Web-based Certificate of Insurance Helps Reduce Time and Errors  

 

CHEYENNE, WY. – September 28, 2005 – OCI today announced its collaboration with 

ABB Inc., a global leader in power and automation technologies, to improve ABB’s risk 

management tools by streamlining and consolidating the firm’s certificate of insurance 

process into a Web-based platform integrated with its Risk Management Information 

System (RMIS). 

 

In today’s business environment, insurance costs continue to increase aggressively.  

Healthcare costs alone increased 12 percent in the past year, according to the 

PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute.  “One in four companies said double- 

digit healthcare cost increases may force them to lower wage increases, and one in five 

expects to slow hiring in the year ahead,” according to survey respondents.  Increases like 

this are driving the need for better, more accurate and timely information.  There is an 

ever-present need to streamline and reduce the administrative burden of risk managers to 

allow time to proactively manage risk. 

 

“OCI’s platform makes it more efficient and easier for the people in the field and the 

ABB risk management staff to get the job done,” said Stephen Raimondi, ABB Director 

of Risk Management Services for North America. 

 

ABB issues about 3,000 certificates of insurance annually to demonstrate that its North 

American locations are appropriately insured.  Historically, ABB used a legacy, broker 

system to manage those certificates.  The system was highly manual and required forms 

to be filled out by hand and faxed in.  The dated system lacked numerous features, 

including the ability to print effectively, to capture and store the necessary textual 

information with each certificate, and to provide an audit trail of certificates requested 

and issued.  Additionally, because of the system’s age, support for problems and 

upgrades were not guaranteed by the broker. 

 Web-based Certificate of Insurance He

In addition, ABB was in the midst of centralizing its risk information system, and 

program managers were looking for a system that is fully integrated in a single online 

location to offer ease of use.   

 

ABB turned to OCI to build on the application solutions they have collaborated on over 

their six-year relationship.  OCI provided a web-based Certificate of Insurance 

application that significantly modernized ABB’s certificate handling process and filled 

the gaps left open by ABB’s previous, manual system. 

 

Now, 50 of ABB’s users manage certificate requests and issuance from the OCI- 

developed system.  The Web-based tool has improved operational efficiency by placing 

the process within a single platform, which many of the certificate users already use for 

other risk management-related activities and functionality; thus reducing the 

administrative burden from using the legacy process. 

 

 “Our broker, who retains its role as process ‘gatekeeper/administrator’ is very positive 

about it, too,” Raimondi said.  OCI’s Web-based Certificate of Insurance solution has 

resulted in improved access to certificate data and more efficient management of the 

certificate process. 

 

Companies are recognizing the role today’s technology solutions can play in 

transforming manual, error-prone methods into efficient processes for delivering accurate 

information.  By itself, though, technology is only an enabler. OCI offers end-to-end 

solutions built on a deep understanding of the problems risk managers face and the ways 

that technology can be used to help solve those problems.  

 

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ABB Inc.(www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enables 

utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental 

impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs 

about 103,000 people. 

 

About OCI 

OCI is an information management solutions provider that helps companies make better-informed decisions about their risk management and employee benefit programs.

OCI has designed and delivered integrated health and productivity solutions to Fortune 1000 companies since 1984. Using secure web-based applications, a flexible, client-centric approach and deep industry experience, our solutions transform data into information and knowledge, giving our customers the power to increase administrative efficiency, reduce expenditures and improve productivity.