New Chapter Committee Seeks Your Input
As NetVU welcomes the 2011-2012 Chapter Committee members, they are welcoming your thoughts and ideas. Committees depend not just on the leadership of the volunteer members, but the input and feedback from the entire membership, as well. Each of the NetVU Chapters are unique, and have local and/or subject-specific needs; communicating those needs will help the committee respond more effectively.
If you have suggestions or want to reach out, feel free to contact one of the committee members listed below.
Leadership Workshop a Hit!
This year’s Leadership Workshop was a huge success, but rather than having NetVU staff try to convince you of that fact, we’re just going to let a few of the people who were there tell you.
“Initially, I felt I couldn't afford to be out of the office and was hesitant on attending. After the first afternoon sessions, I was happy that I took the opportunity to attend the conference. Working together with the other participants, the NetVU officers and Vertafore staff was not only a terrific learning experience but the contacts that I've made are invaluable. I believe all new officers should attend.”
Lu O’Connor, Tawas Bay Agency Inc.
“I met many new people and came back with some great ideas
for education events for our local Chapter in Houston.
Thanks so much to the NetVU staff for planning and hosting the event.”
Nancy E. Mitchell, CPA, SSA, BBVA Compass Bank - Insurance Services
“I learned so much, picked up some great ideas, and met so many wonderful people.
And let’s not forget about all the FUN! NetVU staff did a fantastic job
planning and hosting this event.
The topics were timely and relevant and delivered by top-notch speakers.
I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic group! See you all next year!”
Teri Cote, First Main Street
All handouts are posted on NCOM under NetVU Chapters – General Discussion.
Don’t miss out next year. Save the date and budget to get as many leaders as possible to the next workshop June 8 - 9, 2012 at the South Lake Hilton, in South Lake, Texas.
Distinguished Chapters Honored with 2011 Awards
BenefitPoint, Georgia NetVU and Rocky Mountain Chapters were honored for outstanding work this year, at the Leadership Workshop held last month in Grapevine, Texas.
Rookie of the Year
As a new virtual Chapter, BenefitPoint’s focus was on providing education and networking capabilities for all users. Filling a vital niche for the “average user who cannot make it to conference,” the BenefitPoint Chapter had 83 agencies join in this first year with an average of over 30 agencies attending the webinars, according to Chapter Vice President Craig McDonald.
Follow-up surveys of participants to the webinars on content, presentations and speakers showed all having received excellent ratings. As a result of this work, the Chapter is also seeing more activity on their LinkedIn and NCOM groups. “Reaching that many agencies in our first few classes in our opinion is a great achievement, particularly for a new Chapter that only meets virtually,” said Craig McDonald.
Chapter of the Year
As Chapter of the Year winner, Georgia NetVU leveraged all the tools available to them from NetVU. NetVU Community (NCOM) was used to post information about upcoming meetings. Vertafore played an active and consistent role at all their meetings often having multiple staff attending and speaking.
In addition to the quarterly meetings held for the past 15+ years, they are adding two virtual meetings to supplement their already full schedule. Being the first Chapter to offer Continuing Education credit, Georgia demonstrates why strong Chapters are vital to the success of NetVU.
Reflecting that “giving back” attitude, Georgia supported a number of important causes from supporting financially the Hope Center, a pregnancy resource center in North Atlanta for teens, to the internationally based medical missions program. “Each of these activities demonstrates to the community the civic minded, socially responsible focus the insurance industry has,” said Cheryl Huff, Georgia NetVU president.
Phoenix
Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Rocky Mountain showed what is possible when even the smallest of embers still burn. Having once been a vital group, Rocky Mountain suffered through 18 long months of inactivity, but a core of dedicated members breathed life back into it. Starting with two, full-day membership meetings per year which gathered between 22 – 35 people at each to now planning some “mini” social gatherings focused on networking and open discussions among members.
Tapping the membership, presentations at these meetings have covered a range of topics from Certificates to Time Management to AMS360 Demos and Social Networking. Vertafore participation has been on the rise and their fall membership meeting was held at the Vertafore facility in Boulder, CO.
Chapter President Teri Cote, CISR, CPIW, says, “Rocky Mountain AMSUG has placed top priority this year on modeling our local group to the NetVU core mission and ensuring compliance with NetVU Standard Operating Procedures. We will see many changes over the remainder of the year as we follow our Action Plan to carry out these goals.”
Each of these Chapters has reinforced how very important to NetVU their growth and development is. If you’d like your Chapter to be considered for next year’s awards, which will be given out at the Leadership Workshop in South Lake, Texas, then let us know what you’re up to and how your Chapter is making a difference.
Help NetVU Spread the Word of the Correct Spelling of Our Name
What's in NetVU’s Name?
Some folks have asked if the NetVU name is a derivation of "net view" or something else that would shorten to NetVU. But our U is capitalized for a reason: YOU!!
