We Compared 4 Insurance Compliance Software Tools—Here’s What We Found Out

In this insurance compliance software guide:

—Jones
—myCOI
—Ebix CertsOnline
—Trustlayer
—FAQs

Overview of Jones Insurance Compliance Software

Jones is an insurance compliance software built exclusively for the construction and CRE industries, managing the collection and review of insurance documents for companies like JRM Construction Management, Bulley and Andrews, and SavCon. With sub-24 hour document review times, integrations with common construction and accounting software like Procore and Sage 300, the ability to track global insurance requirements, and more, Jones separates itself from other companies in the insurance compliance software industry.

Strengths of Jones

Under 24 Hour Document Review Times

Jones reviews third-party insurance documents in under 24 hours. While other insurance compliance software companies struggle to quickly review insurance documents during high volume periods like renewal season, the Jones team maintains a sub-24 hour turnaround time with a combination of OCR technology and a rigorous training program. Learn more about how Jones has built an elite team of document reviewers here.

Branded Emails and No Logins Required for Subcontractors

Jones makes it easy for vendors and subcontractors to submit their insurance documents. Rather than force them to create and verify login credentials, third-parties can submit their documents with no login information by clicking a link in a company-branded email. These branded collection emails are automatically sent by Jones, and contain easy-to-understand language that boost collection rates and make life easier for vendors and subs.

Integrations with ConTech and Accounting Software Make Managing Compliance Easier

Jones integrates with software commonly used by construction companies including Procore, Sage 300, CMiC, and more. Jones is the only insurance compliance software to have an embedded integration with Procore (read more here), allowing you to do compliance related tasks like requesting a subcontractor COI directly within Procore. With Jones you never need to toggle between software to manage subcontractor compliance, or manually enter data in multiple systems. Everything is pushed from Jones to your ERP or accounting software automatically every night.

Weaknesses of Jones

Only Built for Contractors and Commercial Real Estate

Unlike some of the other insurance compliance software on this list, Jones only serves two industries: commercial real estate and construction. Jones is purpose built for the needs of these two sectors, and doesn’t serve clients in other industries.

No Self-Serve Option

Some insurance compliance software offers a self-serve option on either a free or freemium basis, but Jones does not. Companies with lighter certificate volume or lower portfolio square footage numbers that want a software-only offering will have to look to other vendors for their insurance compliance needs. 

Quick Recap of Jones Insurance Compliance Software

Jones differentiates itself from other insurance compliance software with a combination of fast review speed, ease-of-use, and powerful integrations, making it a great choice for COI tracking. However, Jones is only an option for construction and commercial real estate organizations. 

Overview of myCOI Insurance Compliance Software

myCOI is a legacy player in the insurance compliance software industry, operating out of Indiana since 2009. myCOI can help companies in a wide variety of industries improve their insurance compliance with a combination of helpful customer support and technology, but slow document review times and limited integration capabilities should concern any construction or commercial real estate company.

Strengths of myCOI

Provides High Level Overview of Compliance Information

myCOI centralizes and organizes all of your third-party insurance documents in one easily accessible location. myCOI’s product includes interactive reports, dashboards, and filters that make it easier to get an overview of how well your insurance compliance program is working. 

Serves Wide Range of Industries

myCOI serves a wide variety of industries, including aviation, hospitality, sports and entertainment, and commercial cannabis sales. For organizations that aren’t a fit for a solution like Jones because they’re not in construction or commercial real estate, myCOI might be a good choice.

Helpful Support Staff

Multiple online reviews on sites like G2 and Capterra complemented the helpful and responsive nature of the myCOI support team. They mentioned that in the event of an issue with the myCOI platform or an unhappy third-party that the myCOI team was quick to do their best to mitigate the situation. 

Weaknesses of myCOI

Slow and Inaccurate Document Review

Several companies who used myCOI before switching to Jones noted that myCOI often takes a long time to review insurance documents, especially during high volume document renewal season. These companies cited the long time they had to wait for myCOI to review documents as a primary motivation for exploring other insurance compliance software.

We’ve also heard from certain GCs that myCOI’s is not able to accurately check insurance documents for compliance on a consistent basis. One risk manager we spoke to said she regularly gets waiver requests for compliant COIs and that “it’s like [myCOI] isn’t even reading them.” In addition, she told us that myCOI regularly “doesn’t pay attention to endorsements.”

Attempts to Upsell Insurance to Noncompliant Subcontractors and Vendors

myCOI attempts to sell insurance products to third-parties who don’t meet the insurance requirements for the property or project they’re supposed to work on. Considering the importance of the relationships you build with your vendors or subs, having a software company trying to turn a profit as they determine whether or not they’re allowed to work is not ideal. Your insurance compliance software shouldn’t try to make money off the people you work with.

Limited Integration Capabilities

Former myCOI customers who have since switched to Jones spoke critically about myCOI’s ability to integrate with common ConTech software, and in particular Procore. One called myCOI’s Procore integration “entirely broken” and that information regularly failed to properly sync between the systems.

