We all know the story of Goldilocks and the three bears: Goldilocks tries out the bears’ food, chairs and beds and settles in to the items that are “just right.” When it comes to your agency management system, you need to be Goldilocks (minus the breaking and entering, of course). Don’t settle for a system that doesn’t offer all you want, or that gives you more than you need. You should be able to only pay for what you’ll use and cut out the “fat” of superfluous add-ons that will only add cost and weigh down your processes.
Some agency management systems may try to thrill you with all the bells and whistles—social media plug-ins, integrated mail merge, customized policy views, to name a few. While these may be useful tools to some agencies, they may not be useful for you. When presented with all these additions, think about whether or not your agency will use these capabilities and if so, how often. Even if a social media plug-in sounds like something you want to use, if you don’t have marketing personnel to use it you’ll be wasting your time and money.
You should be wary of providers that try to talk you in to capabilities you don’t need. Ultimately you should look for a provider with personalized customer service who will be honest with you about your agency’s needs and capabilities. No matter what capabilities you choose, make sure you educate yourself on how to use them so your investment doesn’t go to waste.
As you take a look at different capabilities offered, below are a few your agency will likely want and use:
Integrated accounting
Mobile access
Email integration
Electronic signature verification for E&O compliance
Consistent automatic back-up
In the end, it all comes down to ROI. Is your investment in additional capabilities going to yield results? You should only commit to paying for the things you’ll be using often. We at SIS recognize your agency is unique and allow you to choose which capabilities to add to Partner XE, while offering the freedom to add on additional capabilities later as needed. To talk with one of our experts, contact us at 800.747.9273 or [email protected].
The National Association of Partner Agents (NASPA), the official user group of the insurance agency management system Partner XE, will be hosting its national user conference in Columbus, Ohio April 24-25, 2014. The conference offers Partner XE users two days of networking, industry updates, and interactive work group sessions to keep users up-to-date on newest industry trends and developments of Partner XE.
Mike Sweere, President of NASPA, is excited about bringing Partner XE users together to provide input on the future of Partner XE and learn about the latest industry news. “NASPA’s hosting of a national user conference provides an excellent learning opportunity for agency principles, account managers and producers. There are sessions designed for the new users and other sessions for the more seasoned user of SIS’s Partner XE management system. In addition, the networking with other agent users is invaluable in terms of the ideas and workflows that are discussed and shared.”
This year will be the biggest NASPA conference yet, with 50% more people registered than the last conference.
Alex Deak, CEO of Strategic Insurance Software, sees the event as an invaluable opportunity for Partner XE users to network, learn, and provide feedback about Partner XE. “The conference provides us and our sponsors an opportunity to educate Partner XE users about the industry, SIS, and Partner XE. We also want to provide a venue for clients to interact, share best practices, and provide us with feedback about how Partner XE can be improved to help our partner agencies.”
Attendees will be able participate in 10 sessions over the two days of the conference and can also attend a special session on April 23rd presented by ACORD. The pre-conference ACORD session will cover
Why carriers need to work closer with independent insurance agents,
Specific data on how the industry is performing, and
How independent insurance agents may seek assistance on agency automation projects.
In addition to work group meetings organized to collect feedback about Partner XE, the topics of sessions held on the 24th and 25th include
Stop Wasting Time: Improve Workflows,
Protecting Your Data,
Preview of the upcoming Partner XE 2.1 release,
Leveraging Social Media with Partner XE,
Making Your Website a Sales & Service Resource, and
Tracking Commissions.
Sessions will be led by NASPA board members, SIS team members, and industry partners from IVANS, ACORD, State Auto, Agency Marketing Partners, and Expedient.
Tami Scott, Director of Client Services for SIS, is looking forward to the conference as an opportunity to get more direct feedback from the users of Partner XE. “It’s a learning opportunity for our partner agencies, and it’s a learning opportunity for us so we can get valuable feedback from them to plan for the future of Partner XE.”
About SIS: Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, SIS is the team behind Partner XE insurance software – an innovative web-based insurance agency management system that helps independent agencies streamline workflow and grow their business. Built on a foundation of strong technology and exceptional service, we’re moving forward with a constant eye on innovation that will make independent agents’ lives easier. For more information, please visit https://sispartnerplatform.com
Strategic Insurance Software (SIS) will host a one-day regional workshop in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, March 10. Agency owners, office managers, and CSRs are invited to attend at 1100 Crown Colony Drive, Quincy, MA. Participant-driven discussion and valuable training will be offered, as will ample networking opportunities.
