Face it, paper insurance forms are a hassle. Often, you and your insureds have to fill out tons of paperwork — a process that takes hours. PDF forms aren't much better. Most of the forms ask a bunch of the same questions. Why should you have to answer them twice! Clients often need to print a document, sign it, scan it and send it back to their broker. Surely, there's an easier way to process applications?

Broker Buddha introduces Insurance Smart Forms to streamline your entire insurance application and renewal process.

Here are some of the biggest problems with paper and PDF insurance forms — and how Smart Forms can solve these issues.

Problem #1: PDFs can't be edited.

Paper and PDF insurance forms include questions that aren't relevant to every client. These questions confuse the person who is filling out the form, which leads to errors and slows down the insurance application process. Moreover, your clients often have to fill out the same fields multiple times on a PDF, resulting in even more wasted time.

The Solution:

First, there was paper, then PDFs and now -there's digital. Insurance agents and brokers are using smart forms to simplify insurance. These digital, interactive documents only show your clients the questions that are relevant to them. Plus, digitized smart forms auto-populate answers to avoid duplicate entry. As a result, your clients will find it easier to fill out your documents. Everything is completely customizable, providing you with more flexibility.

Problem #2: PDFs are clunky.

Clients have to sign paper and printed PDF forms and send these documents back to an insurance broker. Again, this slows down the insurance process and can result in lengthy delays. Moreover, clients can make a mistake and sign the wrong part of the form — or forget to sign the document entirely (since many are pages upon pages in length). Consequently, the insurance broker will ask the client to sign another form and send it back to them, again - more delays in getting you a completed application.

The Solution:

Smart forms prompt users to sign the correct part of the form with their e-signature — a legally valid digitized signature. Clients don't have to print out any forms and mail them to their broker, either, saving them on stamps and a trip to the post office.

Problem #3: PDFs can be time-consuming.

When applying for insurance, clients need to provide supporting evidence and send this to their broker. This can be a long and laborious process. Typically, someone will have to print documents — income and expenditure sheets, bank statements, tax forms, etc. — and pop these in the mail. This can delay the insurance application or claim.

The Solution:

Smart Form let users upload evidence documents and send them to brokers as attachments, speeding up the entire insurance process. These documents are completely safe and stored in the cloud, so brokers can access them from any device.

The U.S. insurance industry is booming, with more than 2.5 million people working in this sector. Whether you are selling general lines, speciality lines or any other lines of business, going digital is the best option not only for you, but for the experience of your clients.

Find out more about how to start using smart forms for your own business.

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