Silver plume offers "Sage" advice

Rough Notes, Sep 2001 by Strazewski, Len

1) Sage Advice, a risk information resource that includes:

-ACORD forms and instructions.

-Commercial Sage: coverage analysis and checklists, industry profiles, classifications, checklists of recommended coverages by industry and business type, and sample letters, brochures, and proposals.

-Expanded Sage: additional insurance publications and directories by subscription with Silver Plume.

2) Sage Markets: a specialty lines market finder providing coverage detail and descriptions of more than 6,500 active markets representing 400 providers and 30 insurance carriers. Also:

-Market news, comprehensive coverage of programs and market activity updated weekly.

-Program descriptions and guidelines for leading carriers and alternative markets.

3) Sage Extras: a comprehensive dictionary of commonly used insurance and risk management terms, NAIC codes, and a ZIP Code directory.

4) More gage available: a category of all content available by subscription through Silver Plume. Users can sample content and add the full database online after they locate the content they need.

The search engine returns results in each of the four Sage categories, beginning with Sage Advice. Users can move between the results in each of the categories by using a navigation toolbar. This allows the user to focus on search results for specific types of information.

The results are listed according to relevance, displaying the best matches higher in the results list. Relevance is the key issue, according to Hirsch, and the search engine should produce more accurate and relevant information than the general search engines that are used by most commercial Web sites.

In addition to searching, users can scan the content of each category manually and browse lists of content. For example, the coverage analysis content pages list coverage areas alphabetically, ranging from automobile to workers compensation and including new lines such as employment practices liability insurance. The content lists also include helpful advice documents such as checklists and survey data.

"When it comes to information, more is not better. You want the best information, not a lot of clutter," Hirsch says. "Targeted content that's easy to find-that's what Sage is."

Christina Herman is president and CEO of Colorado-based Silver Plume. Steve Hirsch (rear) is vice president; and Chris McMurray is director of marketing and strategic business development.