Beginning in 1954, Rough Notes has published, and from time-to-time updated, a book called Insurance Words and Their Meanings, a glossary of hundreds of insurance terms and proper names. The contents of Insurance Words is now available in electronic form for inclusion on your Web site. More recently, Rough Notes created Consumer Access, a collection of consumer-oriented articles that answer common consumer questions about insurance. Consumer Access is also available for use on your Web site.
Insurance Words is available as a hierarchical collection of files that begins with links to each letter of the alphabet, then to a listing of all terms for a letter, and finally to definitions in individual files. For example, if your Web site visitor wanted to know exactly what "underinsured motorists coverage" meant, they would click on "U," find the term in the "U" list, click on it, then be presented with the definition, "Coverage an insured may purchase to protect his or her own self from damage or injury caused by a negligent party who does not have adequate limits of insurance to cover the loss."
Consumer Access contains more than 60 articles, all aimed at answering common personal lines insurance questions - for P&C as well as Life & Health. Articles address personal auto questions (e.g., "Car Insurance... Getting The Most For Your Money"), inland marine questions (e.g., "Are You Concerned With Coins?"), home-owner's questions (e.g., "What If My Home Is Vacant Or Unoccupied?"), small business questions (e.g., "What If I Run An In-Home Business?"), and many more topic areas.
Subscription-based
Insurance Words and Consumer Access are each available as separate subscriptions. They're also part of a more comprehensive reference service for insurance professionals that includes Commercial Risk Management Survey, Insurance Marketplace, PF&M, Coverages Applicable, ISO Forms, Rough Notes Magazine, and Business Building Letters.
Rough Notes delivers Insurance Words and Consumer Access in two different ways, via CD ROM or via its Web site. In either case, it's up to the agency to move the information to the agency Web site for presentation to site visitors.
Of the two information sources, Consumer Access may be the more valuable for agency sites because it is written with consumers in mind. Insurance Words was initially intended for insurance professionals and may include entries that would be-fuddle some agency Web site visitors. Rough Notes has covered personal lines questions with Consumer Access. A collection of articles for businesses would be a worthy addition.
Navigation and links
After looking at the way some agencies have included Consumer Access on their sites, I came away wondering whether navigation to the articles couldn't be improved. Access to the articles is through a scrollable list that occupies the left part of the browser window. The right side is intended to display the text of selected articles. The problem is that you can't see the whole list at once. You have to scroll the list up and down repeatedly to see which articles might be most relevant. As far as I can tell, the articles are in no meaningful sequence. It seems to me it would be far better to list all the articles arranged by category on a Consumer Access home page with linking to individual articles. It might also make sense for agents to be able to link from their Personal Auto page, for instance, to relevant Consumer Access articles.
A more ambitious presentation of the articles would make them available through some kind of key word search. And where there are connections between articles, it would make sense to have "See also" links in each article. Finally, where insurance terms are used and when an agency subscribes to Insurance Words as well, it would be nice to allow visitors to click on technical terms in articles and then see their definitions.
While Rough Notes provides its content to agencies, it's up to the agencies to figure out how to deploy it. Alternatively, Rough Notes could provide the information and links on its server and allow the agency subscriber to make use of the Rough Notes server without loading all the content on its own site.
When it comes to insurance reference information on your site, you have three choices: forget it, do it yourself, or rent the intellectual property of someone else. If you want a valuable site that informs and educates visitors and lets them do some self-service, the first alternative is out. Re-inventing the wheel and creating already existing content is a waste of time and is expensive. If the content meets your needs, it makes sense to buy rather than build. Rough Notes' Consumer Access and Insurance Words may be just what you need.
For more information, visit www.roughnotes.com.
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