Sponsored by Arbella Insurance Group, it will be the first regional conference held in the northeast. A plethora of new agencies are slated to take part in the one day meeting, which is intended to help clients maximize Partner XE for their agency. This event follows well-attended events in St. Louis, Missouri and Columbus, Ohio, and comes before the national user conference scheduled to be held April 24-25, 2014. Breakfast, lunch and free parking for attendees are also included.
According to Tami Scott, SIS Director of Client Services, these user-driven conferences provide multiple benefits to attendees. “We want to give the users the opportunity to learn more about the system…that’s why we bring Partner XE to them to make it a more convenient alternative to traveling farther for training.”
This conference will provide agencies with a chance to interact with other agencies that use Partner XE, and learn how to improve the workflows they build both inside and outside the system. Marketing, reporting, and many other topics will be focused on.
Scott believes that these peer-education oriented sessions promote education for everyone involved.” It helps to get out into the field to see what users are doing… we can pass what we learn onto staff to better address customer needs.”
Representatives from the agencies in the region are encouraged to initiate topics for the group. This interactive conference will center on what the attendees choose to cover. The SIS team will start the discussion, but the goal is for the agents involved to take the topics selected and run with them. Scott adds that “People tend to only learn what they need to know. This conference will encourage our users to think outside of that and reach the next level of understanding.”
Whether you’re ready or not, it’s coming: in April of this year, Windows will stop all support for its XP operating system, and your agency needs to be prepared by switching to an updated Windows. Although you might not feel the effects of the end of XP support right away, when you do it will be immediate and drastic, and will cause your agency more trouble than it’s worth to resist an upgrade.
Upgrading your operating system is important as it is essentially the brain of your computer. The operating system manages your computer’s memory, its processes and all of its updates and hardware. Without a Windows-supported operating systems, you’ll be putting your agency’s computers, and their sensitive content at risk.
Without frequent updates, your computers will run slower and be more susceptible to security threats and hacks, exposing confidential client info. An out-of-date system cannot accept new or updated accounting , database management or marketing software, putting your agency even further behind the technological curve. Even worse, your old operating system will likely be behind your client’s systems, making it difficult to read documents containing pertinent info. This can cause frustration with clients, leaving a bad taste in their mouths regarding your agency’s service.
To avoid these issues, your agency should move to upgrade your operating system now. Not tomorrow, not next week – now. Make it your agency’s New Year’s resolution! By starting now, your employees will have time to adapt to the new system and you’ll be able to target any compatibility issues regarding your current software and programs.
A system upgrade offers multiple benefits to your agency. All Windows operating systems after XP have increased memory and processing time, meaning you’ll be able to compute faster. This leads to tackling client needs quickly and getting more done in less time. Along with faster processing and increased storage, you’ll also have peace of mind knowing Microsoft is keeping your system secure with frequent updates. And don’t worry about losing any old documents: all Windows systems after XP are compatible with XP Office docs.
If your agency is in a pinch, ensure at the very least that those operating your agency’s management system are upgraded. However, it is best to have your whole agency make the switch at one time, regardless of the cost. Rolling out upgrades one at a time leads to incompatibility between your employees, which slows up the flow of internal information. In the end, it is better for your agency to put down a little more money to upgrade now as you will need to upgrade. It is better to do so on your terms rather than wait for an emergency overhaul later when your XP systems fail.
As you upgrade your operating system, you’ll have one less thing to think about with Partner XE. PXE is compatible with all current Windows operating systems, so you can rest easy that everything will look the same in your agency management system before and after your switch. If you’re not using Partner XE and want to find out more, contact us at 800.747.9273 or [email protected] . Happy upgrading!
The offices of 2013 are going unplugged. Look around any semi-modern independent insurance agency and you’ll see laptops and tablets have replaced desktops. Printers and scanners are wireless and cell phones have made handsets a thing of the past. What you don’t see is another part of this trend to unplug: the cloud.
