I’m always keeping a pulse on insurance industry resources. It’s part of my daily routine: a cup of coffee and my favorite blogs, twitter handles, or podcasts help me stay in the know on what’s happening in the independent insurance universe.
Though these online resources are great, it’s even better when I can get together with other industry professionals to exchange ideas and encourage progress. With industry groups, I get daily updates and in-person meetings through conferences and other events.
We at SIS participate in many influential industry groups. Below are a few of our “must joins” for those looking to stay connected in insurance.
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The Partner XE User Community
The Partner XE User Community is made up of all our Partner XE users. One of the main goals of this community is to shape the future of the Partner XE management system. In this user community, agents can access the product roadmap and understand what SIS has planned for upcoming releases.
Agencies can also communicate what they’d like to see changed or improved in the Partner XE system. Improvements could be a change in workflow, an additional feature or enhancement to an existing feature, or an integration with a third-party product their agency is using or would like to use.
The Partner XE Community also has an active User Board made up of nine agencies from across the United States. Board member are great contacts for Partner XE users to voice their ideas for improvements or about questions regarding how to maximize system use.
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Agents Council for Technology (ACT)
Led by Executive Director Ron Berg, Agents Council for Technology (ACT) is an essential group for agents to keep up with technological advancements, and their risks, in the industry. ACT has several simultaneous workgroups running focused on disaster planning for agency owners, security best practices, changing nature of risk, new technologies, and much more.
The organization also holds in-person meetings throughout the year, usually tied to a Solution Providers User Group conference. The ACT group is made up of agents, solutions providers (i.e. agency management systems, esignature companies, and VOIP), carrier representatives and industry influencers.
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Associations and User Groups Information Exchange (AUGIE)
The Associations and User Group Information Exchange (AUGIE) was created to “bring together industry leaders and create a focus on insurance industry efforts”, with a specific attention to independent agents and brokers. AUGIE brings together carriers, agents, and management system providers to create a hub for innovation and improvement.
AUGIE always has an eye on market changes. It prioritizes a few key areas, including eDocs and Messages Download, claims download, and commercial lines download. Partner agents can attend bi-annual meetings and participate in workgroups focused on technology and interactions with insurance carriers. It’s a great organization for agencies looking to maximize technologies available in the industry.
SIS as an Industry Leader
No man is an island: nor should any insurance industry service provider operate alone! We at SIS are highly involved with the above industry groups, including sponsoring and actively participating in AUGIE’s Advisory Board since 1995. We feel it’s important to interface regularly with other industry players; it helps us stay hungry and independent.
Check out our full list of industry partners on our Industry Partners page. Want to learn more about how we connect and collaborate for continual improvements? Contact us at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.
Bryce Lee has been a part of the Strategic Insurance Software team since 2009, working in a variety of capacities including client acquisition and implementation, agency training and account management. As Partner XE Product Manager Bryce collaborates with the Partner XE User Community, industry partners, and business partners to set the vision and priorities for the Partner XE roadmap.
He organizes and leads product workgroups and manages the team creating product and user requirements. Bryce is an AUGIE Ambassador and highly involved with ACT. He also serves as an advisor to the Partner XE User Community Board.