NetVU Conference 2017 can help speed you along your journey toward full-system utilization.
Take advantage of EarlyBird Conference Registration: a savings of $120 per person, through November 14.
Insurance technology users at all levels gain and grow from the interaction and learning environment of NetVU Conference.
Whether you are with an insurance carrier, MGA, independent agency or other insurance firm, NetVU17 is for you to:
LEARN with education sessions on Vertafore product releases, workshops, power-user panels and 1:1 tech support. Check out the preliminary schedule for NetVU Conference 2017.
NETWORK via receptions with networking opportunities, drinks and appetizers, valuable face-to-face time with peers and experts, and a grand finale celebration.
EXPLORE in the exhibit hall to meet technology and business services vendors and learn about innovations and developments.
Plus great entertainment:
Nashville’s the Music City, and NetVU is lining up a special evening of entertainment. It’s still a secret, but let’s just say this musical act will really wake you up. It’s all part of the energy, excitement and knowledge you’ll experience at NetVU17.
The
Visit Nashville website is your link to music, stage, arts, sports and recreation, family fun and cultural events. The downtown scene brings you the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, and a range of food and entertainment venues.
Once only available to those who attended NetVU Conference or regional Chapter meetings, certification programs for account managers and accounting professionals will now be available on-demand in a virtual classroom environment.
NetVU will now offer online courses for the NetVU Certified Account Manager Designation (NcAM) and the NetVU Certified Insurance Accounting Designation (NcIA) for AMS360, announced Debbie Ivie, CPCU, AIM, NcIA, Learning Experience Manager of NetVU.
Earning a designation in “the virtual classroom, with no travel, will give more insurance professionals greater opportunity to boost their skills and push their agencies closer to full-system utilization,” commented Ivie.
The designations will relaunch starting in November, she said. Information and registration can be found here .
Check the November 18 issue of the NetVU Knowledge newsletter for more insights into these NetVU certification programs in the new online format.
NetVU Principal & Founding Partner, Vertafore, earned the highest number of honors in the nearly two decades of ACORD awards, establishing the firm as an industry leader in advancing ACORD insurance technology standards. See full release here.
Vertafore's recent change in leadership indicates the firm's continuing pursuit of growth and innovation. Even while embracing change itself, NetVU is ready and steady as the voice and community for you, the Vertafore user. Read more in the latest blog post from NetVU's CEO, Kitty Ambers.
It can be challenging to fit local user group meetings into your schedule, but NetVU Chapters, Education, and Partners are here to help. Our user group volunteers have been working hard to provide virtual opportunities on the latest hot topics to help you better utilize your Vertafore system.
The best part of these virtual meetings is that they’re open to all NetVU members, so you have the opportunity to connect to other users, and education you might not normally be able to access at a local meeting. Sign up to receive a copy of the webinar recording if you aren’t able to join during the designated meeting time.
View our Meetings & Events Calendar, and Register Now.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings:
Tuesday, 11/8 System Implementation & NIUG Update for InStar Users - 2:00 p.m. Central
InStar Users, are you prepared for ongoing Vertafore software support for InStar to end in March, 2017? Looking for information to help make the move to another management system? Your National InStar Users Group (NIUG) wants to make sure you know your options. Join NIUG for a three-part webinar series designed to give you tools for making this critical decision. In addition to guidance on how to get off to a good start with the system you choose, we’re offering demonstrations of two of Vertafore’s most popular agency management system solutions. Even if you cannot attend live, sign up for each webinar to receive copies of the recordings.
The first webinar will take place on Tuesday, 11/8 with renowned industry thought leader, Steve Anderson of The Anderson Agency Report, and NIUG Chapter Leader, Lisa Goth of Charles P. Leach Agency. Steve will guide users through agency management system implementation. He will provide guidance on system selection and share advice on data cleanup before migration. Lisa will close out the session with NIUG business updates. (The QQCatalyst Demo is on Tuesday, 11/15, and the AMS360 Demo is on Wednesday, 11/16.)
Overview: The key to getting the most out of a new agency management system is to make sure the system is implemented well. Unfortunately, too many organizations rely on the agency management system vendor to do the implementation work for them. That is a mistake. Insurance agency owners and staff face some challenges when bringing in a new platform to the organization. This session will provide you with a step-by-step process that when followed can help your organization make sure it gets the most out of the new system.
Wednesday, 11/9 Making Download Work for You-Part 1 - 10:30 a.m. Central
Come away with the knowledge and tools to build your download plan for your agency. With this class, go beyond the tools and information to make download work to your advantage, and come away with the ability to build a written download plan for your agency regardless of whether you are NEW to download or REVISITING for a check-up.
NetVU offers monthly download webinars. Stay tuned to our Meetings & Events Calendar for details on the next webinar.
Thursday, 11/10 Creating Compliance Audits-Easy Insurance Procedures - 10:30 a.m. Central
It is critical for management to audit staff for compliance with your agency's procedures. In this class with Easy Insurance Procedures’ Ted Baker, you will learn about timing for audits, how to select files and how to provide meaningful feedback.
Thursday, 11/10 Maximizing Commercial Download with Liberty Mutual Insurance - 2:00 p.m. Central
Download eliminates the need to re-enter policy information in your agency management system, saving nearly 60 minutes per employee, per day. That’s time back in your day to focus on your business. Join this session to review a Comprehensive Guide to Help You Maximize Capabilities available with Liberty Mutual Insurance. The guide details Liberty Mutual’s download capabilities, features, and benefits to help you make your agency more efficient and successful. Click here to view the guide.
