Marketing, News and Events, Product Updates
SIS Announces Release of Partner XE Agency Management System V. 1.6
To serve you better, the SIS product development team has been working hard to enhance the overall function of our Partner XE agency management system, addressing your requests and adding new capabilities. As a result of their efforts, as of today the release of Partner XE version 1.6 is just about complete.
Here is a quick overview of some of the new and enhanced functions you will find:
Enhanced Marketing Campaign Functions
- Newly added Marketing System Searches (with prefix MK under Policy System Search) will pull the appropriate name and address information for use with direct mail campaigns.
- We have also included a link to our direct mail partner, AMG. AMG offers pre-formatted insurance marketing campaigns at a special rate for Partner XE customers.
New Searches/Reports
- Downloaded policy reports now include Producer Code and Agency Code information which will make it simpler for agencies with multiple producers and locations see what policies are being downloaded.
- In addition, we have added a new Individuals with a Birthday in a Specific Month by Producer report so you can easily acknowledge these important dates with birthday cards or letters.
- Another new report entitled Clients Without Email Addresses was added to make it quick and easy for you to identify which clients to ask for this important contact information. Because so much communication with your clients is done via email, this will give you a quick snapshot of those missing it.
Additional Updates/Enhancements
- Over 160 Partner Forms have been updated to the most recent ACORD version plus the following specific issues have been addressed:
– ACORD 28 – Evidence of Commercial Property Insurance fixed to save all edit changes
– ACORD 90 – Texas Personal Auto Application editing issue fixed
– ACORD 37 – ACORD Statement of No Loss header flooding issue fixed
– ACORD 126 – CGL Application form Schedule of Hazards Classification field wrap issue fixed
The release of Partner XE version 1.6 came about in part due to the input we received from NASPA . As always, we value the input provided by NASPA and appreciate their role as a clearinghouse of ideas. If you are interested in participating in and contributing to one of their work groups, please contact John Heinsz at [email protected].
Agency Operations, Marketing
Our last post focused on targeting. This one will focus on how to open your clients’ and prospects’ eyes to what you have to offer.
Even when marketing to a targeted list, it is not likely that everyone will be ready to buy right away. The trick is to start the conversation – to open eyes and ears to the benefits of your solution by providing education based content that makes buyers think about all the reasons why they SHOULD be interested.
As business growth expert, Chet Holmes wrote in his book, “The Ultimate Sales Machine,” at any given time only 3% of people are actually buying, another 6-7% are open to it 30% aren’t thinking about it, 30% don’t think they are interested, and 30% know they are not interested.
Given this information, your job is to create a message which will pique the interest of all involved.
Don’t just sell your product or service. Provide credible information that validates the need for your solution.
An education-based sales approach removes the prospects’ initial apprehensions and replaces them with a level of trust.
If you need assistance in maximizing the marketing potential of your Partner XE agency management system, just give us a call at 800.747.7005, Option 2.
Agency Management System Best Practices, Agency Operations
Use your Partner XE insurance software to track conversations and set reminders.
One of the best marketing features within your Partner XE agency management system is the ability to track conversations and set reminders. If, for example, you want to run a targeted drip marketing campaign you can use the system to:
- Create your list
- Send the mailings
- Set up reminders so that you stay on track and your mailings go out at set intervals
- Set reminders for follow up calls
It won’t make your phone calls for you, but it will make sure that, with everything else going on, you don’t forget them!
In addition, every conversation, or email communication you have with that client/prospect is tracked within the system, easily accessible with a few clicks of the mouse – not only that, everything is retained in a file that is time and date stamped.
If you need assistance in maximizing the marketing potential of your Partner XE agency management system, just give us a call at 800.747.7005, Option 2.
Community, News and Events, Product Updates
By now you have probably noticed our new look and new branding, launched in late December to reflect our vision for SIS as we enter a new era in our history. These are just the first of a number of improvements you will see as we begin a new decade of growth and ongoing partnership with you.
We are continually adding new clients and increasing the number of systems we support – a trend which will serve to strengthen the voice of the NASPA group and provide additional feedback for future product enhancements.
Here are just a few of the ways we are working to serve you better.
NASPA Work Groups
The National Association of SIS Partner Agents (NASPA) is currently forming two separate work groups to provide the SIS team with user input and suggestions on on-going product enhancements.
Each of the two groups will focus on one of the following:
- Enhancements to Partner XE certificates and forms
- Future enhancements to the Partner XE product
We value the input provided by NASPA and appreciate their role as a clearinghouse of ideas. If you are interested in participating in and contributing to either of the two work groups, please e-mail NASPA Board President John Heinsz at [email protected].
Product Enhancements
As we continue to work in conjunction with NASPA to enhance our agency management system, our immediate focus is to improve the overall function of Partner XE’s forms and certificates.
We have received reports from some Partner XE users of slower than expected response times. Our investigations have found, thus far, that the response issues stem from a combination of local network, internet, and product interaction.
We understand the importance of product performance to your business. We have a team working to improve the efficiency of the system, looking at all aspects – from the client application to the networks, servers and databases.
Our next product release, planned for the coming months will target the concerns with forms, certificates, and response times. We also plan to have one to two more releases by the end of this year based on NASPA’s direction and your feedback.
Operations
In order to improve our operations and ensure that we are always up to date with the most recent security releases from Microsoft, we have redefined our maintenance windows to include a Wednesday update in addition to the long standing Sunday update.
Our new schedule is as follows:
- Operating System Updates: Wednesday 10:00 PM to Midnight Eastern Time
- Major Product Updates: Sundays 6:00 AM to Noon Eastern Time
The Wednesday night update is intended to keep the system current with Microsoft’s latest operating system patches. Microsoft releases their updates on the second Tuesday of the month which we will then deploy in a managed fashion the following night.
While these updates will typically only take place once a month, we are reserving the slot weekly in order to be able to accommodate any emergency updates that might arise.
Sundays were chosen for the major updates, simply because our records show this to be the least used time on the system. As always, we will still make our best effort to announce well in advance if we plan to use that allotted time.
If you haven’t yet taken a look at our new website, or subscribed to the RSS feed for our new blog, we hope that you will take a minute now and do so. For the month of February, blog topics will focus on getting the most out of Partner XE’s marketing capabilities. March topics will cover Software as a Service.
Agency Management System Best Practices, Agency Operations, Marketing
Your Insurance Software Can be a Valuable Marketing Tool
A 2009 JD Powers report stated that “In this mature market, individual insurance companies tend toward a zero sum game, where the growth of one company, comes at the expense of another. To grow, an insurer must both protect its current book of business and conquest new customers.”
Most new customers, then, come at the expense of another insurer. Which side of the equation would you rather be on? How are you targeting those folks who are shopping?
Your Agency Management System Provides a Framework for Success
Focus can make all the difference. Because it gives you the ability to run queries to pinpoint your mailings to a specific demographic, track conversations, and schedule follow up calls, Partner XE helps you focus your efforts efficiently and effectively.
We have talked about some of the ways you can use your Partner XE agency management system to target, mail to, and track conversations with your current clients. Although the parameters used for your queries might be different, you can do the same for prospects.
Import Prospect Lists for Expanded Reach
You can run lists out of your Partner XE prospect database OR you can import a list into the system, and run your query to target a specific demographic. As long as your list is in Excel or CSV format, you can import it into your system using the utilities tab. This feature can be very beneficial for a new producer, especially one who has purchased a prospect list from an outside source.
If you need assistance in maximizing the marketing potential of your Partner XE agency management system, just give us a call at 800.747.7005, Option 2.
