Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is testing Apple's iPad with its annuities sales force.
Timothy Benedict, a spokesman for Hartford Financial, of Simsbury, Conn., said Monday that a dozen field wholesalers have fanned out across their territories since late January carrying annuities marketing materials on the tablet.
An annuity app could be on the way. "There are definitely potential applications," Benedict said in an interview. "Depending on the results of the pilot, we'll consider capabilities and marketing programs to fit with the new tools." These might include online training programs, sales and illustration tools and live video, according to Hartford Financial.
Among other financial services companies using the iPad, Finantix has developed Wealth Apps for the device, and at its recent conference in San Diego, TD Ameritrade announced plans to launch a mobile app for the iPad later this year.
Hartford Financial is also conducting a similar nationwide test with its mutual fund sales force. It expects to run the annuity pilot test through April, to gauge its impact on the sales process, and get feedback from the wholesalers using the device.
