Aviva Canada: From Annoying Agents to Pleasing Agents

In January 23, 2017, the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) announced that it has formally suspended its sponsorship partnership with Aviva Canada “for the foreseeable future.”

“Aviva continues to leverage the Aviva brand for broker-distributed products and direct-to-consumer products, with an inconsistency around product availability and pricing – a strategy the IBAO believes promotes confusion for consumers” – according to the press release issued by IBAO.

That was then.

This is now.

Sharp Mobile, a Calgary-based company providing digital solutions to agents, has announced its collaboration with Aviva Canada to open up access to the insurer’s APIs. “The APIs allow for broker connectivity to Aviva’s data, giving brokerages the power to be more agile with their innovative aspirations.”

“Aviva was the first to respond to the technological needs of the broker by opening up their APIs. The connectivity allows brokers to be more innovative without having the roadblocks caused by current legacy software” – Vice President of Development for Sharp Mobile, Wassim Salib.

“We’re on the road to the real-time connectivity we have been talking about for years, which is very exciting for the industry. We’re finally moving in the right direction” – Director of Sales for Sharp Mobile, Ken Sedgewick.

“API connectivity between broker and carrier is a significant milestone for the broker channel and a major step forward in brokers and carriers working together to satisfy the demands of the modern insurance consumer” – Executive Director, Digital Brokers at Aviva, Tom Reid.