Retiring Manual Process with Enterprise Modernization
The Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) is a premier provider of insurance and survivor services to the U.S. Armed Forces community. With an extensive client database and constant prospecting, excellent customer service and time-saving processes were required. In the past, AAFMAA Sales and Marketing teams devoted too much time to the manual processes of sales follow-ups with prospects and capturing data from customer policy-holders. The existing data and business logic did not lend itself to basic customer relationship management (CRM) functionality.

Doing More With Less
MetroStar Systems assembled a team of Business Analysts, Developers and Designers to learn about and understand the sales and marketing process. Working on-site provided the project team to gain insight, rather than a top-down approach based solely on the technology in place. After gathering requirements and assessing the current infrastructure, a plan was developed to modernize existing legacy applications and improve efficiency. The AAFMAA legacy application was dependent upon an environment of UNIX and Natural/ADABAS. The modernization plan included utilizing Microsoft CRM Suite, which was dependent upon an environment of Microsoft products and applications such as: Microsoft SQL Server, Exchange Server, and Active Directory. In order to integrate the existing legacy application with the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Suite, a middleware was necessary; SoftwareAG’s WebMethods EntireX provided just that. This middleware provides integration between Microsoft platforms and UNIX, as well as mainframes. Utilizing MetroStar Systems skills and knowledge of Natural/ADABAS and .Net, we were able to rapidly implement CRM using EntireX.

No Limitations, Only Opportunities
The modernized CRM platform became an effective support tool to the sales and marketing teams. The process allowed customized customer and prospect data to be readily retrieved, easily updated, and sent out electronically. Sales managers can now employ a new construct in sales management through up-selling, prospect follow-up and queries that mine the data for additional new prospects. Subsequent telephone calls, which resulted in the changes of the customer profile, would automatically refresh making time consuming data entry a thing of the past. Substantial customization helped improve functionality. Having utilized an agile development approach, there are no limitations on expanding the level of automation. At no stage did AAFMAA have to compromise its competitiveness, which ensured the efficient functioning of the environment. The solution guaranteed an efficient exchange between different SQL and ADABAS databases on different platforms.

Since Modernization in 2007:

Increased Sales

• +15% Growth in Insurance Policies
• +59% Growth in Insurance in Force
• +16% Growth in Members
• +19% Growth in Lives Insured

• 60% in IT Cost Savings
• 7% Decrease in Expenses per policy