The Hartford's annuity wholesalers lighten up with iPads

In an attempt to free its annuity wholesalers from reams of paperwork, The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has started distributing iPads to its field sales force. As part of a pilot program, the insurer handed out iPads to a dozen of its annuity wholesalers at the insurer's national sales summit last month. A full iPad rollout among The Hartford's 60 annuity wholesalers may commence this spring if the pilot program is well received, said Lori LaForge, chief marketing officer of annuity marketing. The insurer is running a similar pilot program with its mutual fund wholesalers, following on the heels of a similar move made in January by John Hancock Financial Services Inc. “We wanted to embrace technology,” Ms. LaForge said. “We wanted our wholesalers to be more efficient; instead of carrying their BlackBerry, laptop and boxes of literature, they have the marketing department at their fingertips.” Right now, the wholesalers have access to online presentations and information on the products they're offering, but The Hartford may add video presentations, online training programs and illustration tools. The devices also have e-mail functionality. The Hartford hasn't come up with any dedicated apps for its sales force's iPads, as it's waiting to hear on how the pilot goes. “We're hoping to hit some objectives and goals, and if we do, we'd like to make it a longer-term strategy,” Ms. LaForge said.