11/08/2018 |
What’s your favorite brand? Maybe it’s Apple, because you can’t live without your iPhone and you love the photo sharing. Or maybe it’s Trader Joe’s, because you live for those truffle brownies and the clerk will drop what she’s doing to walk you over to the product you’re looking for.
When it comes to brands, we usually think of consumer goods: from electronics to craft beer to outerwear. They’re an indispensable part of our life. Our parents used to call them “household names.” But a “brand” doesn’t have to be a household name. Any organization with a shared purpose that conveys a benefit qualifies for brand status. Yes, that means NetVU is a brand! In fact, NetVU is rolling out a refreshed brand identity, which is the way a brand is expressed — visually and verbally. Hence the new logo and tagline, “Strength in Members.”
In their book The Powers , Peter van Aartrijk and Tony Wessling define brand as “a network of experiences woven together to form a persistent, singular concept.” When you think about it, NetVU is a “network of experiences.” Think about when you connected with another member to ask a question or solve a problem, and answer these questions:
Were you satisfied? Will the result save you time and money in the long run? Did it help grow your business? Did it make you smarter? Armed with your new knowledge, are you more motivated to help others? Will you come back?
Hopefully you answered “yes” to all of the above. Now, multiply that by the thousands of interactions members have in a year — in webinars and trainings, at chapter meetings and Accelerate, every phone call and email — and you’ve created a powerful experience worthy of a top-tier brand. That’s “strength in members,” and it’s the engine that drives NetVU. It’s the members who make a difference, because they help each other get the most from their Vertafore systems. NetVU actually has much in common with household brands. For example:
Interacting with a winning brand is like getting a shot of adrenaline. It puts a spring in your step. You want to see introverts come out of their shell? Ask them what they learned about eDocs or InsureSign during a recent NetVU webinar. You get the point. A tremendous energy results when people rally around a common purpose. In this case, that purpose is summed up by NetVU’s three operational objectives, and here’s how the NetVU brand supports each one:
Increase member engagement: New Vertafore users can clearly see how our two organizations are connected, making it easier to understand NetVU’s role and its member benefits. Enhance our experience as users: A simpler and more user-friendly website expresses the new brand identity. Recruit and develop enthusiastic volunteers and staff: The new brand identity is the first impression the industry has of NetVU. It’s memorable, it conveys our purpose clearly and inspires action.
So take a bow. You — our valued members and volunteers — helped create the NetVU brand. The logo and tagline are the cherry on top.
The reimagined NetVU brand identity reflects our members, their values and their collective vision for the industry. We sat down with Kitty Ambers, NetVU CEO, to discuss what went into the development of the refreshed identity. Q: What was behind the decision to redesign the logo and create a new tagline? A: The old logo and tagline didn’t express who we are today. It was designed a decade ago to explain how AMSUG became NetVU. The executive board felt that members deserve an aspirational logo and tagline that sum up the power of our community and the part everyone plays in that community. Our board has made it a top priority to have a highly collaborative working relationship with Vertafore’s leadership, and ultimately wanted our corporate identity to reflect that spirit. Q: What did you learn along the way? A: We learned that people in this industry are passionate, which is good! In interviews and discussion groups we identified a desire to more effectively express the vital connection that exists between Vertafore and NetVU. It became clear that the relationship is incredibly valuable because of the tremendous change our industry is facing, and we had the opportunity to make that stronger from a visual standpoint. Q: Wasn’t it kind of overwhelming — agreeing on the logo and tagline for an organization as large and extensive as NetVU? A: Surprisingly, it wasn’t. We had