Uncategorized Archives | Insurance Agency Management System by Strategic Insurance Software

InsureSign announces integration with Partner XE agency management system

News and Events, Product Updates, Uncategorized

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

InsureSign announces integration with Partner XE agency management system
— Users of Strategic Insurance Software’s system can now simplify life and improve efficiency with the seamless use of InsureSign’s easy e-signature software —

CHARLESTON, S.C. (APRIL 19, 2018) — Starting this month, Strategic Insurance Software’s (SIS) Partner XE users can begin easily and seamlessly securing signatures.

InsureSign, the e-sign tool trusted by tens of thousands of insurance professionals, today announced the launch of its integration with the Partner XE agency management system.

“Both SIS and InsureSign align on our missions to make the lives of insurance professionals easier, saving them time and eliminating common hassles,” said Joe Floyd, founder and CEO of InsureSign. “For SIS customers already used to Partner XE’S life-simplifying features, we’re proud to offer an additional tool for improving processes and servicing business even faster.”

The integration’s debut is part of a larger rollout by SIS of its new Partner XE 2018.2 this month.

“It’s important to us to build alliances and identify resources for our users that improve their work processes,” said Bryce Lee, director of product management for SIS. “We’re committed to continually look for ways to make our users’ lives easier. Through this integration, agents can now eliminate unnecessary steps and time-draining manual processes through easy-to-use solutions.”

Partner XE users can service insureds by securing signatures the fastest and easiest way possible via InsureSIgn. Not only do InsureSign users enjoy unlimited signatures, documents and templates each month, they can also enjoy the benefits of audit trails, auto reminders, auto archival, company branding and more.

InsureSign also offers three new premium features to “InsureSign Pro” users, including signing via text message, Gmail/Outlook integrations and custom landing pages.

About SIS
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Strategic Insurance Software (SIS) is the team behind Partner XE, an innovative web-based insurance agency management system helping independent agents break free from the status quo. Partner XE is easy to use, streamlines workflows and enables agencies to run their business more affordably and effectively. 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 .

About Partner XE

Supporting downloads from over 360 carriers, real-time interaction, integrated agency accounting, and much more, Partner XE is a full-featured agency management system at an affordable cost for the independent insurance agency.

InsureSign

InsureSign is the simplest, fastest and most secure way to get documents signed electronically. Trusted by thousands of businesses of all sizes across North America, InsureSign lets your customers easily sign your documents from their laptops, tablets and mobile devices – and even via text message. Curious future customers can try InsureSign free for 14 days at www.insuresign.com.

Media Contact:
Angela D’Amario
Angela@firebeegroup.com
770-310-1152

Strategic Insurance Software Promotes Michael Doran to President

Community, News and Events, Uncategorized

After two years growing SIS’ sales as EVP of Marketing and Sales, Michael Doran has been promoted to President.

The leadership team at Strategic Insurance Software (SIS) is pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Doran to President. In his new role, Doran will be responsible for all client-facing activities, including sales, account management, and client services.

“As SIS continues to grow and evolve, we are constantly evaluating our organization and roles to best service our customers,” said SIS CEO Alex Deak. “Michael’s commitment to serving SIS’ partner agencies and helping them improve their operations is demonstrated by the increase in sales over the past two years.”

Prior to his promotion, Doran spent two years as the EVP of Sales and Marketing for SIS. During that time, SIS increased sales by over 30% and customer count by over 13%. Doran’s oversight of SIS’ relationships with its partner agencies will help make customers’ transition from sales to implementation and service as smooth as possible.

Doran is excited about having the opportunity to make a bigger impact for SIS’ partner agencies: “We have a lot of great customers. The team is very excited as we continue to bring on new clients and find ways to better serve them as they transition to Partner XE and continue to help all of our agency clients get the most from their investment with us.”

Some of the upcoming initiatives that Doran will focus on in his new role include

Expanding the number of regional user conferences.
Forming more partnerships to support the best of breed approach that integrates Partner XE with other third party software used by independent insurance agencies.

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 visit www.sispartnerplatform.com.

2012 Conference Recap

Community, News and Events, Uncategorized

2012 Conference Recap

Alex Deak | President + CEO

The National Association of SIS Partner Agents (NASPA) Partner XE Today and Tomorrow conference held earlier this month was a great success. Many thanks to the NASPA board for helping to plan and organize this important event and to all those who made the trip to Columbus to join us.

