Fujitsu Personal Systems’ Pen Tablets Enable First-Ever “Drive-Through” Insurance Claims Facility in North America
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — January 5, 1998 — Manitoba Public Insurance Improves Customer Service and Productivity Through Use of Pen Tablet and Wireless LAN Technologies
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc. (FPSI) today announced that its Stylistic line of pen tablets are being used in North America's first "drive-through" insurance claims facility.
By taking advantage of the "working mobility" features offered by Fujitsu's pen tablets and wireless Local Area Network (LAN) technologies from Proxim, this new system has significantly improved customer service and staff productivity for Manitoba Public Insurance.
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is the sole auto insurer for more than 700,000 motor vehicles registered in the Canadian province of Manitoba. MPI's goal is to improve services for its customers by increasing efficiency in claims processing and eliminating "disappearing staff syndrome" — where the appraiser must leave the customer alone to finish the transaction. Today, by relying on FPSI's pen tablets and Proxim's wireless technology, appraisers can stand in the garage with a customer and inspect a damaged vehicle, enter information, retrieve data and calculate estimates without ever leaving the customer's side.
"Wireless LAN access with Fujitsu's pen tablets has helped us expedite the claims processing procedure and thereby improve our customer service," commented Will Kukelko, MPI's director of physical damage. "Our appraisers can now stay with a customer, run data and provide an on-screen review of an estimate through the use of a graphical user interface. Actual processing time has been reduced, and interaction improved. Pen tablets have enabled us to shift our focus to the customer."
FPSI's Stylistic line of Windows pen tablets offers high-performance pen computing capabilities and display options to match user application requirements. The pen tablets used at MPI's site are integrated with Proxim's wireless RangeLAN2 radios, which utilize 2.4 GHz frequency hopping, spread-spectrum technology. This frequency does not require licensing by the user because it is dedicated to US FCC & Canadian DOC channel sets, which are reserved for low power networks such as wireless communications.
The software solution running on the pen tablets was developed by Mitchell International. "This is exactly the type of application for which pen tablets are well suited," added Joe Maul, director of corporate accounts at Mitchell International. "The Stylistic's powerful processor easily handles our industrial-strength software and gives MPI the ability to quickly retrieve and analyze data. The pen interface makes it easy to use and lets their staff stay completely mobile throughout the estimating process. Future projects using MPI's existing network of Fujitsu pen tablets may include e-mail access, remote WAN printing, imaging and a vehicle tracking system."
About Manitoba Public Insurance
Mandated to reduce the human and economic costs of vehicle collisions, Manitoba Public Insurance is a not-for-profit Crown Corporation responsible for providing Manitobans with the comprehensive automobile insurance program known as Autopac. Having been in business for 26 years, MPI is committed to service to its customers and to preventing collisions through its leadership and road safety programming.
About Mitchell International
Headquartered in San Diego, with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and Toronto, Mitchell International is the source for automotive collision repair information. Mitchell provides services to businesses seeking to enhance their productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction, and is comprised of six Business Units: Electronic Products, Publications, Business Systems, Medical, the E.H. Boeckh Company and National Auto Glass Specifications (NAGS).
About Fujitsu
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc. is the undisputed leader in the Windows pen tablet market. The company's mission is to extend the benefits of true "working mobility" to the broadest possible base of workers. FPSI focuses on mobile decision support applications for large organizations and government institutions, and is supported by a worldwide network of certified VARs and system integrators. FPSI's state-of-the-art pen tablet PCs feature advanced CPU performance, extensive connectivity options and long battery life in compact, lightweight form-factors.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd., Fujitsu Personal Systems (408/982-9500) has headquarters in Santa Clara, and offices throughout North America and Europe. Product information is available at 800/831-3183 or http://www.fpsi.fujitsu.com .
CONTACT:
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc.
Thomas Bayens, 408/982-9500
[email protected]
or
Sterling Communications Inc.
Alice Aoki, 408/441-4100
[email protected]