Ceylinco Life this week became the first insurance company in Sri Lanka to deploy leading edge information and communications technology in field sales and customer servicing, with the launch of ‘e-assist’ a PDA-based mobile insurance sales office that will revolutionise the way insurance salespeople work.

The company will equip its sales team with sophisticated GPRS-powered Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs with software developed by NCS of Singapore, a leading vendor-independent IT and communications engineering solutions provider in the Asia Pacific region, the company said.

Armed with these mobile phone-sized devices and miniature portable printers that clip on their trouser belts, Ceylinco Life’s sales consultants will now carry their ‘offices’ in their hands and into the homes of their policyholders and prospective clients, offering a new dimension in speed, accuracy and convenience.

The PDAs also contain up-to-date information on all existing policyholders, including their premium due dates, information on proposals or claims pending, as well as any complaints that may have been lodged, enabling Ceylinco Life sales consultants to service customers with minimal delays, and with all the information at hand.

“The deployment of PDAs in the field is a first for insurance in Sri Lanka, and the content and functionality that we have built in is possibly a first for Asia,” said R. Renganathan, Chief Executive Director of Ceylinco Life. “This is yet another demonstration of leadership and an initiative that will enhance the level of professionalism in life insurance sales and raise the bar for others in the field.”