The best-performing U.S. independent insurance agencies provide great customer service, implement efficient technology, and have fun doing business, according to IIABA Best Practices information highlighted in the newest podcast produced by technology vendor Applied Systems, Inc.
Interviewed in a Leadership Series podcast posted today, Madelyn H. Flannagan, Vice President, Education and Research at IIABA (Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America), lists a number of qualities the Best Practices program found are common among the nation’s top-performing agencies. To hear the complete podcast interview, search ‘Applied Systems’ in iTunes, or visit the Appliedcast Channel at www.appliedsystems.com.
Technology is among the efficient processes implemented by the best agencies, Flannagan says. “We did a subset study last year and really looked at the technology processes of these agencies,” Flannagan says. “They are absolutely taking it to the next level. They are being very consistent in how they implement that technology. They’re doing most of that work internally, and they’re relying on their vendors to help them.”
Flannagan also discusses the IIABA’s gradual approach for agencies that want to improve their performance: “One of the things our carriers have asked us to do is implement bite-sized pieces in an online environment, so an agency can log on and say, ‘This is my particular problem; what do I do?’ Then they walk through the process and use that tool to help them. Over time and over repeated use of that system, they’ll be able to implement a whole series of Best Practices in their agencies and grow.”
Applied Systems, Inc., develops and supports insurance agency management systems and provides services for accounting, customer, policy, claims management, and all related agency functions. More than 126,000 users in 11,000 agencies of every size and complexity level use Applied Systems technology and services. The company leads the industry in agency-carrier real-time and batch communication solutions. Applied Systems automates insurance transactions at every distribution level from consumer through carrier, providing technical support and professional services to maximize customers’ return on investment.