CHARLOTTE, March 28, 2013 – illustrate inc, a leading provider of illustration and point-of-sale technology solutions for the North American financial services industry is pleased to announce that ForestersTM U.S. distribution surpassed 430,000 quotes in 2012 using illustrate’s OPUS Mobile Solution. The initial launch of the mobile quotes in 2011 coincided with a surge in Foresters sales growth and Foresters believes it was a significant contributor to this increase.
Since the success of the initial rollout in 2011, illustrate has been working with Foresters to expand the OPUS Mobile solution. In January we rolled out a new release that now includes real-time quotes for term, par and non-par whole life, as well as new needs analysis modules for Lifestyle Protection, Mortgage Protection, Final Expense and Protection of your current cash flow.
“illustrate inc understands both our needs and the producer experience which makes them a valuable partner for Foresters,” said Stephen Maloney, Assistant Vice President, US Marketing and Communications, Foresters. “They are also highly competent and manage projects tightly so that we can meet timelines and stay on budget.”
OPUS Mobile allows producers to quickly generate a premium or face amount quote for a client and then email the quote to the client so that it is waiting when they get back to their home or office. Lorne Brown, President of illustrate inc commented, “It is a great way to establish credibility and initiate a conversation with a prospect any time or any place. All you need is your smartphone. In just a few seconds you are able to take the prospect from casual conversation to a serious discussion about how to meet their insurance needs.”
With the new rollout in January, Foresters continues to experience significant increases in usage, with over 148,000 quotes generated through February. “Giving our highly mobile distribution access to valuable sales support tools like needs analysis and product quotes makes them more productive and more inclined to choose Foresters for their clients,” says Maloney.
“We are excited to see the success of the OPUS Mobile platform with the Foresters distribution,” stated Brown. “Since OPUS Mobile is built on our True Engine ArchitectureTM, we can easily leverage this effort as we continue to deliver Foresters full illustration and point-of-sale capability with our full OPUS platform.”
About illustrate inc
illustrate inc is a privately held company with significant expertise in illustration and point-of-sale systems used in the insurance and financial services sectors. illustrate inc has grown steadily over the past 20 years as a result of its hard focus on addressing industry need for efficiency, effectiveness and speed to market. With clients in Canada, the U.S. and abroad, illustrate inc continues to evolve to anticipate and meet the changing needs of the insurance and financial services industries. To learn more about OPUS Mobile or illustrate’s full OPUS solution visit www.illustrateinccom.
About Foresters
Foresters™ is a life insurance provider with a difference. The fraternal benefit society, founded in 1874, supports family well-being through quality products, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities. Foresters shares its financial strength with over one million members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Foresters has assets of over $8.6 billion with liabilities of $7.1 billion resulting in a surplus of $1.4 billion1 (all figures in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2011) and maintains an “A” (Excellent) rating by A.M. Best2. For more information, visit www.foresters.com.
Foresters™ is the trade name and a trademark of The Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9; its subsidiaries are licensed to use this mark.
1This surplus represents excess funds above the amount required as legal reserves for insurance and annuity certificates in force and provides additional assurances to our members for our long term financial strength.
2 An “A” (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. In assigning Foresters rating on July 6, 2012, A.M. Best stated that the rating outlook is “stable”, which means it is unlikely to change in the near future. See ambest.com for our latest rating.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Jay Stevens, MBA, FLMI
illustrate inc
704 431 4951
877 575 5510
jay.stevens@illustrateinccom