By Kitty Ambers , CIC, CPIA, CISR - CEO, NetVU
In the insurance industry, there are thousands of users groups —ranging from large, sophisticated networks to small, informal groups. At their most basic level, users groups are people with similar interests getting together to discuss and share their knowledge about a particular product or service.
But users groups can be much more than that. A users group provides a sense of community and a place for free and open discussion as well as opportunities to learn about best practices, improve skills, and influence the future development of products and technology.
So let's take a look at the top reasons why you might benefit from belonging to a users group, and how to get the most out of it.
Information & idea sharing
The No. 1 reason to join a users group is to get your questions answered. There is only so much you can learn from a manual or the training you receive from your vendor. Look around your office — you may be the only one using a particular service or software. Wouldn't it be great if you had a network of experienced users to reach out to whenever you're stumped or want to learn a new process?
I have never known an active users group member who wasn't excited about sharing information or spreading the word about a tip or shortcut that would make the lives of other users easier.
Join a users group, and get the answers you need from fellow users who know their stuff.
Networking & involvement
A users group is a rich vein of information, but how do you tap into it? Easy: Go to meetings — live or virtual. Attend conferences, and get to know the other users in your group. Most groups set aside time to network and exchange information. You'll quickly learn which of your peers has systems and challenges similar to yours.
Attend chapter meetings, avail yourself of local and product-oriented programming. Meet other members and offer to help organize chapter activities. Pretty soon, you'll have a list of go-to people who can help you whenever you have a question or need advice.
Users groups are a vital resource for networking and building community.
Education & best practices
One of the biggest benefits of a users group is education. Hear from experts about new technology and marketplace trends. Get valuable insights and business tips from your peers. You’ll get the scoop from experts, industry insiders and fellow users.
Another important benefit of users groups is learning best practices. As an industry, we must continually strive to improve our interaction with clients and our connectivity with the distribution channel. One way we do that is by adhering to best practices. Users groups are where you’re exposed to the best and the brightest in the industry, where you become inspired to perform at the highest level possible.
Education and best practices that drive increased productivity are an important aspect of users groups.
Virtual communities
You may not be able to make a users group meeting, but you can always stay in touch, 24/7, through online forums and social media. Read and post comments about topics that you're interested in. Take advantage of free or low-cost education through webinars or virtual meetings. Add your voice, share information and become a part of the community.
Users groups provide rich virtual communities through forums and social media.
Productivity & utilization
If productivity is important to your firm, joining a users group could be your wisest investment. Most products and systems are underutilized. Users groups show you how to get the most out of your technology and products, and how incremental changes (whether it’s an update or a new module) can result in increased efficiency at a minimal cost.
If you're interested in maximizing the ROI on your technology, then you must join a users group.
Influencing future developments
Most users groups have a good working relationship with the vendors who serve their members. These vendors send representatives to meetings and conferences to interact with users, solicit feedback and identify areas of improvement. It's a synergistic relationship that benefits the vendor and the user.
Users groups can have a lot of clout. As a users group member, you'll have input into future product changes. So if you want to know more about your vendor's "roadmap" and have a say about where that road leads, get involved in your users group.
Influence the future of the products you use by joining a users group.
Saving money
It probably goes without saying, but a users group can save you a ton of money on education, training, consulting and investing in new equipment and technology. You'll find participating in a users group costs only a tiny fraction of what you'd pay a consultant or trainer.
Talking to a fellow user who may have years of experience on your system is priceless. One phone call, email or chapter meeting can make a huge difference in your business.
Take advantage of users groups to save on training and consulting costs.
Improving skills & career opportunities
Users groups provide training and education to develop your skills. Many users groups offer classes leading to certifications that can help you advance in your field.
As you get more involved in a users group, you may be asked to volunteer on a committee or serve as an officer. You'll have opportunities to sharpen your public speaking, training and leadership skills.
User groups can help you advance in your career.
Now that you know the many benefits of belonging to a users group, what's stopping you from getting involved? From networking and education to best practices and greater productivity, there are abundant reasons to join a users group!
Kitty Ambers serves as chief executive officer at the Network of Vertafore Users (NetVU). She can be reached by sending email to [email protected].
See also: Using smart technology to combat insurance fraud | 3 insurance technology trends for building customer relationships
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 can connect to other users and education that you might not normally have access to for a local meeting!
View our Meetings & Events Calendar, and Register Now.
