Peel & Holland Financial Group Finalist for NetVU’s Automation Excellence Award

A culture of continuous improvement and a leadership that believes in the power of technology to deliver the highest level of productivity and profitability is what drives Peel & Holland to be the third finalist in the quest for NetVU’s Automation Excellence Award.

“Throughout the years, the agency has implemented use of many computer-based programs and driven a paperLESS ideology,” said Roy Riley, president. “We’ve been a long-time user of Sagitta, an early adopter of BenefitPoint, Producer Plus and ReferenceConnect. Most recently, we implemented WorkSmart to replace our old document management system in order to introduce a workflow automation system,” he added.

Implementing WorkSmart at the end of the year has been a challenge for the agency with workloads at their highest at that time of the year, explained Riley. “However, the entire team has embraced the new technology, bringing the agency’s automation level to an all-time high.” 

Along with the programs mentioned above, Peel & Holland adopted the use of dual screens several years ago, with a planned migration toward three monitors for customer service professionals in the near future.

Much of Peel & Holland’s success is attributed to the leadership-driven culture that encourages team members to step out of their comfort zone to achieve higher levels of performance.

“By moving toward a service team structure, we have been able to free up the time of producers thereby allowing them to spend more time in the sales field, which in turn, allows the account managers to cultivate better client relationships. This combination of automated workflows and technology has continued to drive up our revenue per employee, and thus profitability,” said Riley.

While the agency previously had “written” workflows, the implementation of WorkSmart has taken the ability to follow the workflows to a new level, Riley added. “At any time, any member of the service team can check a client’s file in WorkSmart and know exactly what tasks are currently being worked, who is working them, and at what point in the workflow the task is — details that were previously next to impossible to find easily.”

Peel & Holland team members realize that technology and the efficiencies it brings are the keys to its ability to achieve the agency’s goals.

What are the keys that your agency uses to achieve its goals? Which of the three finalists are going to win the coveted award?

• Bank of America (BAISI) 
• Market Financial Group 
• Peel & Holland Financial Group 

Come to the NetVU Conference Luncheon on Friday, April 29 for the results. Meet all of the finalists and find out how your agency could be among next year’s finalists.

NetVU Conference Just Around the Corner

We’re about a month away from one of the industry’s largest technology conferences and your opportunity to learn more about the Vertafore products you use every day, hear from your NetVU leadership, and network with friends, colleagues and peers.

As you plan your time at conference or if you’re still trying to decide whether to come or not, here’s some information that might help.

• If you haven’t registered yet, there’s good news – cut-off for the standard rate has been extended. So, visit the conference website and register now using Coupon Code "Magical" at checkout through Thursday, March 31. You don’t want to miss it.
• If, however, you were planning to sit this year out and buying the session recordings, they won’t be available. We will, nevertheless, be adding them to our On Demand Education Webinars later in the year. But you don’t come to the conference just to sit in the session rooms, there’s so much more going on.
• Don’t forget, your best guide through all aspects of the conference is NetVU’s New Mobile App available for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry operating systems. Download it today.
• To stay on top of what’s happening at conference while you’re in Orlando, NetVU will be tweeting using the hashtag #NetVU11. Remember, if you want to get in on the conversation, just include #NetVU11 in your Twitter post.
• If you’re trying to decide whether to bring a guest, don’t forget to check out the Optional Tours being offered by Convention Planning Services of Florida. There are three exciting and different tours scheduled multiple times during the conference they will love.
• Tree-top Zipline Safari
• Winter Park Scenic Boat and Shopping Tour
• Sunset Gator Hunt and Dinner 
• You have access to discount tickets for the area Amusement Parks for use during your stay in Orlando. Check out the details and register.
• Finally, you don’t want to miss this year’s Grand Finale Celebration! An interactive stage show, full of fun and music that will have you on your toes throughout the evening. Keep visiting the website as new information about this great event unfolds.
• Thinking of coming to conference but worried about the cost? Airfares to Orlando are at an all time low for this period. Depending on where you're coming from, you could find pricing as low as $106 round trip. So, ACT NOW to grab these great low fares. Together with the discounted rates at the hotel, cost shouldn't be a barrier to attending. Sample airfares to Orlando: 

    

  From:                                    Roundtrip Fare 

  Boston                                  $284

  Indianapolis                        $269

  Los Angeles                        $340

  Raleigh                                 $276

  St. Louis                               $300

   

Looking for Face Time with Your Carriers

The NetVU Conference is a great place to discuss, strategize and to accelerate the technological advances that drive the industry. It is a opportunity to share with your carriers what your agency needs to increase your productivity and sales.

Join us in Orlando for quality face time with your carriers:

• ACUITY
• Allied Insurance
• Allstate-Encompass Insurance
• Central Insurance Companies
• Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
• The Cincinnati Insurance Company
• CNA
• EMC Insurance Companies
• The Hanover Insurance Group
• The Hartford
• Imperial Fire & Casualty Insurance Company
• Kemper
• Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation
• Magna Carta Companies
• MetLife Auto & Home
• Philadelphia Insurance Companies
• The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies
• Selective Insurance
• Swiss Re America Group
• Travelers
• Union Standard Insurance Company
• West Bend Mutual Insurance Company
• Westfield Insurance 

While at conference, join these Corporate Partner carriers for the agency round table session - Course #5062 on Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 a.m. 

• Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
• The Cincinnati Insurance Company
• CNA
• EMC Insurance Companies
• The Hanover Insurance Group
• The Hartford
• MetLife Auto & Home
• Travelers
• Westfield Insurance

The goal of the session is to provide a vehicle for open communication between carriers, agencies and Vertafore to enable representatives to discuss key insurance automation priorities and develop ideas to move these initiatives forward.  To participate in this session contact Melissa Bond. 

If your carrier is not on this list contact them today to encourage their participation in the independent agent industry event of the year.

Leveraging Your Customer Data – NetVU Members Share How They Use Data to Grow Sales

Every agent should be asking these questions:   Are there components of my agency that are under-utilized?   The answer is yes, if you are not capturing and analyzing your customer data.  One of the most frequently untapped agency resources is customer data.

Forward thinking agencies are asking themselves, how can I leverage my customer data to grow sales and my agency?   Most agencies come “out of the gate” equally equipped with the same type of agency tools.  What allows some agencies to pull ahead of the group?  The answer is how they use these tools.  In this case, the tool we’re talking about is customer data.  For example, fewer resources are used to keep a customer than get a new one.   Mike Randles of Insurance Center Associates uses his customer data to determine where to put his marketing dollars.  What type of marketing brought in his long standing customers?  Was it referrals, telemarketing, advertising in periodicals, website or the phonebook?  Once this data is harvested, he knows what the most effective marketing trends are for his agency. 

Mike Scott, currently of Pinnacle Network, has seen 30 years of industry growth from the vendor, carrier and agency sides.  Mike stands firm in his belief that every agency should include a discussion of the value of information retrieval when planning for success.  This seasoned professional goes on to say, “There is no end to the information that can be retrieved.  However agencies should be cautioned that without clear direction, retrieved customer information is merely nice to know.  Angela Ford of Beecher Carlson comments, “Our agency recognizes the long-term benefits of investing in customer data retrieval and compilation.”  As a result of this planning and foresight, Beecher Carlson has the ability to tie traditional production data to customer, policy, and profile data thereby assisting the agency in evaluating individual and departmental performance, determining marketing strategies and providing various Bordereaux reports to carriers. 

Planning is critical to success if agencies intend to leverage customer data.  The planning process starts off with knowing what questions to ask.  “Find out what customers don’t have and go after it,” says Marc McNulty of The Uhl Agency.   The Uhl Agency provides their employees with a new account profile check sheet complete with agency defined profile questions.  Profile questions help identify certain age groups for long term care insurance or active drivers in a certain age group.  Marc also uses his data to identify customers with a single line of business, as well as those customers who are missing particular coverages or need increased property and/or liability limits of insurance.”   When designing reports this question should be kept in mind:  What agency decisions are to be made using these reports?  “Reports should be designed to assist in effective decision making”, says VP of Information Technology at Holmes Murphy & Associates, Cindy Adams.  For instance, comparing the technology costs to personnel resources for a specific project is an efficient use of reporting data.

Not only does customer data help with up-selling, it assists agency managers in determining employee and agency productivity levels.   What lines of business are being written, who’s writing it, and where those customers are coming from?  How many accounts are being added?  Are they closing or remaining as prospects?  These are the kinds of questions Blanche Adams, VP of Marketing for Thomas Heist Insurance Agency is answering for her agency.  Blanche’s data collection skills were instrumental in identifying customers in specified zip codes to verify that homeowner’s limits were enough to cover potential damages from a hurricane on the east coast.  On the other side of the country, Kevin Dickmann of TWIW Insurance Services is using his data as a value added service for his workers comp clients by managing their claims and reviewing modifications.  He also produces historical financial reports and statistics from his clients. 

Kip Nowlin, veteran independent consultant, asks agencies she trains, “Do you know which clients yield the largest agency commission yet require the least amount of agency resources or what clients consume the most agency resources but produce minimal agency commission?”  Customer data answers these types of questions and more.  Using customer data to provide personalized service to customers is a strong selling point for independent agents.  “Identifying which customers have not received any agency contact since their policy effective date and then reaching out to those customers has a proven track record for retention” says Angela, president of Angela Adams Consulting.   These kinds of “warm fuzzy” reports assist agencies with providing a personal touch for their customers.

Although customer data is captured in the agency management software, it’s not always easily accessible.  In response, several reporting vendors have surfaced in the Vertafore community.  Third party products like QualCorp’s QueryPlus assist agents in accessing their customer data.  SueAnn Priem, QueryPlus Sales Manager states “Over the years, I’ve spoken with two different kinds of agents:  Those that know what data they want and how they plan to utilize the data, and those agents who want ideas on what to do with data.”  In response to this need, NetVU is featuring a panel discussion, Course #5262 - Leverage Data, Grow Your Agency – Saturday, April 30 11:00 a.m. at the NetVU Conference in Orlando, FL.   At the end of the race, agencies planning to win have successful strategies for harnessing customer data, and leveraging that information for maximum productivity and profit.