The conference provided a wonderful opportunity to interact personally with NASPA members and share information about Partner XE and SIS. Attendees were treated to informative sessions from various members of the SIS Product Development and Client Support Team, industry experts, and fellow NASPA members.

All of the presentations given over the course of the two days can be accessed on PartnerNet.

The best part was the opportunity to meet and talk with Partner XE users. The input and feedback we received was tremendous and is extremely important to our planning. It’s clear from our discussions that NASPA members want more of these types of interactions and SIS supports that wholeheartedly! We are making plans for the next national conference in 2014 and in the meantime working with NASPA to organize regional user group meetings. If you have interest in helping to coordinate a meeting in your area, let your NASPA board know.

SIS is pleased and proud to be your partner in success. We look forward to continuing our long term relationship with you and delivering information systems and services to help you grow & manage your business. SIS is focused on serving the independent insurance agency and investing in people, relationships, and technology to continually improve the value we bring to our partnership. Look for the latest releases of Partner XE, our industry leading Outlook Plug-in and the introduction of Partner XE Mobile over the coming months.

I look forward to seeing you at the next NASPA user conference.

Data Security and Your Agency

by Sarah Deak | May 23, 2019

We’re living in a digital world. It’s estimated that by 2040, 95 percent of purchases will be via online methods. And with good reason – digital purchasing is faster, more efficient, and less expensive for both merchant and buyer. But there is still a part of digital business that looms: cyber-attacks on your insurance agency systems.

It’s reported that by 2018 nearly 70 percent of businesses experienced a cyber-attack. Even scarier, a Nationwide survey showed only 9 percent of companies said they were victims of an attack when in fact, after seeing a list of harmful activity, at least 50 percent had experienced one. Chances are those businesses didn’t know how to prevent an attack, either.

Get more detailed info on protecting your agency in our Cyber Security and Data Protection eGuide

Knowing the Threats

The first step to protecting your agency and its data is knowing what threats are out there. The most common threats are:

Viruses infecting systems and destroying data
Hackers breaking into systems and stealing personal data
Employees leaving systems open for passersby to see and steal info

Unfortunately, the last threat is more common than you may think. IBM and Ponemon’s Institute’s Cost of a Data Breach Study showed 27 percent of data attacks were due to human error while 25 percent were a system glitch. That’s over half of cyber weaknesses falling squarely in the laps of the victims.

Read more on how to keep your agency safe from cybersecurity experts in the industry

Implementing Insurance Agency System Solutions

The good news is you have control over these vulnerabilities. You can decrease your likelihood of attack through a few simple agency system solutions:

Limit access to sensitive data
Require multi-character encrypted passwords that change regularly to access data
Conduct background checks on employees who access sensitive information
Educate employees on best practices, such as only accessing data on private networks
House data on a secure, off-site server with redundant back-up and outsourced security monitoring
Regularly test your security systems, including drills for employees
Purchase liability insurance for your agency in case of unpreventable threats

Read the Top 4 Reasons to House Your Insurance Data Offsite on our blog

Finding a Partner You Can Trust

At SIS, we always have security top of mind. Every Partner Platform upgrade is coupled with security testing, ensuring we’re handing our Partner agencies a safe, secure, effective tool. And we leverage state-of-the-art technology to hold customer data in facilities with geographic redundancy, data encryption, and backups compliant with industry and government standards.

We work hard to earn and keep our Partner agencies’ trust. See what they have to say about our security and service: check out our Client Stories page to find out more.

Insurance Management System Musts: Integrated Text Messaging

by Sarah Deak | May 16, 2019

Close to 90% of people say they always have their smartphone close. That’s 90% of people who can read and respond to anything sent to their phone almost immediately. With that sort of accessibility, integrated texting is a critical insurance management system tool. Texting is a great way to get short, important messaging to your agency’s prospects and clients, providing the convenient communication they desire.

Texting and Your Agency: Efficiency and Safety

Texting is not only fast, it’s also effective: texting open rates are around 98% while email is still hovering around less than 25%. With texting, you can schedule messaging knowing the recipient will almost certainly read it.

