Jun 11, 2013
Bothell, WA – June 11, 2013 – Vertafore (http://www.vertafore.com), the leading provider of software that transforms the business of insurance, today released its top three tips for new or established small agencies seeking to grow and maximize productivity.
- Make modern technology your best friend. Starting a new agency or updating one that has outdated technology may seem daunting, but it you will be glad you did. Deploying technology that is integrated and automates common processing tasks increases productivity and frees up agency staff to focus on serving customers. Modern technology can significantly reduce the time it takes to onboard each new employee giving you more capacity to support your new customers as your agency grows.
- Live in the cloud. The insurance customer of the 21st century demands reliable 24/7 service. However, if you are a small agency, then you are in the community that relies on you to protect their risk. If an unforeseen disaster occurs and your data and technology is onsite in your agency, you will be down when your customers need you the most. Additionally, small agencies are often limited in space, and maintaining data servers onsite poses not only risks, but on-going costs and it limits your capacity for staff that could be selling or servicing clients.
- Be Mobile. Get closer to the customer. Mobile technology will help you build quality relationships faster with customers and prospects by being free to work from anywhere. Whether a producer is in the field with a customer or running around the office, mobile technology not only empowers users to multitask, the functionality and information available on a tablet or smartphone is like having an additional employee at your fingertips.
Tom Mere Insurance Agency knows this well, thankfully they had updated their technology and moved into the cloud just in time. Three days after the agency migrated to AMS360, their office experienced a fire that covered the entire building with heavy soot damage.
"Our initial thought was – "how are we going to get through this and continue with daily business operations to meet customer needs?" said Vicki Mere of Tom Mere Insurance Agency. "Our server was damaged as well as the files. Our next immediate thought was we had just gone live with AMS360 online and now was the best time to test it out. We were amazed that with AMS360 online we could set up a new "office" in less than 10 minutes. It was a true business saver. All we needed was a computer and internet and we were back in business."
"Vertafore is committed to driving the industry and its customers forward whether it be through innovative technology or simple tips that will help agencies grow and be of value to the insured," said Bruce Winterburn, vice president of industry relations for Vertafore. "No matter the size of the agency we are unwavering in our mission to transform the business of insurance."