3/07/2019 |
This is the third in our series on Ideas, the NetVU collaboration tool that lets users suggest and vote on enhancements to Vertafore products. The NetVU ImageRight Work Group is tasked with processing user ideas to improve ImageRight, Vertafore’s enterprise content and workflow management solution.
ImageRight users are a broad and diverse group that includes agencies, brokers and carriers of varying sizes and specialties. They all benefit from the close working relationship Vertafore managers have with the NetVU members who serve on the ImageRight Work Group.
Their Process The group meets monthly to consider suggestions submitted through the Ideas online forum. “We review all newly submitted ideas to ensure they are clear and unique,” says work group chair Jim Helton, vice president of IT at Gulfshore Insurance in Naples, Florida. “We have a process of ranking ideas based on their impact and value. The ideas that have the most value get included in the top list that we track.”
“We’ve received literally hundreds of ideas from NetVU members on how to improve ImageRight,” adds Brittany Bulloch, business process manager for Stephens Insurance LLC in Little Rock, Arkansas, and co-chair of the work group. Bulloch says the group looks not only at the number of votes an idea receives but other factors such as business impact, E&O risk management and compliance.
When Vertafore’s product management team considers new releases of ImageRight, it reviews all the relevant ideas and seeks feedback from the work group, the individuals that submitted the ideas and the user community.
From Idea to Release Some fairly substantial enhancements have come from suggestions submitted through Ideas. One key improvement, explains Bulloch, is a new feature in Email Receiver that retains the native format of emails rather than turning them into text documents. “Users can now view, forward or reply to native Outlook emails from an email receiver while in ImageRight,” she says. “That’s a big improvement.”
Another change stemming from user feedback, Helton says, is the ability to update the description field when a document is added to ImageRight. “Before, you had to do it after the fact,” he says. “Now, it’s integrated into the process.”
Auditing in the Crosshairs Helton and Bulloch also anticipate improvements to the auditing capabilities of ImageRight, another important enhancement users have sought. “Auditing is not a working option for agencies because the reports are impossible to understand,” Bulloch says. “So Vertafore is working on a new auditing management process that will be more streamlined. When my privacy officer asks for the monthly audit report, she will be able to navigate it much easier.”
Vertafore’s Commitment Helton praises Vertafore’s product managers for being actively engaged in the Ideas process. “The product manager works closely with the work group to share direction and the Vertafore vision, as well as to tap the experience and feedback of the group when evaluating new feature options and implementations,” he says.
“The product manager is wonderful,” echoes Bulloch. “He asks a lot of questions and is very sensitive to business use cases. He takes time to fully understand the issue so he can be clear in his communication to others on our behalf.”
Your Ideas Needed Bulloch and Helton encourage NetVU members to submit ideas via MyVertafore and get involved in the work groups. “It’s important for users to understand that they have input,” says Bulloch. “Their ideas can make a big difference.”
Says Helton, “The work group members represent a wide variety of roles in the businesses. We all bring meaningful feedback to help drive Vertafore development to effective results that have value for all customers using the products.”
The ImageRight work group is searching for new members. If you use ImageRight and want to advocate for future improvements, contact Melissa Bond at [email protected].
No matter what Vertafore product you use, NetVU has resources to help you and your firm succeed. Whether you’re new to NetVU or a seasoned member, there’s always something else to learn. NetVU volunteers and staff work diligently all year-round to give you innovative opportunities to learn, grow and connect with others. Even when you think you’ve seen everything NetVU has to offer, there’s always more.
Now, there’s an easy way to keep up-to-date with NetVU’s many resources and improve your Monday. Join NetVU member relations manager, Melissa Bond, for Member Tip Monday live on Facebook. Every week, Melissa highlights a member resource — explaining what it is, where to find it, and why you’ll love it.
Because Member Tip Monday is live, you have the chance to ask questions and join in on the conversation. Plus, if you join Melissa live on Monday, March 11, at 11:30 a.m. CST, you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift card! Be sure to like NetVU on Facebook, so you’ll be notified when the live feed begins.
Here are just some of the topics that have been covered on Member Tip Monday so far:
You can catch up on other past videos and content by visiting NetVU’s Facebook page. You never know what you’ll learn.
👉 Don’t forget to tune in live on Monday, March 11, at 11:30 am CST to be entered to win. See you on Monday!
Apparently, far too much. Today’s companies, looking to fill an ever-growing list of open positions (31 million by 2020, according to Georgetown University), are turning to millennials. Attracting the younger workers has become the focus of companies as they try tapping into the energy and enthusiasm of the generation they’re trying to sell to in many cases.
