Windows, one of the most popular operating systems, has announced it will be phasing out support on its XP system, with no support offered after April 8th, 2014. This means no new security updates, “hotfixes” (used for user-specific issues), or any type of technical support offered for Windows XP, along with its Office 2003. According to Windows, its support policy grants 10 years of support to its products, and XP’s 10 years are up.
You may think: “So what? I can still keep my XP, right?” Yes, you can keep XP if you’re using it, but it won’t last you for long. Windows won’t be confiscating your XP system, but sooner or later you will encounter an issue with your operating system, and you won’t be able to find support to fix it. This means a huge headache for you and your agency as you scramble to find someone, anyone, who still works with XP. And chances are you won’t find anyone, and you’ll be forced to move to another operating system anyway.
Save yourself that headache! By switching your agency from XP, you’ll save yourself from security risks that could mean disaster, especially if they apply to client info. Although it may take a small adjustment period, switching to the newest Windows 8.1 guarantees you will be compatible with old and new versions of you comparative rater programs, document management system, accounting software and other programs you use for your agency . This also means you’ll have a system compatible with your clients’, eliminating frustrating incompatibility issues.
Windows suggests leaving 18 to 32 months for businesses to switch to a new operating system, so it’s better to jump on the change sooner rather than later. You need time to allow employees to slowly adapt to the slight changes in your system and to ensure compatibility with any programs your agency uses internally. Moving to a new system without ensuring program compatibility could lead to a rabbit hole of upgrades and an empty pocket. To prevent this, utilize the resources on Window’s website or contact Windows to get personal service related to your switch.
Most importantly, don’t panic. Switching to a new operating system is normal as new systems are introduced as technology improves. You aren’t the first agency to make this switch and you won’t be the last. And Windows knows its users want improvements in each system, but don’t want a total overhaul that forces them to re-learn everything. Windows 8.1 makes improvements on XP, but doesn’t stray too far on the general look and feel. Although it may take a little work on the front end, switching over from XP now will all pay off by making your agency run smoother.
Having the latest Windows also means you can take advantage of all the ways Partner XE works with Windows. With Word document storage and synching with Outlook, Partner XE eliminates the need to open multiple programs when you’re operating in Windows. Find out more about Partner XE’s benefits by contacting us at 800.747.9273 or [email protected].
The world of marketing can be a scary, uncertain place, especially with new online marketing capabilities introduced almost daily. To make matters worse, most local insurance agencies don’t have a dedicated marketing team. Although it’s best to have at least one employee focused on marketing, more often than not marketing is one part of a single employee’s many hats. You know marketing is an important part of growing your agency, but you need to grow your agency before you can increase your marketing resources – what are you to do in this catch 22?
The best way to jump-start your marketing is to simplify. Through our experience here at SIS, we’ve found three tools are important in marketing success: your agency’s website, an e-newsletter and your social media presence. If you can get the ball rolling in these three areas, you can make use of the latest cloud-based tools to keep things moving till you’re able to get someone on marketing full-time.
Having a good website is the first piece to any marketing campaign: you need to have a place for potential clients to go for information. If resources allow, the best move is to outsource your website creation to an expert. We at SIS refer our agency partners to Agency Marketing Partners as creating and maintaining a website is full-time work. However, for those who don’t yet have the resources to outsource, Squarespace is a good way to start your website before moving it over to a professional.
Squarespace has a “drag and drop” site creation method, making it easy to learn and use, and has high quality, catchy designs that give your agency that polished, put-together look. With the explosion of mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is a must, and Squarespace automatically adjusts your site for mobile users. You can reach the 24/7 support team by e-mail and online chat, and since Squarespace is all run online, you can make website edits anywhere at any time, while Squarespace takes care of site hosting and back-ups.
Once you’ve got a place to send people, it’s time to get them there. At one time, e-newsletters were the go-to marketing technique, but these days they’re a supplement to other marketing tactics. Yet, e-news still holds value in being an easy to digest way to keep your clients and potentials clients informed and connected. If your agency’s budget allows, our preferred website-creation company also provides great e-mail marketing management. However, if you’re not in a place to outsource, Constant Contactand Vertical Response are great cloud-based e-newsletters providers. Each provides easy-to-use e-news templates, campaign management and reporting and has ways to link social media to your e-newsletters.
