Your agency management system is a staple of operations, but is it living up to its full potential? Don’t get stuck in the routine or afraid to test out your system’s capabilities. Go beyond data entry to make the most of your management system and boost agency productivity.

Check out all the ways to utilize your system in our latest infographic, My Agency Management System Can Do That?!

The cloud had its time as the wave of the future, but now the future is here. Cloud based applications are the new norm; allowing successful agencies to be more flexible in their workspace, offering greater data security and keeping up with ever increasing bandwidth needs. The cloud isn’t limited to online data backups or document sharing either. More and more daily business operations are moving to cloud based systems.

This eGuide will focus on how cloud apps can boost your agency’s efficiency. We’ll also take a look at some of the most popular apps—giving insight into their capabilities so you can tell which best fit your agency’s needs. With so many apps out there, we need two eGuides to fit them all in, so stay tuned for Cloud Apps Part II, which will be published in the coming months.

What’s Inside

• Intro: Improving Agency Communication through the Cloud
• Step 1: Upgrade and Save on Phone Service
• Step 2: Keep Your Inbox Safe and Spam–Free
• Step 3: Make Client Communication Easy and Secure
• Step 4: Take Everything You Need On–the–Go

There are hundreds of cloud apps out there that can help your agency communicate better— but taking on all these apps at once may cause information overload. We’ve broken down the process of integrating these applications into your agency so you can take things one step at a time. By following this path to better communication, you’ll find your agency can communicate better, and at a much lower cost than you might think. In part one of our cloud apps eGuide, we looked at ways your agency can improve its everyday tasks using cloud applications. In part two, we’ll focus on your agency’s communication methods, helping you access, gather and share information faster and more effectively.

What’s Inside

• Intro: Improving Agency Communication through the Cloud
• Step 1: Upgrade and Save on Phone Service
• Step 2: Keep Your Inbox Safe and Spam–Free
• Step 3: Make Client Communication Easy and Secure
• Step 4: Take Everything You Need On–the–Go

The decision to automate your agency or to change your current Agency Management System is a challenging endeavor—figuring out which one to choose, even more so.

Depending on which system you choose, your agency management system will have the functionality to be so much more than a simple database program that houses the names and contact information of your clients. It will empower you to make critical business decisions by providing visibility into all facets of your agency. It will also enhance customer service, streamline workflow and increase employee productivity in addition to providing E&O protection and much more.

There are currently more than 70 Agency Management Systems on the market, all with varying levels of functionality, support and pricing, and even in a best case scenario converting from one system to another is an investment in the future that takes time and resources.

For these reasons and more, taking the time up front to determine which system and vendor makes the most sense for your agency is very important.

Windows, one of the most popular operating systems, has announced it will be phasing out support on its XP system, with no support offered after April 8th, 2014. If you’re not using XP, this news may not mean much to you and your agency—but if you’re still using XP as your main operating system or still have some old computers running XP then it’s time to sit up and listen. This end in support means an end to using XP, and the beginning of your operating system upgrade.

Switching to a new operating system is normal: new systems are introduced frequently as technology improves. You aren’t the first agency to make this switch and you won’t be the last. Although it may take a little work on the front end, switching over from XP now will all pay off by making your agency run smoother. This eGuide—which hits the “whats,” “whys” and “hows” of an operating system upgrade—is designed to help you through the transition.

What’s Inside

• Introduction
• What Does It All Mean?
• Why It Matters to Your Agency
• How to Make the Switch
• Which System to Choose
• Making the Switch