So what's in the name? The Network of Vertafore Users. At NetVU, the U is for you... the User!
Virtual Meeting? Virtually Runs Itself
Virtual Meetings are a great way to supplement your face-to-face meetings.
Do you still have AfW users wanting education, but find when you offer them the education the turnout is low? Try adding an hour virtual meeting just for your AfW users. You can provide the education they want at a very low cost.
Looking for a way to offer advanced meeting topics but not everyone is at that level. Have a virtual meeting the month before to give everyone the background knowledge, so your face-to-face meeting can get deeper into the topic.
Virtual meetings are easy. No breakfast, lunch or snacks to worry about. No speaker travel costs. NetVU offers the use of its Microsoft Live Meeting at a pass-through cost. We will help you every step of the way from setting up the Microsoft Live Meeting and sending out the login instructions, to even being on the webinar to help facilitate. If you are interested in a virtual meeting, contact Sara Kruger at sara@netvu.org.
NCOM Grows as Participation Builds
June was one of the most active months for networking ever, going all the way back to WebBoard and eCommunities. With more than a thousand posts from members, averaging over 50 posts per business day, NCOM is growing not only in numbers but also in the level of activity.
If you’re one of the more than 3,000 people currently leveraging NCOM, you probably noticed several new updates released this past month, including:
- Revamped private message center
- Star rating system that lets users rate the topic and poster
- NCOM Junkie Leader Board where the top 10 posters rated by users are displayed on the NetVU home page
- NetVU gets social with Twitter right on the home page with a live feed
Of the 26 different Community groups on NCOM, the most active five for the month of June are:
- AMS360
- AMS360 R&D
- The Lounge
- Sagitta
- WorkSmart R&D
In addition, NetVU Chapters are beginning to see the tremendous value in NCOM for coordinating meetings, sharing information, and extending discussions well beyond the events themselves.
Don’t be that person standing in the corner talking to them; join the conversation on NCOM and share your thoughts.
Need help getting started NetVU is here to help, contact Sara Krueger at sara@netvu.org.
Chapters Helping the Community
Social responsibility and giving back to the community is the cornerstone of the independent agency’s culture. NetVU Chapters have embodied that philosophy and demonstrate its members’ commitment every day.
One such example can be seen in the effort of the NetVU Red River Users Group’s recent clothing drive to help the unfortunate people who suffered the storms in Joplin, Missouri. Through their efforts coupled with those from the Galyean Insurance Agency, customers and neighbors, a total of 400 boxes of clothing, 30 clean-up buckets and three boxes of toiletries were distributed to those families in need.
This giving back to the community happens throughout the network of NetVU Chapters. If your Chapter has a story it wants to share, please contact Sara Krueger at sara@netvu.org.
Get to Know My Vertafore
By: Brian Berg, Vice President, Vertafore Professional Services
If you
haven't had a chance to visit My Vertafore — Vertafore’s new
support portal — take a look! We’ve invested in world-class support technology so
you have access to the information you need when you need it.
We also
offer more ways to reach us immediately—via phone, web or interactive
chat. My Vertafore (support.vertafore.com) includes a robust
knowledge base to help you find relevant solutions quickly and easily. Look for
links to subscribe to content, recommend changes, and provide feedback as you
navigate the site.
Check
out these great resources we've compiled about My Vertafore. Some articles require that you sign in:
- If you had a FOCUS account, but do not know your
username or password for My Vertafore please refer to "If this is
your first visit to My Vertafore please click here to read this important
message" (DOC ID: ALR13)
- If you are having trouble signing into My Vertafore
please refer to "Login Troubleshooting for My Vertafore"
(DOC ID: SOL24984)
- If you did not have a FOCUS or My Vertafore account
refer to "How to register for the My Vertafore" (DOC ID: SOL24981)
- Principals and system administrators will want to refer
to "How to add new employees and remove employees from My
Vertafore"—this includes information about an important security
option (DOC ID: SOL24985 - to access this article, you'll need to
login to My Vertafore)
- If you have a My Vertafore account, but do not have the
ability to submit a case please refer to "Unable to submit a
support case on My Vertafore" (DOC ID: SOL24538 - to access this article, you'll need to
login to My Vertafore)
Do you have
questions about using the new support knowledge base? Check out our 7-minute video or download frequently asked questions.
Get to know
My Vertafore today! We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to
hearing your feedback throughout the year. To contact support by phone, call (800) 444-4813.
Your Portrait Is Wanted
NetVU wants Chapter officer pictures for the website. Have you seen our updated "Find Your Chapter?" We are adding a personal touch by adding your picture. The portrait quality (headshot) image should be at least 300 DPI ad in either a JPG or TIF format. Please send picture to Sara Krueger at sara@netvu.org.