Marketing, Technology Trends
3 tools insurance agencies can use to maximize their Facebook reach
While there is a lot of buzz about social media these days, there are still quite a number of folks who question its effectiveness as a marketing tool. Some because they don’t understand it, others because there only exposure has been seeing updates about their neighbors new dog, or what their old high school friend is making for dinner. In reality the practice of using Facebook as a marketing tool is alive and well in both the B2B and B2C sectors.
In case you are wondering if Facebook is really a good place to create brand awareness for your agency, consider the following stats (taken from Facebook).
- Facebook has more than 800 million active users
- More than 50% of these active users log on to Facebook in any given day
- The average Facebook user has 130 friends
- The average Facebook user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
But just having a company page won’t do much for you. Just as with any other form of marketing, you need a consistent and well thought out plan in order to make the most of Facebook. You also need to know how to use the tools it has to offer.
Reading the following article is a step in the right direction.
In a recent article for ACT, Three Tools for Maximizing Your Agency’s Facebook Reach, Progressive’s Kevin Ament gives an easy-to-understand primer for agents looking to expand their sphere of influence in the social media world – specifically with Facebook.
He explains step by step how you can effectively use the Tagging, Questioning and Contest features to “extend your reach on Facebook, engage existing fans and build connections with other businesses in your community.”
- Tagging – “By tagging their Facebook pages, 1,000 additional fans (primarily small business owners and motorcycle owners) have the opportunity to see your update.
- Questioning – “As your fans vote, the poll posts to their individual News Feeds, bringing your philanthropic message to their friends and family.”
- Contest – “Using a third party vendor, Facebook allows you to host contests on your agency’s page. You can choose from several different types, including photo, video, sweepstakes, trivia and more. These contests can be used to build Facebook fans, generate customer engagement, and leverage your fans’ networks to generate prospects and build broader awareness of your agency.”
Read the full article
Agency Operations, Choosing an Agency Management System, Technology Trends
Streamline Workflow With Your Agency Management System
Training, support & timely upgrades help agencies maximize impact of insurance software
When it comes right down to it, who doesn’t want to make their business more efficient? No matter how much you get done, there always seems like you could do more, given the time. Fortunately technology just keeps getting better and better and insurance agency management systems are no different. The trick is working with a partner that will upgrade and adjust without forcing you to switch platforms, keeping up with the technology and knowing how to use it to successfully streamline your business operations.
As Clare DeNicola recently wrote an article for PropertyCasualty 360º entitled Automation Technology Can Successfully Transform Business, “When implementing technology internally, a strategy that incorporates training, education, online resources, or all of the above, is essential to the project’s success. After all, if no one uses the technology, a lot of time and money has been wasted.”
While the focus of her article was on the reasons why more carriers need to implement Real-time technology, there are many parallels with an agency implementing an agency management system.
When evaluating agency management systems, keep these things in mind.
- Your system needs to be easy enough to use that people will actually use it.
- You need to get adequate training and support in order to realize all the benefits a system has to offer.
- You need to be able to get questions answered quickly.
- And, more specifically, Real-time is essential to getting things done quickly and efficiently.
As we discussed in previous blogs, you also need to consider whether or not your agency management system partner backs their product with exceptional service and commitment to growth.
Just as there is no doubt that automation can enhance and streamline your business, there is also no doubt that what is new today will be old tomorrow. That it is why it is so important to work with a partner like SIS who is committed to listening to the needs of their clients and continually working to upgrade their product.
Find out why so many agencies have been switching to the Partner XE agency management system from SIS. Call 800-747-9273 or click here to get in touch with a representative.
Choosing an Agency Management System
Finding the Right Insurance Agency Management System Partner
Choosing an insurance agency management system is more than just selecting the insurance software that works best for you. It is also about selecting a partner you are comfortable with – one that you know has your best interests in mind, one that will continue to evolve and improve their product without asking you to switch platforms and one who will be around for the long haul.
As we said in our last blog post, Choosing the right system, when you are considering a new insurance agency management system, you need to look at more than just the features a system offers. You need to look at:
- How it will enhance your agency productivity,
- How well the product is serviced, and
- Whether or not it is capable of growing with your agency.
While the answer to some of those questions lies in the feature the product offers, the answer to others lies in your agency management system partner’s commitment to understanding the evolving needs of an independent agent and whether or not they embrace an environment of continuous improvement.
Look for an agency management system partner who is:
- Stable: Nothing good comes from changing relationships every couple of years. Instead of buying from a small vendor who will soon be “gobbled up” by a bigger one, look for a team with a proven history of success who will be around for the long haul. Take the step of asking their owners about their growth plans.
- Committed: Find a partner who is committed to evolving and improving their product without forcing you to switch platforms.
- Progressive: Find a partner who is not satisfied with the status quo – who is always searching for ways to serve you better.
- Responsive: Find a partner who values your input and will take your advice into consideration when upgrading the system. In addition, good personal customer service is a must.
- Independent: The benefit of an independent partner like SIS is that we only answer to our clients – not investors.
SIS is that partner – stable, committed, progressive, responsive and independent, we are here for you.
Find out why so many agencies have been switching their agency management system to Partner XE from SIS. Call 800-747-9273 or click here to get in touch with a representative.
News and Events, Product Updates
SIS is pleased to announce the release of Partner XE V 1.7.
The new release features a number of upgrades that came about as a result of input provided last spring by a NASPA work group formed in late 2010 to review the overall functionality of the system.
Watch for a message from Partner XE as to when it is available for your agency.
Among other things, this new version features ENHANCED CERTIFICATES WORKFLOW.
Including:
- Streamlined handling of Certificate Renewal process
- Added Certificate view filter
- Enhanced batch printing capability, and
- Improved flooding of policy data
We have also added the ability to open documents with a Windows default viewer, improved our ability to print ACORD 125 forms for all commercial lines policies, added new accounting reports and added the ability to export reports to CSV format.
In addition, as part of what will continue to be an ongoing process, we have improved server communication, overall performance and response time. Recognizing that network interruptions can impact user experience, we will persist in our efforts to ensure that Partner XE handles these more efficiently.
The automatic update will start this week with the anticipation that all agencies will be upgraded in the next few weeks.
To assist you with any questions you may have about the new and/or upgraded features, we are in the process of putting together an FAQ document and a demonstration video which you will be able to access through PartnerNet, the new online resource for Partner XE users. If you have not yet registered for PartnerNet, please do so by logging into www.partnerxe.net as soon as possible. Each individual who logs on will be asked to register with a user name and a password.
Choosing an Agency Management System
How to Choose the Right Insurance Agency Management System
At SIS we realize that everyone has choices when it comes to deciding which insurance agency management system will best fill their needs. There are online systems and desktop systems. There are Citrix-based systems and Windows-based systems. There are systems that are high on functionality but low on usability and others that may not have all the bells and whistles but accomplish more because the features are easier to use. There are systems that work only up until a point and others that are scalable (more…)