Quick Recap

myCOI serves a wide variety of industries and has a high quality support team, but their slow document review times, attempts to profit off subcontractors and limited integrations leave them playing catch up to other insurance compliance software on this list. 

Overview of Ebix Insurance Compliance Software

Ebix, a multinational software company, offers CertsOnline for companies looking to manage their insurance compliance programs with software. Ebix’s large presence might be reassuring for some, but their recent bankruptcy filing makes choosing CertsOnline as your insurance compliance software a dicey proposition.

Strengths of Ebix

Expedites Collection and Review of COIs and Endorsements

Ebix CertsOnline takes the hassle of collecting and reviewing third-party insurance documents off the plates of property and contract teams, automating the outreach and auditing process. With CertsOnline, teams have time back to handle other tasks rather than manually check insurance documents for compliance. 

Publicly Traded Organization

Ebix is a publicly traded company, which might encourage trust in some organizations. However, in light of the bankruptcy their stock is down almost 93% over the course of the last year.

Weaknesses of Ebix

Declared Bankruptcy

Ebix declared bankruptcy in December 2019 following as a result of $617 million in maturing loans proving unpayable in the current circumstances. As a result of this bankruptcy, the future of the CertsOnline program (and company as a whole) are up in the air.

Delayed Implementation Times

Several former Ebix customers who have since switched to Jones reported incredibly delayed implementation timelines for the Ebix platform. One customer mentioned that it took almost one full year for Ebix to be fully operational after they signed the contract. Taking that long to get value out of a system you’re paying for is a nightmare scenario, and onboarding timelines are unlikely to grow quicker following the bankruptcy.

Slow Functioning Software

Users report that CertsOnline is clunky, slow moving, difficult to customize, and generally not user friendly. In light of the bankruptcy, these problems are not likely to be addressed any time soon.

Quick Recap

While Ebix CertsOnline was once a highly regarded name in the insurance compliance software industry, their recent bankruptcy should cause alarm bells to ring for their current customers and discourage any other organizations from signing up for their services.

Overview of Trustlayer Insurance Compliance Software

Trustlayer is a newer entry into the insurance compliance space, and like Jones focuses on commercial real estate and construction.

Strengths of Trustlayer

Built for the Needs of GCs

Like Jones, Trustlayer is built with the needs of construction customers in mind. Trustlayer is familiar with the types of endorsements that subcontractors are required to have, and has several high profile GC customers listed amongst their clientele.

Follows Up on Expiring Records

Trustlayer eliminates the need for users to track COI and endorsement expiration dates, sending automated follow up emails as documents are about to expire in order to ensure continuity. 

High Quality Customer Service

Multiple reviews on G2 and Capterra highlight the helpfulness and aptitude of the Trustlayer team. They mentioned that they were helpful and responsive from implementation through to user training to full rollout and beyond.

Weaknesses of Trustlayer

Customers Report Inaccurate Dashboards

Former Trustlayer users have mentioned inconsistent analytics capabilities and inaccurate dashboards being an issue for the Trustlayer system. While they may be accurate in their document review and have a helpful support team, incorrect metrics and dashboards make acting on insurance compliance issues difficult.

Dramatic Year Over Year Price Increases

Trustlayer offers a concierge service where you receive a dedicated representative to help manage your insurance compliance, but former customers have noted a massive spike in year over year prices. One customer reported an almost 100% increase in price for Trustlayer’s concierge service between their first and second year, which was a primary motivator for them to search for another insurance compliance software.

Waiver Glitches Could Result in Noncompliance

One former Trustlayer user who moved to Jones reported that waiver approvals occasionally carried over from project to project, rather than only registering on a certain project for a subcontractor. That means that a waived requirement on one project that should not be waived on another project might end up marked as waived on both. Accidentally making subcontractors think certain requirements are waived could result in insufficient coverage in the event of a claim if the waived coverage was actually required on another project.

Quick Recap

Trustlayer makes collecting and checking third-party insurance documents far easier than doing it manually, and has an attentive support staff that makes ironing out issues with the insurance compliance software simple. However, waiver-specific glitches, limited analytics capabilities, and high pricing are all red flags for any GC or CRE companies.

Final Verdict on Insurance Compliance Software

If you’re looking for insurance compliance software that makes life easy for both your company and the subcontractors or vendors you work with, look no further than Jones. Get in touch with us below find out more about how Jones can help you boost compliance rates and mitigate insurance risk.

Insurance Compliance Software FAQs

Why should I use insurance compliance software?

Using insurance compliance software can help mitigate insurance risk across your properties or projects, make it easier for third-parties to submit their insurance documentation, and reduce the manual effort required to manage insurance compliance.

What should I look for in an insurance compliance software?

Ensure the insurance compliance software you bring on to manage the collection and review of your third-party insurance documents integrates with the software you use every day (Procore, Yardi, Sage 300, MRI, etc.), can accurately review insurance documents, has no-login document uploads, and doesn’t charge your vendors, tenants, or subcontractors to use the platform.

Can I just manage my insurance compliance in Procore?

You can opt to manage insurance compliance directly in Procore, but bringing on a specialized insurance compliance software can help you boost compliance rates and reduce manual effort spent on compliance tasks.