Sanlam, in partnership with Dimension Data Internet Services, recently launched Cura, a new Web-based company offering the full spectrum of medical insurance online to existing and new clients. The project was initiated and managed from the Western Cape branch of Dimension Data Internet Services, and is the most ambitious project the Cape Town office has handled to date.
This was a high-risk project for Sanlam because Cura Medical Insurance products are only available online, with no other channels being supported. However the enthusiasm with which both clients and key industry players have received Cura since its launch has more than justified the initial risks and development costs. Cura offers online users an advanced new health insurance system that breaks new ground in empowering individual clients to customise their medical insurance needs and effectively manage and control their own medical insurance affairs. The interactive Internet-based product allows clients to administer all their health insurance transactions in the comfort of their own home 24-hours a day.
It offers everyday insurance cover against an extensive array of non-elective, major health events. Affordable, individualised premiums are determined by the personal profile of each insured person, and payments in respect of claims will be despatched directly into a client`s bank account within 48 hours. Clients can have complete security and peace of mind, as Cura is underwritten and backed by Sanlam.
"This has been a challenging and rewarding project from start to finish," says Paul Lochner, Western Cape Production Manager at Dimension Data Internet Services. The Web site integrates with various back-office systems, the most significant of which is a SAP-based medical underwriting system. Although the site performs its own `Point Collection`, an interface that allows clients to complete their application forms online on Cura`s Web site, the final underwriting is executed by the SAP systems.
"The policy is then delivered with final premium costs and all banking details, completely online. No paper is used at any stage of the transaction. Cura chose
Dimension Data Internet Solutions as their development partners largely because they were so impressed by the initial business analysis and requirements specifications that we provided at the beginning of the project."
The Web site integrates with Cura`s call-centre, allowing information to be drawn from the database once the telephone number has been recognised by the back-end system. This happens automatically, providing their operators with information delivered instantly through a Web browser.
An innovative feature of Cura`s web site is the `Easy Quote` section that allows a client to receive an instant estimate of their monthly premiums. A detailed listing of Cura`s products is available at the click of a mouse, and all transactions are protected by being channelled via an encrypted security area, which ensures that no third party will ever be able to view clients` transactions or any transmitted data.
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