The webinar will cover, and this guide includes:
- How you can increase speed and accuracy with download.
- How to get started with Commercial Download.
- Best Practices when testing commercial download.
- A list of the most common ACORD fields transmitted in the download.
- A list of any missing information and blank fields.
- Review samples of the ACORD applications with highlighted fields, which indicates the fields we populate in your agency management system.
Tuesday, 11/15 QQCatalyst Demo for InStar Users - 11:00 a.m. Central
InStar users, are you prepared for ongoing Vertafore software support for InStar to end in March, 2017? Looking for information to help make the move to another management system? Your National InStar Users Group (NIUG) wants to make sure you know your options. Join your fellow InStar users for a live demo of the QQCataylst agency management system. Vertafore's QQCatalyst Product Manager, Dickinson Merrin, will demo the system especially for InStar users.
Wednesday, 11/16 AMS360 Demo for InStar Users - 1:00 p.m. Central
InStar users, are you prepared for ongoing Vertafore software support for InStar to end in March, 2017? Looking for information to help make the move to another management system? Your National InStar Users Group (NIUG) wants to make sure you know your options. Join your fellow InStar users for a live demo of the AMS360 agency management system. Vertafore's AMS360 Inside Solution Consultant, Scott Lundquist, will demo the system especially for InStar users.
Thursday, 11/17 AMS360 Accounting Chapter - 1:30 p.m. Central
Join the AMS360 Accounting Chapter for their quarterly virtual meeting.
Thursday, 11/17 Making the Most of AMS360 - 9:00 a.m. Eastern
Join the Central NY NetVU Chapter for a day of focusing on Account Managers, and how they use AMS360 and Vertafore Agency Platform. In this session, we will make sure you are “Making the Most of AMS360” which includes tips and tricks with Navigation, Using Grids, Data Entry Tips for your Commercial Lines CSR. We will then move into reviewing workflows which also includes best practices for using the system in most efficient way. Key focus on Submissions and marketing New Business and Renewals. We will end the day with Vertafore Agency Platform – QuickNavs!
Thursday, 11/29 Stop Attracting the Wrong Customers-Easy Insurance Procedures - 10:30 a.m. Central
Wouldn't it be nice to have a customer base who are easy and pleasant to do business with? It's actually possible. In this class with Easy Insurance Procedures’ Ted Baker, you will learn ways to avoid unprofitable customers and attract the ones you do want.
View our Meetings & Events Calendar, and Register Now.
By Sharon Emek, Ph.D.
One of the largest issues companies face right now is brain drain — with more than 70 million baby boomers retiring, their expertise, skills, and relationships are about to disappear. For insurance agencies, that loss could mean the difference between remaining competitive and losing business.
Often, the exit of a key employee comes as a surprise. Where agencies need months to prepare for the transition, they’re often given mere weeks. How can an agency find the talent they need today to replace the decades of experience walking out the door?
Fortunately for insurance firms, the answer is simple. Remote workers with the necessary experience are available, and they can be a smart, affordable and productive alternative to hiring and training a new employee.
How productive are remote workers? A study conducted by Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom, graduate student James Liang and his company Ctrip (a Chinese travel website) revealed that the remote workers studied felt more productive and were more productive (by 13%) than their in-house counterparts. They were also working longer — 9.5% longer — than office-based employees. Not only that, employees working remotely were happier and less likely by half to leave their employer.
For agencies and firms looking to supplement their workforce, the benefits of remote workers are multiple. Some of the benefits your firm can expect to acquire are:
- Unlimited talent pool. Why limit your employee search to just your immediate area? The remote workforce is teeming with talent, and their experience could be your biggest asset. Your best employee could be 300 miles away.
- Specialization. No matter where you’re located, you can source the exact skills you need all within the remote workforce. Many remote workers are career veterans who are looking to supplement their retirement income.
- Measurable results. In a distraction-free environment, your remote workers can produce at a level that exceeds expectations. Plus, results are easier to evaluate since your remote worker is communicating regularly.
- Better communication. In fact, remote workers are more connected and less likely to miss your email or phone call due to other distractions. Because remote workers use chat, Skype and other online communication tools, you’re more likely to reach them quickly.
- Fewer days lost. Remote workers are used to scheduling their work time, which means you get fully engaged workers who are ready to work when they turn on their monitors.
- Mentoring potential. A remote worker with the experience you’re looking for can also be tapped for training and mentoring opportunities, transferring valuable knowledge, networking contacts, and on-the-job skills that help new employees become more productive more quickly.
- No overhead. You’re not paying benefits, sick time, or disability with a remote worker. Remote talent is contracted help – not an employee. There’s no overhead, no onsite risks, and no training beyond simply familiarizing them with your systems and process.
When looking for talented, experienced workers who can deliver beyond expectations, consider the benefits that a remote worker can bring to your company. Today’s remote workforce is brimming with skilled professionals who can help redefine what success is in your business.
About the author:
Sharon Emek, Ph.D., CIC, is the CEO and founder of Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE), an innovative contract staffing talent solution. WAHVE matches retiring insurance professionals leaving the regular workforce to insurance firms to meet their full- or part-time staffing needs. Insurance firms benefit by improving productivity and lowering costs. WAHVE’s unique qualifying process and technology platform match the right “pretirees” wherever they may live to the needs of insurance firms wherever they are located.
WAHVE bridges the gap between insurance firms’ staffing needs and seasoned professionals’ “work-life” balance preferences as they phase into retirement.
WAHVE.com
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