It’s only natural for users to seek improvements in the technology they rely on daily to run their offices. That’s why Vertafore and NetVU partnered last year to develop and roll out Ideas, a platform for Vertafore users to make suggestions, share information and collaborate on product enhancements.
"Through Ideas, Vertafore and NetVU volunteers are working together to develop updates and future releases," says Mike Foy, President, Foy Insurance. "Ideas brings together NetVU volunteers, Vertafore product managers and the idea originator to enhance Vertafore’s offerings for everyone in the customer/user community."
It all starts with logging into Ideas through My Vertafore or via the advocacy tab on the NetVU website. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll see existing ideas that have been submitted by fellow users. The Ideas tool allows you to comment and vote on these ideas, or suggest your own ideas.
When submitting ideas, Foy says, it’s important that you clearly and precisely describe the challenge your idea addresses. "Give it a title that other users can find and understand," he advises. "Describe how your idea will affect other users, how it will fix a challenge or simplify the steps it takes to complete a task. Tell us what your role is in the office, how you use the product, how often you experience the challenge and how it affects the business."
NetVU’s Product Maintenance and Enhancement (PM&E) work groups meet regularly to review ideas and present the top ideas to Vertafore’s development teams review, prioritization and implementation.
Dawn Mathews, AINS, AIS, CPCU, CPIW, IMA Financial Group Inc., Wichita, Kansas, chairs the Sagitta PM&E Work Group. "We meet virtually twice monthly," she notes, "with one meeting focused solely on items that have been submitted to Ideas."
"We take great care to make sure that each idea is reviewed," echoes Angela Minutaglio, Marsh & McLennan Agency, Somerset, New Jersey, the BenefitPoint Work Group leader. "We reach out to users and update the status of ideas so that submitters know that they were reviewed. We are committed to and very passionate about the BenefitPoint user community knowing that their voices are heard and that we are working hard to make their ideas become a reality."
"Customer feedback is foundational to being successful in solving the problems our customers have," says Kevin Pham, the product manager at Vertafore who oversees Ideas.
Adds Foy, "We want to make sure NetVU members are getting the most for their investment in these products. That’s why it’s important for members to share their technology experiences and to provide Vertafore with a better understanding of their business needs. With Ideas, you truly can make a difference in your and other users’ lives." You have a responsibility to get involved today!
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