Insurance advisors can now compare life insurance quotes using their iPads, thanks to a new application called iCompete from Markham, Ont.-based CompuOffice Software Inc. (www.compuoffice.com). This app is similar to the firm’s first product launched 19 years ago, desktop software called LifeGuide, according to CompuOffice CEO Ami Maishlish.

LifeGuide offers a unique proposition: instead of recommending only certain quotes in a bid to sell particular policies, the software gathers information from multiple sources. LifeGuide, which runs on Windows, is designed to help life insurance brokers get the best deals for their clients.

CompuOffice later launched WinQuote, a similar offering delivered online, that enables brokers with websites to provide their clients with a source of impartial life insurance comparisons.

Lawrence Geller, a chartered life underwriter in the Hamilton, Ont., area, has been a CompuOffice client since that firm was formed. “I use LifeGuide,” Geller says. “Then we have WinQuote, so our clients can go to our website and run quotes for as many products as they want.”

Geller also uses CompuOffice’s iPhone app, called QuotesOnTap, which enables users to research the market independently. Al-though QuotesOnTap can be used by consumers, some advisors use it to obtain quotes quickly for clients. “A lot of the time,” Geller says, “I’ll be sitting at home and will be with someone on the telephone, and they will ask what something will cost. Instead of logging into my desktop, I can do it on the iPhone and get a quote.”

Shopping around allows you to provide an important service for your clients. For instance, clients can save significantly by purchasing optional group life insurance on the open market. Geller uses the CompuOffice software to differentiate himself by providing a good deal to his clients.

As with QuotesOnTap, you can download iCompete directly from the Apple App Store. You get limited, basic access to the application, which allows you to enter key details about a client. The app then returns a list of quotes.

Unlike QuotesOnTap, iCom-pete is designed to be used without an online connection. You first down-load the entire database of quote information to your device, which can be updated, but then you can use it in the field without depending on a 3G connection.

With Wi-Fi-only versions of the iPad 2 starting at $130 less than the 3G version, that’s an important consideration. You can upgrade the iCompete app to provide extra features by entering your LifeGuide serial number.

CompuOffice also makes another version of iCompete available to advisors who work through managing general agencies and want to restrict the available results to a subset of products they represent.

CompuOffice is developing more features for the software, including Optisearch, which lets you enter your client’s budget along with policy selections that are appropriate to your needs.

iCompete is available for free in a limited consumer version, which advises users to go to a registered financial advisor to discuss the results of their search. The consumer version of the app will provide contact details for registered agents with a LifeGuide serial number who are in the user’s area.

Advisors without a LifeGuide serial number can buy a licence to use the expanded version of iCompete for an annual fee of $239. IE