The Central Illinois Users Group is one of NetVU’s newest chapters. The group, founded by its president, Donna Parker, CISR, NcIA, began last September and recently held its second meeting in Normal, Illinois. Participants learned about AMS360, PL Rating, accounting and farm data entry.
“I started the group last year after deciding that driving two-and-a-half hours to Chicago, St. Louis or Indianapolis for a NetVU meeting was too far,” says Parker, who is a producer and the manager at Peterson Insurance Services Inc. in Clinton, Illinois. “I felt we needed a chapter in our area, which is very rural — one that focused on farm and crop insurance as well as personal and commercial lines.” Working with NetVU , agencies within a 60-mile radius that use AMS360 or Vertafore Agency Platform were contacted to see if they might be interested in joining, and she posted invitations on NCOM.
While the group is still small it is growing, and Parker has ambitious plans for the future. “We’re hoping to meet quarterly, with our next meeting in late June,” she says. “We’re also looking at ways to partner with carriers and vendors to secure speakers and offer courses through The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. The real value of the group is the networking, though, and we’re already seeing the benefits of that.”
Parker points to several connections that came out of the group’s recent meeting. “During our discussion time, one of the attendees said she felt PL Rating wasn’t very accurate,” Parker relates. “I knew from my own experience that it is capable of generating extremely accurate quotes, and I thought perhaps she needed some help. So I invited anyone who wanted to learn more about PL Rating to come to our office for a meeting with a person on our staff who is an expert. Another attendee has volunteered to do the same thing with farm data entry, which also came up at our meeting.
“That’s the benefit of NetVU,” she says. “We’re sharing information with other agencies that would ordinarily be competitors. It’s about working together to increase our collective knowledge so that we can all use our systems more efficiently and accurately.”
Parker says the group’s meetings are small enough that “everyone feels comfortable asking and responding to questions. We’re also close enough that we can visit each other’s offices. We like having one-on-one meetings where we can see each other and solve a problem together.”
Parker has been with Peterson Insurance Services since 2008. The agency uses AMS360, Vertafore Agency Platform, ReferenceConnect, PL Rating and an accounting add-on. “We are paperless at our agency thanks to AMS360,” she says. “If our building burned down, we wouldn’t have to worry. We could log in to any computer and everything would be there. We went on AMS360 in 2011, and by the end of 2012 we didn’t have any filing cabinets left.”
Parker is a big believer in automation. “Everything is in our system,” she explains. “The declaration page, application, any discussion with clients — it’s all there. The system gives you every tool you need. You just have to be willing to learn to use all of its features.”
“In this business, you have to be willing to adapt,” she adds. “Everything is changing, including technology. If you’re not willing to change, you’re going to stagnate.”
Parker encourages other NetVU members to get involved locally. “Join a group,” she says. “It’s an extremely valuable resource. You’ll meet people you can call at a moment’s notice and ask for help.”
President: Donna Parker, CISR, NcIA, Peterson Insurance Services Inc., Clinton, Illinois
Vice President: Lyndi Boensel, CISR, Ogden Insurance, Petersburg, Illinois
Secretary/Treasurer: Rebecca Billiter, CISR, McAfee Insurance Services, Pana, Illinois
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