While having young, eager employees may be good in the short term, it also poses some unexpected issues. As more and more baby boomers head for retirement (the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 10,000 turning 65 each day), companies are losing a key component to their success — knowledge. Many retiring professionals have amassed a career’s worth of knowledge that younger generations simply don’t have yet.
In a perfect world, keeping the knowledge within the company while grooming a new generation to take their places would be ideal.
Luckily, that ideal just became a little easier to achieve.
We at WAHVE started our entire business on the idea that combining the knowledge and skills of the retiring and retired workers with the fresh perspectives of the younger generation is a winning combination. And that’s proven: Statistics show that companies that employ an age-diverse workforce have higher productivity, a wealth of new ideas, and a wide knowledge base.
Finding the veteran workers is easier than one might think. The BLS says that the number of workers aged 65 and older who are still on the job grew 117% between 1994-2014. As people live longer, they want to remain engaged and on the job. And even more of them are willing to do so in a remote work arrangement.
Here are some of the advantages of employing retiring workers to complement a workforce that includes millennial workers:
Hiring retiring (we call them “pretirees”) or retired workers is now even easier. WAHVE is an innovative contract talent platform that matches these veteran workers with a company’s needs. Companies get the right skills and experience, and workers get a work-from-home extension of their careers. And with access to a national pool of talent, the benefits get even better.
Is today the day you take that step to boost your team’s performance and knowledge? Contact WAHVE today.
Sharon Emek, Ph.D., CIC, is founder and CEO of Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE). WAHVE is an innovative contract talent platform that specializes in matching retiring, experienced and knowledgeable professionals with a company’s talent requirements. WAHVE bridges the gap between an employer’s staffing needs and seasoned retiring professionals extending their career working from home. Our screening and placement process provide a complete and effective solution to talent qualifying, hiring, and HR administration.
The problem with modern CSR onboarding is that employers tend to turn the process into an orientation.
Agencies must design onboarding programs with specific end goals in mind. From start to finish, each step of the onboarding process should relate to the new employee and his or her role within the company. Agencies should make an effort to extend the onboarding process beyond the employee’s initial first few days. A strong onboarding program provides guidance to employees long-term ensuring that new hires feel supported and confident in their roles.
Every step of the onboarding process should clearly communicate how the information will set up the new hire with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed within his or her company role. Pairing new hires with managers or other company leaders throughout the onboarding process is one of the best methods for ensuring that this happens.
Team members and managers who are training must be prepared to provide new hires with clear definitions of their roles and expectations regarding their responsibilities.
An important component of role establishment is to put milestones in place. This creates a rubric to follow empowering the new hires with a clear direction for success. It serves as a tool for managers to use when assessing performance. An ideal example would be to lay out a specific set of expectations for the first 30, 60 or 90 days with the company.
By taking the time to develop a strong onboarding program, your agency will significantly improve company culture and dramatically increase employee productivity and retention.
At Total CSR, we take the onboarding headache off your hands:
To Learn more, visit www.TotalCSR.com, schedule a demo or REGISTER for the April 30th webinar “Onboarding & Practical Insurance Training Demo by Total CSR.”
Every year NetVU searches the globe for the ideal expert to serve as the keynote speaker for Accelerate, powered by NetVU. That speaker should give us invaluable information we can take back home. This year’s perfect choice is Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter and author, Charles Duhigg. You can hear him at Accelerate, May 21-23, 2019, in Cincinnati.
At Accelerate, Duhigg will address one of the insurance industry's greatest challenges: boosting growth and profitability while creating more-efficient workflows.
Mike Foy, chairman of NetVU, has heard Duhigg and shares why he looks forward to hearing him again:
"Absolutely everyone has habits they can improve. But as insurance professionals, eliminating our bad habits and forming good ones can positively impact our customers' experience. Charles Duhigg has studied and written about this very topic. All attendees at Accelerate will benefit from his compelling insights."
With a degree in history from Yale, an MBA from Harvard graduate school, and many years of research under his belt, Duhigg has a wealth of knowledge to share. Not only has he written two highly successful books (The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, and Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity), but he won the Pulitzer Prize for his explanatory reporting on Apple for the iEconomy series in The New York Times.
Join us for Duhigg’s keynote at the general session. We guarantee you’ll leave with impactful information you can put to use in your everyday life and career. If you haven’t already, be sure to register for Accelerate now.
Would you share your office's workflow for the new e-Docs feature through TransactNOW?
— Susan Wolf Wharton B. Allen Agency, Inc. Farmingdale, NY
How do you handle Inactive Customers in AMS360 to minimize unmatched policies through download?
— Vickie Berger Gibson Insurance Agency Southbend, IN
Anyone have recommendations for phone systems that integrate with AMS360?
— Debbie Rovetto Livingston Insurance Agency Livingston, NJ