Manpower Software, a vendor of workforce products, has appointed CRM veteran Allen Swann to serve as Business Development Director and a member of the Board of Directors with immediate effect.

 

Swann is a Non Executive Director of Chordiant (News - Alert) Software, a software company selling CRM software platforms to financial institutions. 

 

"I am pleased to be offered this opportunity to join the Board of Directors," Swann said, adding that "my association with the company over the past 2.5 years has highlighted how important a role Manpower Software is playing in the UK Healthcare market… There is an immense opportunity for the company to continue to make a difference."

 

Swann first became associated with the Manpower Software in February 2006 while acting as Interim Sales Director. He previously served as International President for Chordiant Software and was a founder member of Oracle (News - Alert) U.K.

 

In May, Chordiant announced a new capability for insurance providers -- Chordiant Insurance Self-Service.

 

The product uses capabilities of the Chordiant Service Oriented Architecture platform and suite of products, and enables policy shopping, quoting, and selection for insurance consumers.

 

Insurance carriers are finding that younger consumers consistently expect to deal with their insurance providers directly through the Web. Consumer surveys, such as the Harris Poll survey done by Chordiant in January, show that the generation of consumers who have grown up with the Web prefer online policy comparison and procurement.

 

The major insurance companies, who historically have focused a large percentage of their attention on the agent channel, are now trying to catch up. As Karen Pauli, Practice Director of TowerGroup points out in her recent report titled "Technology Directions in US P&C Insurance Claims Operations: Transforming a People Business," consumers want self-service capabilities "like those that they have with their banks, credit card companies, and investment organizations."

 

The demand for 24/7/365 service, Pauli believes, "will continue to grow as the Generation X and younger individuals become a greater proportion of the marketplace."