Each independent insurance agency is different. The people, the community, the ways of doing business are unique. Yet, too often these exceptional agencies are forced into a box with their insurance management system. These flat, one-size fits all “solutions” can stunt an agency’s growth.
Many may answer that it’s “just the way it is” regarding management systems and providers. But, you don’t have to settle. There are better solutions out there – if you know what to look for in a provider. Start by asking the right questions:
Are you involved in industry groups?
The answer to this question tells you whether or not the provider is innovative and collaborative. Industry group like Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD), Agents Council for Technology (ACT), Associations & User Groups Information Exchange (AUGIE), and IVANS connect individuals working in multiple areas of insurance, creating a breeding ground for new ideas. And, these groups provide ample opportunity for learning about industry trends and up-and-coming technology. You want your provider to be on the inside.
Learn about some of our industry partners
Can your system do _______?
Fill in the blank. A quality provider should be able to say “yes” or “not yet.” Look for someone who will tailor their agency management system to your needs. Smart providers know one system can’t be everything for everyone, so they provide customizations for agencies to build their ideal.
Who decides on updates?
Figure out who makes decisions on what to add to the management system. The best providers look to their customers to know what’s needed. At SIS, we reach out to users regularly, organize workgroups around specific capabilities, and meet with our Partner XE user community board often to decide which enhancements to target next.
Read more on the Partner XE user community
What updates are on the horizon?
Get a sense of how often and what type of updates are provided. Annual or semi-annual updates are best. These updates should be a mix of adding and enhancing capabilities.
How do you help your customers keep up with updates?
Ask about online and in-person trainings and on-going support. An update may be well designed, but if you don’t know how to put it into practice, it’s useless. See if the provider is willing to not only target updates to your agency but also help your staff adjust and enhance their workflows.
See how SIS provides targeted training for our partner agencies
What’s your goal?
At SIS, we strive for an impactful goal: to help our clients succeed, grow, and serve their customers better. Everything we do circles around creating and maintaining a partnership to foster that end with each of our partner agencies.
Our active partnership with users benefits each agency and the collective Partner XE user group. Regular updates stem from our partner agencies. We then work with the best breed of solutions, producing the right set of capabilities to help them better serve their customers.
You can find out more about our partnership with our agency user community by reading our client stories, or you can contact us directly at [email protected].
Alex is one of the founders of NuGrowth Solutions and CEO of Strategic Insurance Software, acquired by NuGrowth in 2009. He has held a variety of leadership roles in technology-oriented software and services businesses from the early days of the Internet to today’s cloud environment. Over the course of his career, he has earned recognition from a variety of sources, including a PCWeek cover article where he was recognized as one of the “New Breed” of innovative, creative CIO’s, and a “Forty Under 40” award by Business First Magazine of Columbus, Ohio.