lots of great input and it was quite diverse, but at the end of the day a few key themes emerged. Everything pointed to the synergy between NetVU and Vertafore as well as the power of people. Q: How does NetVU maintain its focus in an ever-changing industry? A: We are fortunate to have a highly focused leadership team that stays committed to our three operational objectives, and it’s imperative our refreshed brand identity reflects them as well: Increase member engagement: New Vertafore users can see clearly how our two organizations are connected, making it easier to understand NetVU’s role and its member benefits. Enhance our users’ experience: Based on member feedback, we’re rolling out a simpler and more user-friendly website that expresses our brand identity. Recruit and retain enthusiastic volunteers and staff: Our identity is the first impression our industry colleagues have of us. Not only is it memorable, but it will convey our purpose clearly. Q: When you talk about a “brand,” what do you mean? A: Great question! Think of it as an emotional, intangible connection that consumers have with a product or service. It’s a relationship. It’s a set of experiences, hopefully, positive ones, built over time. And it’s the little things that make a bigger difference – for instance, it’s how people are treated in person or over the phone by that product or service. The brand is the most important asset you own, because above all else it can drive satisfaction, retention and referrals. We all have our favorite brands. Some of mine are Amazon, Budweiser and Nike: Amazon: I like the personification of efficient service with a smile that its logo and brand represent. Budweiser: While I’m not a fan of the beer, I am a fan of the Dalmatian that befriends the Clydesdale and always seems to find its way home. Nike — “Just do it.” Empowerment for all. Who doesn’t love that? Our favorite brands serve a useful purpose in our lives by providing products we need — and experiences we love. Great brands take the complexity out of life’s tasks by building in efficiency. While it’s not a consumer brand, NetVU fits that description. Q: So, then organizations can be brands too? A: Yes. An entity or organization that fulfills a shared purpose can become a strong brand. That’s because member organizations are about people, and the best brands are what you’d call “human brands.” NetVU’s new tagline, “Strength in Members,” signifies that we’re powered by our members, who help each other get the most of their Vertafore systems. That’s a strong statement that everyone can rally around. The logo is important, too, because it’s a visual, tangible expression of what’s behind the brand. It should make a strong first impression as well as a lasting impression. For example, the alignment of colors and shapes in both the Vertafore and NetVU logos. That harmony of color and shape reinforces a symbiotic relationship. An active and thriving NetVU is good for members, good for Vertafore, and good for the entire independent agent channel. What’s more, NetVU members help make Vertafore and its products better. Q: How can NetVU members help support the brand? A: Keep doing what you’re doing. Help each other, share selflessly, ask questions. Don’t hesitate to raise your hand when you think you might have a solution. Don’t be shy if you have a problem, because chances are someone else is going through the same thing. Celebrate your successes and interactions with other NetVU members and remember: It all comes down to “Strength in Members.”
In order to compete in today’s fast-paced environment, you need to service customers and manage your business efficiently. That means having direct access to accurate information, at all times. IVANS provides you with a secure and efficient way to manage policy updates and files directly in your Vertafore management system. IVANS offers a free online tool, IVANS Exchange™, which provides an easier way to track current and new download connections so your agency can increase insurer and MGA connectivity. The latest release of IVANS Exchange simplifies the process of resending a policy or file to your agency with Single Policy Resend. This new feature enables you to quickly find and resend policies, eDocs and Messages, and claim details that have already been downloaded, eliminating time spent reaching out to insurers individually for each request.
