Helping agencies become more productive has kept this year’s winners of the NetVU Automation Excellence Award in the carrier category at the forefront of technology and innovation. The 2017 winners selected by NetVU’s volunteers on the Industry Relations committee are Selective Insurance Company, Branchville, New Jersey (Regional Carrier), and The Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut (National Carrier).
The Automation Excellence Award recognizes carriers, MGAs and agencies that have demonstrated significant achievements in automation technology and cutting-edge ideas for the benefit of the industry.
Selective Insurance Company was recognized for its continued commitment to offering automated tools and programs to position agencies for success and to help them fully utilize those resources. Selective believes that helping agencies automate wherever possible enables agents to spend more time serving their clients.
“Selective is honored to receive NetVU’s Automation Excellence Award for a Regional Carrier,” says Joe Feo, vice president and business relationship director at Selective. “Being recognized with this award for a second year in a row is a tremendous affirmation of the projects and programs we’ve rolled out to enhance efficiency, increase profitability and streamline operations.”
Selective provides real-time quotes for all commercial and personal lines, regardless of class of business or size. If the coverage is written by Selective, agents can upload it using TransactNOW via their Vertafore management system, and the carrier will then download it back. Selective also continually enhances its products so agencies can be more efficient and focus on generating revenue.
To help agencies fully adopt Selective’s automation processes, the company’s technical field coordinators train, troubleshoot and market the use of all technology offerings for agents. In 2016, they conducted approximately 625 diversified training sessions.
Selective is a Silver Corporate Partner with NetVU, as well as an active participant in ACT, AUGIE and ACORD.
The Hartford was recognized for initiating four noteworthy automated solutions this past year:
- Claims Download — available for commercial and personal lines.
- ACORD eDocs — available for commercial lines.
- ACORD Messages for Billing Notices — available for commercial and personal lines.
- Endorsement Portal — available for commercial lines.
“We are honored to receive the Automation Excellence Award from NetVU,” says Jill Cleary, senior consultant in enterprise marketing at the Hartford. “Agents are essential to our business, and we strive to create solutions that help them become more efficient by automating how they work and providing them with the information they need in real time.”
As part of its agency automation strategy, the Hartford is committed to designing solutions that drive speed and efficiency, have broad availability and help make agents’ jobs easier. The company’s agency outreach has included NetVU webinars and its own targeted campaigns.
The Hartford has been a NetVU partner for more than 23 years. It is very active in ACORD, AUGIE and ACT, and has been a driving force behind ID Federation’s SignOn Once initiative.
To find out more about the NetVU Awards program, see the
Awards page on the NetVU website, or contact
Melissa Bond, NetVU’s member relations manager.
As agents, safeguarding your customers' information is one of the most critical areas in your business world — but you also need resources to understand and comply with the regulations.
ACT’s 'Agency Cyber Guide 1.0' gives agents everything you need to be in compliance with all cybersecurity regulations; each individual regulation is listed and defined, and links are provided to resources, such as a downloadable 'Agency Cybersecurity Policy' template.
ACT’s 'Agency Cyber Guide 1.0' Guide
ACT will keep this resource updated as federal and state regulations & laws change. We strongly encourage you to use this resource!
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 users and education that 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.
Tuesday, 8/8 at 1:00 p.m. Central — Discover 4 Ways The Hartford Can Streamline Your Operations
You have been waiting and it is here — claims download and billing messages! Learn how you can self-register for electronic versions of your Hartford policies to download right into your agency management system. Submit commercial lines endorsement request quickly and easily with no re-keying of data.
Wednesday, 8/9 at 10:30 a.m. Central — Making Download Work for You — Part 1
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, 8/17 at 1:30 p.m. Central — AMS360 Accounting Chapter Meeting
Join the AMS360 Accounting Chapter for our upcoming meeting! The tentative topic is budgeting.
View our Meetings & Events Calendar, and Register Now.
By Hillarie Holcomb, NetVU Marketing Specialist
When I began my career in digital marketing, social media was my worst enemy. Sure, I had my own personal pages and enjoyed that, but figuring out a strategy for a business seemed like a monumental task. It’s like being in a fist fight with Facebook and you’re blindfolded. Social media channels like Facebook and Twitter use crazy complicated algorithms that are supposed to enhance the user’s experience. It’s great for you personally. It can be a deal breaker for your business’s page. If it’s not bad enough, we don’t know what the algorithm is, and no one at Facebook or Twitter is willing to tell us.
Now, it’s my goal to beat the social media algorithm. You’ve heard all the basic best practices, like using graphics and videos in your posts, but I’ve learned a few other tricks along the way that I’m happy to share with fellow social media warriors.
- Use Your Analytics. Staring at numbers makes my head hurt, but it’s worth it when I see positive results. All the big three (Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn) provide you with really awesome analytics. The Facebook Insights Dashboard is incredibly helpful when you’re trying to make decisions about what and when to post. You can see what times your followers are active on the site, so you know exactly what time will get you the furthest. You’ll notice which posts are successful and which ones didn’t help you much. Social media is a science. Use your analytics to create a formula that works every time.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Boost. I get it. It’s obnoxious that to get even 50% of your followers to see your posts, you need to hand over your credit card. As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of best practices to help your organic reach, but you shouldn’t discount the benefits of a promoted post. On Facebook, I love the Post Boost feature. It’s simple to use and allows your post to be seen by more of your followers. I’ll do this when there is something especially important I want to share with our followers, but I also like to do it every few months even if a post isn’t crucial to our membership. It’s a good reminder that you exist for people who follow your page but may not be seeing your content. Not only do I see an engagement bump for that post but also an increase in overall engagement with the page — for only $40.
