No one knows more about being a good partner than the Strategic Insurance Software team. A driving force of the SIS culture, working with and for our partner agencies is the cornerstone of our work. We asked SIS CEO Alex Deak to share what it means to go beyond a provider and become a partner for the many independent insurance agencies we serve.
- When did you start at SIS? What has your journey been like so far?
SIS has been providing service to independent insurance agencies since 1995. I got involved with SIS in 2008 as our parent organization, NuGrowth Solutions, was providing sales and marketing services to expand the market presence of Partner XE. When NuGrowth acquired SIS in 2009, I took on the role of CEO.
Working with the SIS team has been very rewarding. We work hard every day to improve our Partner XE system and the services provided to our partner agencies. Our investment in technology and people has increased our capability to serve a broader spectrum of agencies in terms of size, complexity, and lines of business. As the company has grown, we’ve been able to increase our investment and the pace at which we can improve to serve more clients.
- Describe the culture at SIS. How does it reflect your values as a company?
At SIS we say “Partner is who we are and Community is how we work.” Our goal is to build long-term partnerships with our customers, suppliers, and the organizations we connect with.
We operate in a highly collaborative team environment. We look to our customers to provide us insight into the capabilities and services that will help them most. Then, we work together to find a way to deliver good solutions through innovation and collaboration. Collaboration is a huge part of how we work. Each system update comes from the combined work of our team, our customers, and other technology organizations that have a good solution we can connect to Partner XE.
We value our customers and our relationships. I think that comes through in every interaction we have.
- What does it mean to you to be a partner to Partner XE agencies?
Partner is more than a brand or slogan for us; it’s how we do business. Partnership and relationship is everything to us.
We want healthy and valuable relationships that last many years and decades; just like the agencies we work with.
And we daily renew our commitment to make that happen. The biggest thing is to listen to our customers to learn who they are and what’s important to them. That allows us to serve them well, which is really our number one goal.
- What do you do on a daily basis to achieve that goal?
We want our customers to feel heard, that we care about what’s going on in their world. To let them know we are here to help. Even if we can’t provide a full solution immediately, we want our customers to feel we understand and will use all our resources to bring resolution.
- How would you describe the Partner XE User Community?
The Partner XE User Community is a highly active and collaborative group of our partner agencies. They’re interested in the same thing we are: serving their clients in a mutually beneficial way. They’re full of new ideas and inspire us to innovate Partner XE to not only do more, but do more of the things our customers really need. And they like to have fun along the way, making it even more enjoyable.
- What are some memorable moments you’ve experienced with the SIS team and Partner XE community?
I enjoy attending our Regional Learning workshops. They’re intimate, collaborative sessions focused on gaining new ideas and insights. Attendees are able to share learnings with each other and with the SIS team.
We usually have more than 20 people from 10 or more agencies, making it the right size to foster collaboration and innovation. It’s always interesting to see how each agency has a unique approach to their common daily operations.
At Regional Learnings, our customers constantly tell us they learned just as much from their fellow users as from our product experts. And the groups are lively. Both our team and the attendees always share a lot of laughs.
- What makes SIS different from other management system providers?
The thing that sets SIS and Partner XE apart is our focus on relationship and service. Our actions around those foci are important. It’s not just lip service. The features and technology part are important, but in the end, most management systems do similar things. We work with our clients to provide the capabilities they want, the way they want them, at a cost that makes sense. And when they have a question, suggestion, or idea, they can talk to someone who is ready to listen and do something about it.
- What is the most important thing you can provide for Partner XE agencies?
The most important thing we provide to Partner XE agency customers is trust. They can trust us to do the right thing, work to serve their needs every day, and be there when they need us.
Sarah Deak has been contributing to the SIS team since 2013, covering topics like agency perpetuation, workflow improvements, data security, and marketing. She has a background in small business, working with organizations to improve their online presence and client engagement. Sarah also writes for the SIS newsletters and website, and counts herself lucky to hear from our many passionate, hard-working clients for our client stories. Her favorite part about working for SIS are the dedicated, service-minded people.