Watch the video to learn how IVANS Exchange enables your agency to access policies faster and serve your customers more efficiently. IVANS is the insurance industry’s exchange connecting insurers, MGAs, agencies, and the insured. IVANS cloud-based software provides agencies greater access to markets and automates servicing throughout the insurance life-cycle to drive retention and business growth. While a division of Applied, IVANS is committed to support the industry’s leading agency management system providers and connects to 30,000 independent insurance agencies and 380 MGA and insurer partners to enable millions of people to safeguard and protect what matters most in people’s lives. Learn More
“Strength in Members” is the new NetVU rallying cry, the heartbeat of the brand. When we say “Strength in Members” what do we mean, and whom are we talking about? Jessica Jeffress, for one. She’s living the NetVU brand by striving for continual improvement, supporting others and celebrating shared success. Jessica Jeffress wasn’t supposed to go into insurance. She got a journalism degree in college. But her mother, who had a friend at a local insurance agency, told her about an “office job where you work with data and you get two computer monitors.” Today she chuckles at the job description, but something about it sounded too good to pass up, and 10 years later, Jeffress finds herself managing the operations of the property and casualty division at Peel & Holland, an agency where she also helps with technology and serves on the leadership team. “Our agency owners press us to take everything to the next level,” says Jeffress. “NetVU fits perfectly into our culture because we’re constantly looking for ways to take better advantage of our systems.” Jeffress helped with the NetVU brand refresh initiative and is the perfect personification of the tagline, “Strength in Members.” Her boundless energy is matched only by her unwavering desire to make things better. “It’s one thing to log a ticket and talk to someone at Vertafore, but it’s another to talk to other agencies having the same issues or brainstorm how we can improve the industry — both operationally and from a customer experience perspective,” says Jeffress. “The NetVU community is an unstoppable force.” Jeffress admits she’s a glass-half-empty person (“I’m very critical of myself”), but she’s also passionate about turning talk into action. She knows she can’t roll the boulder uphill alone, and that’s when she seeks support and validation from other NetVU members. So what does “Strength in Members” mean to her? “It’s the difference between complaining to a coworker about something and engaging a whole army of your peers. For example, it might start with a conversation between two people in a class, then others get drawn into the conversation, then you submit a request in Ideas and members vote. Next thing you know the request has received a lot of votes and Vertafore is implementing that change in the next release.” Jeffress says she “has no doubt” that customers who are active in NetVU have a better experience with their Vertafore systems. She says the ability to work through an issue with fellow members makes it easier to take one’s business to the next level. However, balancing work responsibilities with NetVU volunteering can be overwhelming, she admits. After all, isn’t everyone too slammed at work to devote time to an outside community? “It’s not always easy to make time for all the urgent issues in front of me, but the return on my investment in NetVU is so great I never have a doubt when I take time to help someone solve a problem.” Jeffress believes it’s the people who power NetVU, that it wouldn’t be nearly as effective if the staff tried to develop educational programs in isolation. “It’s not about individuals. It’s about all NetVU members,” she says. “That’s what energizes you, when you’re working long hours and you get another question; you take time to respond. Without every single one of us, there’s no NetVU.” Taking the time to respond and putting others first illustrates the generosity that resides at the heart of NetVU. “I could have the keys to the kingdom and not share them,” says Jeffress. “But we get so much energy from solving something and wanting to see if anyone else knows about it. I love the concept of generosity as a guiding principle.” She continues, “Every day I marvel that we’re able to do all these things with our systems and save time and money because others have taken the time to figure it out and generously shared their knowledge.”
Congratulations! Your agency is growing just like you’d always planned. So why are you not sitting back and relaxing? Because you know that the world is changing. In fact, more than 90% of agency owners worry that the world is changing faster than their agency. How do you keep up? How do you nurture relationships when some people want to talk on the phone, others want to text or chat online, some want an email, and some still want to sit down for a cup of coffee? And how do you possibly document all of those interactions in your management system? Worse yet, how do you supervise and train your employees when their efforts are spread across so many types of communication? Relax, The Kotter Group can make that easy for you. Imagine a complete communication system that integrates with your management system and solves problems for you instead of creating more. Kotter calls it Bridge, a system that brings together chat, text, phone, video calls, fax, social media, and automated marketing all in one place and then records and tracks those communications for E&O protection. Document it right into your management system – no matter which management system you use. Grow your agency by gaining and retaining customers. Nurture relationships by connecting in ways your clients, prospects, vendors, and co-workers prefer. Relationships still matter. Stay relevant in the industry by nurturing yours. And, because everything is in one system, you can easily train and supervise your employees. See what they are doing all day. Yes, it really is as cool as it sounds. And, if you call this month you can take advantage of special discounts just for NetVU Members. Head over to www.kotter.net and check it out, including the over two hundred 5-star reviews from agency owners just like you. Bridge – Because relationships still matter, now more than ever.