Mitchell Adds Commercial Release of AIM Online to Its Suite of Internet Products for the Collision Repair and Claims Industry
SAN DIEGO--April 2, 2001--Mitchell International today announced the commercial release of AIM Online, a proven real-time claims management product that provides insurance company executives an invaluable tool for accessing and analyzing data they need to lower overall claims costs, increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction and reduce severity costs.
AIM Online resides at eMitchell.com, Mitchell's open and interactive Internet workspace and marketplace for the automotive collision repair and claims industries. Mitchell is first in the industry to offer an Internet workspace with readily available on-line applications. To access AIM Online, interested parties should contact Mitchell Sales to set up a user account. For more information on AIM Online, go to www.mitchellaim.com.
With its Internet access, AIM Online allows for access to updated data weekly, accessibility to any authorized user from anywhere and more customization features since the customer can interact directly with Mitchell's data warehouse.
AIM Online targets improving profitability and producing maximum return on investment (ROI). Real-world results show that AIM Online can provide insurance companies with $5-$10 per claim savings on loss adjustment expenses, a 4-6 percent increase in productivity for indirect staff management savings and a 3-5 percent improvement in indemnity.
Using AIM Online, property and casualty insurance executives can access and analyze management reports summarized from estimates received from their adjusters and estimating partners. And AIM Online provides users powerful data access, offering 120 different data elements along with easy to use custom reporting, industry benchmarking capabilities, drill-down and drag and drop interactivity, as well as data that is structured into a five-level organizational hierarchy. In addition, AIM Online is an open system that can incorporate data from all three major estimating systems, which allows insurance companies to view their entire claims operation in one central solution.
"The bottom line is that AIM Online helps claims managers operate their business better," said Paul Gange, Mitchell's vice president of product management. "It provides easy access to data they need to lower overall claims costs and reduce loss adjustment expense. In addition, AIM Online provides managers with weekly, rather than monthly, data updates so they may more quickly capitalize on opportunities and spot and address negatives trends in their business."
General Casualty Insurance's Mike Christopherson, claim program manager -- physical damage, said that AIM Online gives claims managers the best possible information for making critical decisions.
"Through AIM Online, our organization delivers local management a tool that provides daily access to damage data supplied through (Mitchell's) Ultramate(R) collision estimating system," he said. "By utilizing this tool, management understands how daily decisions effect severity issues in the area of physical damage."
From the Superior Insurance Group, Ted Cressey, director, material damage, said AIM Online has been easy to use and very quick to provide the necessary information he needs to complete reports for his managers.
"The real time data available with the online version is impressive," he said. "My managers especially appreciate the fact that we are no longer a month in arrears with our reports. AIM Online has definitely met my expectations."
In developing AIM Online, Mitchell partnered with Hyperion , the global leader in business analysis software. Mitchell incorporated Hyperion Essbase technology as well as Hyperion's Java-based reporting front end, which are Internet-based enterprise analytic application platforms and considered the best in their class.
AIM Online joins iNTOTAL.com, the industry's first on-line total loss settlement solution, FirstEstimate.com, the industry's first on-line estimating system, and FirstImages, a digital image storage and communications system at eMitchell.com. Within the coming months, more than 30 more strategically targeted business functions are planned at the site.
eMitchell.com features a central server for storing and forwarding data among all parties involved in collision repair, including collision repair shops, insurance companies, car rental agencies, tow companies, parts, paint and equipment vendors. The site's open architecture will allow any authorized user to access information with only a Web browser -- no special hardware or software is required. This open communication is consistent with Mitchell's philosophy to conform to the industry's CIECA standards and the XML Internet standard.
"As we promised when we launched our e-business strategy, Mitchell's goal was to create an e-commerce site with real applications and value-adding content," said Jim Lindner, Mitchell's president and CEO. "With the addition of AIM Online to our growing suite of online products, we are keeping our word and continuing to deliver cutting-edge online applications that are available now."
About Mitchell International
Mitchell International, founded in 1946 and headquartered in San Diego, is The Source for information software and e-business solutions for the insurance and automotive repair industries. Providing services that enhance productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction, Mitchell facilitates several million electronic transactions between more than 16,000 business partners each month. Mitchell's own parts and labor database, a critical connectivity point between shops and insurers, is trusted for its accuracy and respected as the industry standard. For more information on Mitchell International, AIM Online or eMitchell.com, call Chris Andrews, Director of Marketing, at 858/578-6550, ext. 8321. Visit our Web sites at www.emitchell.com and www.mitchell.com.