- Tuesday, 12/5 at 9:00 a.m. Central–Cyber Security Tips and Trends to Watch for in 2018, Presented by Smart I.T. Services
With 2018 just around the corner, ransomware and malware continue to make it increasingly harder for agencies to identify malware and/or attacks by hackers. The goal of most of these attempts is to trick you into installing malware on your computer, potentially compromising agency and customer data. Join Bryant Caudill, the Service Manager at myAGENCYcloud/SMART I.T. Services, for a live webcast on the latest threats, how they work, and what your agency can do to protect against them in 2018.
- Thursday, 12/7 at 1:00 p.m. Central–Sign-on-the-Line & Other Enhancements for CipherPost Pro™, Presented by AppRiver
CipherPost Pro enables you to simply and securely send, receive, track, and control communications with anyone on any device using existing email addresses and without changing your infrastructure. Powerful features such as the ability to request and provide legally binding e-signatures and to share large files directly from email provides your business with significant savings and improved productivity.
- Tuesday, 12/12 at 11:00 a.m. Central–NetVU Overview for Sircon Users
Register now for this upcoming brief session to learn about NetVU and the resources available to Sircon product users. NetVU membership gives Sircon (a Vertafore product) users the ability to network and share ideas with member firms and their staff, all using Vertafore technology products.
- Tuesday, 12/12 at 2:00 p.m. Central–BenefitPoint/AMS360 Integration
Join the BenefitPoint Users Group for our upcoming meeting! Your fellow users, supported by Vertafore’s Michelle Lewis and Wendy Butler, will discuss the BenefitPoint/AMS360 integration. We’ll talk about primary errors and ways to handle these errors. We’ll also review best practices to avoid errors.
- Wednesday, 12/13 at 1:00 p.m. Central–eDocs and Messages for Vertafore Agents, Presented by Liberty Mutual
Join Tammy McKane and Karyn Palinkas, Sr.Specialists of the Agency Interface, as they go overhow you can save costs, improve efficiency, and increase security with eDocs and Messages from Liberty Mutual. eDocs and Messages are compatible with Vertafore TransactNOW 6.0+ and AMS360, AFW, Sagitta, Prime, or Instar Agency Management Systems.
View our Meetings & Events Calendar, and Register Now.
Want more time in your day for important tasks like upselling? Cross selling? Perhaps spending more time building key relationships? Let EMC and TransactNOW help make it a reality!
EMC gives you more time to focus on service and sales, thanks to the time saving advantages of real time technology.
EMC has partnered with Vertafore to offer our agency partners the ability to quickly service their customer needs with a few simple clicks, at no additional cost.Your agency management system software allows you to navigate directly to our agency portal through TransactNOW, without ever having to browse
through an internet window on your desktop.
Services such as billing inquiry, policy inquiry, and Carrier Sign-On make viewing customer information quick & easy, without ever having to enter a password (on our website) or navigate endlessly through our website to find exactly what you need, when you need it. Sounds amazing, right?!
These tools provide time management solutions that truly help move agency effectiveness to the next level, streamlining agency’s workflows and reducing customer service response times which ultimately saves your agency both time and money. Who doesn’t need more time & money?!
There is never a shortage of tasks to do and people to serve, let EMC and TransactNOW services help lighten the load. EMC also offers claims inquiry, Endorsement (personal lines), and download services for both personal & commercials lines that include eDocs for policy information, direct bill commission statement, and first notice of loss claims memo through TransactNOW.
To learn more about how these tools can help your agency or to set up services contact EMC at [email protected] or by visiting https://www.vertafore.com/products/transactnow .
Thanks to the generosity of our staff and volunteers, NetVU recently donated 358 pairs of socks to
Metrocrest Services . Did you know that socks are among the most needed items during the winter at shelters throughout the country?
So whether you donated one pair, or one hundred pairs, thank you for joining us in our effort!
You may remember that our team spent a day volunteering our services at Metrocrest last year as they prepared for their holiday toy event.
Our marketing manager, Hillarie Holcomb,
blogged about the benefits of volunteering in the workplace.
Read about her experience, and tell us how your organization makes a difference in your community!
The cat’s out of the bag! Nearly 1,000 of your peers have already registered for our reimagined conference –Accelerate, powered by NetVU, being held in Atlanta, GA May 17-19, 2018. Save $125 per person by registering before February 15, 2018.
Learn about this year’s conference and
register today.
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