Dive deeper into texting and your agency with our post on texting best practices

Beyond its speed and efficiency, texting can also be a great addition to your E&O toolbelt. Integrated texting allows you to capture everything you sent in your agency management system, attaching it to client and prospect profiles as needed. This allows you to have a permanent record of your conversation instantly.

And, texting is a lifesaver when it comes to claims management. Texting allows clients to take photos and send information the moment an accident happens, making the information that much more reliable. In many cases, texting is even better than opening an app as it requires no sign-in and it’s a process the client knows well.

Get best practices on all agency communications on the SIS blog

Texting and the Partner Platform

At SIS, we’ve worked with our customers to provide all the efficiencies they need while remaining E&O complaint. That’s why we added integrated texting to the Partner Platform.

Texting is integrated directly so our Partner agencies can send messages right through the system and replies will be captured and paired with prospect and client profiles. And, it’s easy for clients to opt-out per texting regulations. It’s just another way Partner Platform helps your agency get more done, better.

Learn more about our integrated texting, and other Partner Platform features: contact us today to view a demo and see how Partner Platform can transform your agency.

Insurance Agency Marketing for the Generations

by Sarah Deak | May 9, 2019

We’re on to part three of our look at insurance agency marketing to the generations with an analysis of the oft-stereotyped Baby Boomers. Born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, Boomers number an estimated 75.4 million in the U.S. Many are looking forward to retirement and have big plans for an active future.

Those big plans mean Boomers are prime consumers. Baby Boomers’ spending is estimated to increase by 58 percent over the next 20 years, while Millennials and Gen X will only increase spending by 24 percent. And, they’re doing more of their shopping online, spending more on average per transaction than Millennials.

These facts point to the same conclusion: Boomers are a powerful buying force. How do you harness that force for your agency?

Read Part One in our series: insurance marketing to the rising Generation Z

Get Personal

A recent study showed over 65 percent of Baby Boomers went for one-on-one meetings when seeking insurance. Boomer’s preference for personal interaction doesn’t stop there: the same study showed Boomers preferred any “live communication” during the purchasing process. Live communication includes over the phone and online chat – any method that gets them in touch with a real person in real-time.

Treat Them Well

It’s critical to provide great service to all customers regardless of age, but it’s especially important to Baby Boomers. They are the most likely to write off a company due to bad service. And, they’re loyal to good service. One study showed 54 percent were “very or somewhat likely” to stick with a business if their patronage was valued. Only 33 percent of Millennials agreed.

Take a look at Part Two on our series, focused on marketing to Generation X

Be Mobile Ready

Half of those 60 to 69 and almost 75 percent of people in the 50 to 59 age range own a smartphone. Yet, Boomers still face a persistent stereotype that they’re not tech savvy. Don’t be fooled. Boomers also own 1/3^rd of all tablets purchased in the U.S. Suffice to say Boomers expect websites to be mobile accessible.

Get Social

Social media continues to rise in popularity for Baby Boomers, with 82 percent belonging to at least one social platform. Though LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter are all in play, Facebook is by far the most used social platform by Boomers, coming in twice as popular as the rest. And, Boomers like to share what they find on social – they’re 19 percent more likely to do so than other generations.

Find out how to get your agency to Boomer’s scrolls in our post on Getting Your Website Seen and Heard

Use Your Words

Contrary to most marketing trends, Baby Boomers are reading what you write. They’re more likely to look at print and read whole articles than Millennials or Generation Z, so give them something to take in. When it comes to writing, Boomers look for straight talk and facts. They’ve been marketed to for years, growing up during the advertising boom, and are almost immune to gimmicky and salesy language. Be clear and honest, and avoid spelling and grammar mistakes as many Boomers take note of these small errors.

Avoid the Age Gap

Don’t call Boomers “old.” Just don’t.

Marketing to the Generations

If you’ve read the other posts in our series, you’ll know each generation is different and responds better to sometimes contrasting marketing methods. Such duplicity means you need varied marketing tactics, segmented to target each group individually.

The Partner Platform Marketing Automation Manager (MAM) is designed to tackle just this issue. With over 50 sample campaigns and 100 pre-built customizable outreach templates, Partner Platform’s MAM makes it easier to craft and send your agency messaging to a variety of audiences.

Get specifics on what MAM has to offer on our website. And while you’re there, sign up to view a demo of the system in action.