Fireman's Fund rescues remote users

Fireman's Fund Insurance wants to make sure that real-time remote access to data for its agents and sales staff doesn't become a fire drill.

The Novato, Calif., company next month will launch a project focused on using a thin client and a thin pipe to deliver data into the field with the goal that users spend less time on data access and more time on one-on-one customer service.

While Fireman's uses the Web today to deliver applications to mobile users, access requires high bandwidth for the applications to be responsive.

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Fireman's Fund Insurance wants to make sure that real-time remote access to data for its agents and sales staff doesn't become a fire drill.

The Novato, Calif., company next month will launch a project focused on using a thin client and a thin pipe to deliver data into the field with the goal that users spend less time on data access and more time on one-on-one customer service.

While Fireman's uses the Web today to deliver applications to mobile users, access requires high bandwidth for the applications to be responsive.

After exploring broadband, the company hit on an innovative gateway that can deliver data to end users via e-mail. Next month, the company will begin Phase 1 of a pilot project using start-up ClairMail's gateway software, which lets users access data by sending an e-mail from their mobile device or by clicking on a link in the address book.

"The beauty of the technology is that you can transmit data over low bandwidth and it is quickly adapted to any environment," says Jim Dunn, CTO for Fireman's Fund. "It's not like writing a new application [for the mobile device]. It is taking current applications and writing scripts and writing a transaction that responds with data. You can apply it to any kind of data."

Fireman's Fund plans to do just that. Phase 1 is focused on two applications: billing inquiry and policy views. The pilot, which will begin with 100 users, will give employees in the field real-time access to data from those applications. Phase 2 will launch around July and is expected to bring independent agents into the mix of users. Eventually, the service could be deployed to customers looking to check on policy information or access other data.