“It’ll transform the way we do business.”

Those are words Alfa Insurance President Jimmy Parnell uses to explain the company’s adoption of Guidewire InsuranceSuite™ — a modular software platform used by property and casualty insurance companies across the globe. Replacing Alfa’s existing systems is a significant undertaking, Parnell said, but one that will make the company stronger and more competitive. 

“A few of the systems our folks use have been around since the 1960s, and others require a lot of manual entry and paperwork,” he said. “Our company and our customers deserve better, and that’s what this investment is about — creating a better future for Alfa.”

The investment Parnell mentioned involves more than the multi-million-dollar cost of overhauling Alfa’s computer systems. Since 2014, Alfa employees have invested over a half-million hours of work into the upgrade, and the company’s implementation partners — including specialists from Ernst & Young and Guidewire — have spent an additional half-million hours on the project. 

Thanks to their tireless collaboration, Alfa launched Guidewire in pilot service centers Nov. 21, 2016. All offices are expected to process new business on Guidewire later this year, with renewals and other lines to follow. 

Supervising Customer Service Representative (CSR) Amy Coley of Centre, Alabama, said she loved working with the new program.

“It has been a godsend,” said Coley, whose office was a pilot site. “Guidewire is user-friendly, and it allows us to be more efficient and give better customer service.”

Opelika, Alabama CSR Teresa Lackey echoed Coley’s review, adding that she’s really enjoyed how the system shaves time off routine processes. 

“Guidewire is going to change the way we do business for the better,” Lackey said. “Once we set up an account on a customer, their information auto-populates across all other lines. That’s a huge deal — for us, and for the customer. We’re able to help them with their insurance needs faster than ever, and that’s a good feeling.” 

In addition to increased efficiencies, Guidewire’s capabilities include clearer, cleaner documents; improved policy applications; more accurate quoting; and additional payment plan options. 

“We want doing business with Alfa to be a positive experience, and Guidewire plays a significant role in that,” Parnell said. 

As Guidewire rolls out, customers may see a different look to billing documents. For billing questions, contact a local Alfa office.