The cloud had its time as the wave of the future, but now the future is here. Cloud based applications are the new norm; allowing successful agencies to be more flexible in their workspace, offering greater data security and keeping up with ever increasing bandwidth needs. And the cloud isn’t limited to online data backups or document sharing; more and more daily business operations are moving to cloud based systems.
Here’s why so many forward-thinking independent agency owners are choosing the cloud to help them weather the storms:
1. Flexibility in workspace
Using cloud computing systems allows you to access what you need anywhere using almost any device with an internet connection. This means you can access and edit documents on your work computer, at home or even from your mother-in-law’s basement. And, you don’t need to buy new systems to keep up on cloud based applications that help with your day to day operations, meaning there is no interruption in your workflow.
2. Innovation through communication
Giving your employees the ability to access projects anywhere at any time means they can put good ideas to work whether in the office or not. Communication cloud applications allow employees to share these ideas with their co-workers – even if they aren’t in the same city or even country. There are dozens of new ways to communicate via the cloud, making it easier for agencies with multiple locations to talk face-to-face at a moments’ notice, which helps foster innovative ideas that may be the next big thing in the industry.
3. Data security and recovery
Just like the postal service, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can keep you from accessing the information you need in the cloud. Your data is stored in a remote location and, since cloud computing itself has innovated, many cloud-computing companies have data stored in different locations. If one is knocked out, the others will continue to maintain your access. This means a power outage at the office doesn’t shut you down for the day, and a stolen laptop doesn’t mean your data is lost or even at risk of being shared. Since data isn’t stored on individual devices, you can also upgrade to new technology easily without the hassle of transferring thousands of files and can easily access it on the go.
4. Staying ahead of the curve
Cloud computing applications have a “set it and forget it” way about them. As cloud applications are upgraded, you automatically receive patches to keep your version up to date. These auto-updates mean your agency has the latest technology without an increase in cost and you can stop worrying about whether or not you’re using cutting edge tools. Cloud applications also easily increase bandwidth as needed, so your technology can grow with your agency instead of holding back growth.
5. Low cost, high yield makes your budget happy
One of the best aspects of cloud computing is its ROI. Many cloud-based applications, especially marketing applications, are free and the rest certainly won’t break your budget. Most fee-based applications allow you to budget out monthly costs, making your investment predictable. And it’s easy to customize each application to your needs so you only pay for what you want, and leave out what you don’t.
With benefits like this, your agency is at risk of falling behind if you don’t embrace the cloud. We at SIS know there are hundreds of cloud-based tools out there, and it can be tough to know which are best for your agency. To give you a leg up, we’ll be exploring the best cloud-based tools in our coming posts, so you can be sure to get the right tools to help your agency grow.
To find out more about SIS and how we can help your agency stay on the cutting edge, call us at 800-747-9273 or email [email protected].
From the moment you work up till now, you have likely utilized some form of technology to do something for you. Whether it was Alexa, Siri, Google Home, or some other type of digital assistant, you’re not alone in relying on technology to make your life easier. But,...
Like any agency owner, you’re always on the lookout for ways to bring in more business. Whether it’s referrals, renewals, or adding lines, the goal is to have more people engaged in more ways with you and your agency. A good first step to gaining business is looking...
A marketer’s goal is to find a reason to connect - a reason for the audience to care, to engage, to take any action. Otherwise, the message will be ignored, and time, effort, and money spent will be wasted. Yet, too often insurance agency marketing takes a “spray and...
The National Association of Partner Agents (NASPA), the official user group of the insurance agency management system Partner XE, will be hosting its national user conference in Columbus, Ohio April 24-25, 2014. The conference offers Partner XE users two days of networking, industry updates, and interactive work group sessions to keep users up-to-date on newest industry trends and developments of Partner XE.
Whether you’re ready or not, it’s coming: in April of this year, Windows will stop all support for its XP operating system, and your agency needs to be prepared by switching to an updated Windows. Although you might not feel the effects of the end of XP support right away, when you do it will be immediate and drastic, and will cause your agency more trouble than it’s worth to resist an upgrade.
The offices of 2013 are going unplugged. Look around any semi-modern independent insurance agency and you’ll see laptops and tablets have replaced desktops. Printers and scanners are wireless and cell phones have made handsets a thing of the past. What you don’t see is another part of this trend to unplug: the cloud.