The final piece to getting started in marketing is to ensure your presence on social media. In itself, social media can be a bit daunting, but time has shown its staying power and influence. The greatest benefit for social media is you can connect directly with current and potentials clients and promote agency transparency, creating a sense of trust between you and your clients.
There are a lot of social sites out there, butFacebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn remain the most widely used and the three to hit, with Google+ on the rise. You should put some work in to creating your agency profiles and gaining followers, and after on regularly updating with relevant info. As a good rule of thumb, Facebook is great for photo sharing, Twitter for link sharing, and LinkedIn and Google+ for agency news. A great cloud app for keeping things updated is Hootsuite, a tool that allows you to update multiple social media platforms at one time. The interface is easy to use and understand, and you can even schedule updates to be posted days, weeks, and months in advance.
Once you’ve got things rolling for marketing, maintaining is made so much easier with these cloud-based tools. They can help your agency grow so you can invest in a full-time marketing person or team. You should use your marketing tools along with your agency’s management system, utilizing its abilities to cross sell, renew and retain clients and win back lost accounts. Check out a previous post on how Partner XE helps boost your marketing tactics, and contact us at 800.747.9273 or [email protected] to talk about the ways Partner XE can work for your agency.
Today Agency Marketing Partners (AMP), strategic partner that provides digital marketing solutions for independent insurance agencies, announced the findings of their study of digital marketing strategies used by independent insurance agencies. Results show that although 88% of agencies have a website, many are not properly investing in it for maximum impact. Less than half of the websites are mobile ready and only one in three has a blog.
The major take-away from the survey is that many agencies are leaving a lot of opportunities on the table when it comes to the features and functionality that they are providing on their websites. Too many agencies still see their website as a cost rather than as a necessary investment in their future, given changing consumer shopping and servicing behavior.
This trend of neglecting websites is also seen in the percentage of agencies that say they have someone or a team that takes ownership for the site. Although 88% of the respondents to the survey said their agency has a website, 38% said they did not have a person or team taking ownership for their site.
The following were the key findings of the survey.
88% of the agencies who participated have a website.
Most agencies had their websites made by an online vendor.
On average agencies spend 1-5 % of their yearly budget on marketing.
62% have a person or team that takes ownership of the website.
Less than 50% of the websites are mobile ready.
Over 50% of agencies link to social media sites.
Only 33% of websites have a blog on their website.
Less than half of the websites provide in-depth insurance content.
Strategic Insurance Software (SIS) is pleased to announce the release of its newest e-guide: “Effective Insurance Marketing on a Limited Budget.” Geared toward agencies that want to increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns without breaking the bank, the guide focuses on key ways independent insurance agents can generate positive exposure for their agency, gain a stronger digital presence, and leverage the tools already at their disposal.
Marketing can be expensive, however, you don’t need to break the bank in order to effectively market your agency. The fundamental secret to creating a high-impact marketing plan on a limited budget is to optimize what you have and focus on capturing the customers that will provide a return on your investment.
The e-guide will help you with the following aspects of developing a cost-effective marketing for your insurance agency:
Engaging people with social networks – online and off
Getting the most of your social media use
Using “local search” to get more traffic to your website
Maintaining and building an effective website
Mining your agency management system
Executive Vice President of Sales for SIS, Michael Doran, sees the e-guide as another opportunity for SIS to help independent insurance agencies grow their business: “SIS is always listening to independent insurance agencies to learn how to help them solve their problems. Through these interactions and our own experience, we have learned marketing tips that we want to share with independent insurance agencies everywhere to help them grow and maintain a sustainable business.”
Any experienced insurance agent will tell you the key to successful business is good customer service. The key to good customer service? Communication. Communication within your team and communication with your clients is essential to building a good brand and a successful agency. Cloud communication tools are making it easier than ever to keep in touch with your employees and clients. These applications allow you to stay in touch while you’re on the go and are essential for agencies with multiple locations.
Using cloud apps to communicate gives your agency the benefit of face-to-face communication without the costs of time and money to get from one location to another. This can be particularly helpful when explaining service options or agency tools to clients. Seeing a real human being explaining the ins and outs of your policy creates a sense of trust and security that makes for loyal clients who will sing your praises to all they know.
Using cloud communication tools within your team brings the benefit of not missing a single new idea. Through meeting face to face, you can pick up on when someone needs to interject or read facial expressions to know if a new idea is falling flat or taking off. Meeting via the cloud will also create a sense of community within your team, which any agency owner knows means more gets done, and gets done better.
