Korow, vice president, Decision Research Corporation, Honolulu, Hawai’i.

According to Korow, there is a growing expectation that an insurer will integrate its customer information with external data to make it easier for individuals to solve problems as they experience them. As an example, Korow spoke of a new mobile app that allows individuals to identify what they need to make a home repair, where the materials can be purchased, and even reserve and pay for the materials before picking them up.

If your company has not yet implemented mobile apps, it may be best to start with apps that reach out to the customer before creating apps for internal operations, said Frank Petersmark, CIO advocate for the software consulting X by 2.

"In the mobile world, it's all about the customer experience," he said. "You need to build your brand among the millennials, and let this emerging demographic know you're there."

Whatever you do as a carrier, remember that independent agents are ready to be your partners, said Jeff Yates, executive director of the Agents Council for Technology.

"Most successful carriers have agent councils," he said. "What we're interested in, from the agency standpoint, is to be able to authenticate users on the agency side, connect them directly to carriers, and allow for secure transactions."

The AAIS Main Event continues through Tuesday with a presentation on AAIS product developments and addresses by outside experts on political developments and emerging exposures, plus a separate inland marine track devoted to the insurance of cargo and logistics.