"The Council's members represent the top one percent of all insurance brokers, and helping them achieve optimum profitability through CIAB membership is a key priority," said Council President Ken Crerar. "Through partnership with BenefitPoint, brokers, consultants and carriers have access to the industry standard in CRM, procurement, business intelligence, and revenue tracking, streamlining both internal and external processes."

The Council will partner with BenefitPoint in different capacities to maximize advantages for members, including focusing on the creation of data standards that will enable the employee benefits industry to speak a common language and connect using a standard interface.

"Endorsement by The Council will help drive efficiencies and standardize a process across the entire employee benefits industry and provide a means for health plans and carriers to meaningfully differentiate their products." said John Randazzo, CEO of BenefitPoint. "For the past five years, Council members including ABD Insurance and Financial Services, Gallagher Benefits, Lockton, Marsh Inc., Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Palmer & Cay and Woodruff-Sawyer have had this vision. The BenefitPoint Aptus technology is opening up a range of new collaboration possibilities for the employee benefits industry."

"Since implementing Aptus in 2003, we have seen a 15% improvement in staff productivity and at least 25% increase in operational time savings," said Ross Reda, Vice President of Lockton, a CIAB member.

Frank Sentner, the Council's director of strategic technology, recommends the use of application programming interfaces (APIs) to connect the various internal systems maintained by brokers and carriers. "Aptus equips employee benefits professionals with a more effective channel of marketing and communications that streamlines internal processes and strengthens cross-industry partnerships and interactions. Firms and carriers can now integrate using web services APIs to facilitate the flow of processes and data," said Sentner.

"We chose the Benefitpoint Aptus application for our Employee Benefits division due to its ability to deliver an integrated client management, marketing, procurement, and revenue tracking solution in one package. Our research made it clear that Aptus offers not only the depth of its CRM competitors, but an immeasurable advantage in the wealth of benefits and financial services information it provides," stated Glenn P. Vatasin, Sr. Vice-President, Fleet.

By simplifying back office tasks, Aptus enables employee benefits professionals to spend more time designing better benefit strategies and programs, negotiating rates and fees and providing ongoing consulting and advice. The platform supports a full spectrum of employee benefits offerings, expanding marketing and partnership opportunities, increasing operational efficiencies via business intelligence and providing delivery of quality information to employers. New workflow efficiencies are saving firms and health plans millions of dollars in operational costs -- cost savings which extend to the employee benefits consumer.

About CIAB
The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers is the voice of the market leaders and the premier association for commercial insurance and employee benefits intermediaries in the United States and Abroad. From its headquarters in Washington, DC -- with programs conducted throughout the nation and world -- The Council represents the largest, most productive and most profitable of all commercial insurance agencies and brokerage firms. Only the top one percent of all agents and brokers qualify. The Council's members in more than 3,000 locations, place 80 percent -- well over $90 billion -- of all U.S. insurance products and services protecting business, industry, government and the public at-large, and they administer billions of dollars in employee benefits. Since 1913, The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers has worked in the best interests of its members, securing innovative solutions and creating new market opportunities at home and abroad.

About BenefitPoint
BenefitPoint, the industry's leading customer relationship management and procurement platform, makes it easier for employee benefits professionals to manage, buy and sell benefits. Brokers, consultants and carriers realize expanded business opportunities, operational efficiencies and a greater ability to deliver quality information and services to employers and employees. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, can be reached at 415.277.5700. Take a tour of the BenefitPoint Aptus Product Demo on the corporate website at www.benefitpoint.com

BenefitPoint has achieved widespread industry adoption with over 310 broker and consultant offices accessing the system, loading 40,000 employer clients on the platform, covering 22 million employees and approximately $90 billion in premium. Over 420 carrier organizations use BenefitPoint to access broker and consultant RFP and renewal requests.