There are many options out there for cloud-based communication tools. We’re going to look at three of the best tools, each with a different use, that can help your agency stay in touch, increase productivity, and provide great customer service no matter where you are located.
Join.Me
This screen sharing app is great for teaching clients or employees how to use systems or for collaboration in making new, innovative ideas come to life. It’s free to join, and up to ten people at once can look at and/or manage a single device’s screen. All you need to do is generate a secure code, provide it to the participants and, voila! It’s like you’re standing right next to them, watching their screen.
Join.Me is already used by thousands of businesses to provide direct assistance to clients who may be new to technology. Your agency can benefit by providing personal assistance in understanding how to file online claims or to check policies on your website. You can even record sessions and post them on your website for a step-by-step instructions that are always available.
Your team can benefit from using Join.Me to collaborate on a new website design, new agency strategy or any number of projects needing input from multiple members. The application is intuitive, making it easy for those with little tech experience to pick up quickly, and is secure. The application uses 256-bit SSL encryption, the same used by most online shopping and banking sites, making it hack-proof to give you and your clients piece of mind about your information’s security.
GoToMeeting
True to its name, GoToMeeting is a great tool for virtual conference sessions. You have the option for HD video for up to 6 participants or call-in only for up to 1,000, and it can be used on almost any device, including tablets. Many use GoToMeeting to host webinars or training sessions as participants can call the toll free number and listen in while watching live video, shared screens or both. Multiple individuals can sit in as presenters, and you can switch from one presenter to another in the click of a button. This is especially helpful during question and answer sessions. All sessions can be recorded, meaning no one ever has to miss a meeting or training: even if they can’t tap in virtually, they can watch the session in its entirety at a later time.
This application was one of the first of its kind, making it a pioneer in the cloud communication venue. Like Join.Me, GoToMeeting is easy to use and using similar tight security. To use the application, one presenter clicks a button to invite other presenters and provides a toll free number and access code to those who plan to listen in. Since the application uses phone lines for audio, it comes through crystal clear. GoToMeeting is a fee-based app, but the $50/month price tag is worth it.
Google Hangout
Google has gone way beyond a search engine, and is now cornering the market on cloud computing. It’s communication app, Google Hangout, is typical of most Google applications in that it is compatible with every possible device and is easy to use. Since Hangout is a Google application, you know it’s secure. Google pays close attention to security across the board due to its high profile and growing number of cloud-based applications.
Google Hangout is, like all Google apps, a free service. You can use Hangout for meetings or problem solving sessions with up to 10 individuals. What makes Hangout different is you are able to see the faces of all the individuals in the meeting at one time, allowing you to pick up on nonverbals showing someone is confused or has something to add to the conversation. Hangout has great video quality, and it auto-adjusts to brightness and contrast automatically. Google’s recent acquisition of YouTube means top of the line YouTube integration, which allows you to watch videos in real time. When a video is played, mics adjust automatically to mute, but someone can interject by pressing the “push to talk” button to bring down the video’s volume while they’re speaking.
To use Hangout, all you need is a Google ID, which you can now get without needing to sign up for Gmail, Google’s e-mail platform. Just type in whatever e-mail you use, create a password and you’re ready to “hangout”.
We hope this intro to a few of the best cloud communication tools makes the world of cloud computing a little less scary and more accessible for you and your agency. In order for your agency to serve the needs of your clients, you’ll need to begin to embrace these new technologies to keep up with new expectations. We at SIS know it’s important to stay one step ahead and, with applications like the Partner XE agency management system, we are taking that step for you and passing it along to your agency. To find out more about SIS and Partner XE, contact us at 800-747-9273 or email [email protected].
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The world of marketing can be a scary, uncertain place, especially with new online marketing capabilities introduced almost daily. To make matters worse, most local insurance agencies don’t have a dedicated marketing team. Although it’s best to have at least one employee focused on marketing, more often than not marketing is one part of a single employee’s many hats. You know marketing is an important part of growing your agency, but you need to grow your agency before you can increase your marketing resources – what are you to do in this catch 22?
Windows, one of the most popular operating systems, has announced it will be phasing out support on its XP system, with no support offered after April 8th, 2014. This means no new security updates, “hotfixes” (used for user-specific issues), or any type of technical support offered for Windows XP, along with its Office 2003. According to Windows, its support policy grants 10 years of support to its products, and XP’s 10 years are up.