- Loosen Up a Little. Personally, I love seeing helpful content come across my news feed, but I also love the latest funny cat video. I want it all, and so do your followers. Keep posting awesome, unique content, but don’t be afraid of a funny GIF. You’re showing that your business has a personality, and people like that. Our page always gets tons of engagement from silly posts, and I notice that our numbers stay consistently high for the next week. You can also find a way to use trending hashtags in your posts. As people are looking through those posts, there you’ll be!
Social media can be a huge asset for your business, and you have all the tools you need to make it a success. Do what’s best for your pages, and you’ll win the social media battle.
According to a new report, work and the workforce as we know it are changing.
Shift: The Commission on Work, Workers, and Technology revealed in their recent report that nearly one-fourth of the workforce will be 55 or older by 2024. That’s more than twice the total for that age group in 1994.
Moreover, the report also says older workers are more likely to be in alternative work arrangements — freelance, consulting, and remote work — and in occupations that are predicted to shrink thanks to automation as artificial intelligence takes over and there is less work for people in any number of jobs.
Time to rethink business as usual. And that includes who we perceive to be our best hires. Those could be the retiring and retired demographic.
That’s because older workers have what the millennial crowd has yet to acquire: broad experience and knowledge. The veteran workforce has proven their commitment to their companies and their industry. They understand the needs of the business and are adept at problem-solving.
Another benefit older workers bring to the table: engagement. The Commission report revealed that older workers valued doing what they enjoy over stability. Companies hiring older workers get a level of commitment to the job because the older workers are choosing jobs they want to be engaged in.
For insurance agencies, that’s a scenario that seems unattainable, particularly in an area where the talent pool is limited. Finding an older worker to supplement the current staff can be challenging — if one is thinking within traditional boundaries, that is.
Going Remote
Engaging the talents of a remote, older worker is a shift many agencies are starting to make. By extending the search beyond local borders, agencies are discovering how easy it becomes to select exactly the skills needed.
Plus, “pretiring” insurance professionals can augment staff talents beautifully and take on those tasks that tie up current employees’ efforts. One agency hired a customer service rep, which meant the staff was free to work on account management. Another agency hired a remote “pretiree” to work through the company’s backlog of policy reviews and audits, freeing staff to refocus on marketing.
It’s also easier to employ a pretiree. They require little, if any, training. They understand the job and the complexities of insurance. When hiring a pretiring remote worker, you’re getting a worker who’s there because she wants to be.
At WAHVE, we see that level of dedication, and it’s inspiring. Our wahve workers come to us eager to work and committed to giving their best for our client companies. Agencies can tap into a knowledge and expertise that might otherwise be tough to find.
As the traditional workforce continues to move toward older, remote workers, agencies looking to enhance their current staff can do so affordably by engaging a remote, pretiree worker. Having specialized support for your staff and your business can be both a relief and a reward.
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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 |
Do you regularly get documents back that are missing signatures? Does your agency spend hours each week mailing, faxing and scanning documents to secure signatures?
As part of a giveaway with InsureSign, we recently asked NetVU members to share their paperwork hassles. Here’s what some had to say.
How often do you get documents back missing signatures, initials, etc.?
This is an ongoing problem. We have to return documents frequently for signatures.
— Patricia Robinson, American Insurance Administrators Inc., Mechanicsburg, PA
How often do we get back unsigned doc? More often than I'd like to think. Also get back apps signed in the wrong place.
— Percy Hoek, Percy Hoek Inc., Sayville, NY
How about - EVERYDAY!
— Jan Goode, Central Financial Group, Urbandale, IA
Often! The back and forth takes forever with some clients!
— Shaun Connor Kuffel, Assured Partners of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
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How much time each week do you spend faxing, scanning and mailing documents for signing, and following up via phone and email?
My entire team spends at least 3-4 hours a day sending, receiving, scanning and of course following up on signatures. We work primarily in the surplus lines world in 29 states and the importance of having every document correctly signed is paramount to correctly filing state surplus lines taxes, financing and our own E&O.
— Jenna Meyer, Cannasure Insurances Services LLC, Westlake, OH
With an agency of 5, we have 2 personal lines agents and 1 csr that spend 3 hours at a minimum, daily scanning, faxing and collecting signatures. 2 commercial lines staff spend an average of 2 hours daily.
— Tina McCown-Eaton, Sonora Insurance Agency, Sonora, CA
Our personal lines account managers spend no time scanning, faxing or following up with clients and prospects for signed documents because we are using InsureSign and LOVING it! What a huge timesaver for us and a much easier way of doing business with us for our clients and prospects!!!
— Cynthia L. Smith, Haylor Freyer & Coon Inc., Syracuse, NY
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By switching to InsureSign, you’ll eliminate incomplete forms for good, and sending a document for signing takes seconds!
Plus, it’s simply the easiest e-signature software to use.
Sign up here using code NETVUMEMBER, and you’ll enjoy 20 percent off the cost for the first 6 months or 10 percent off annually for the first year!
After the six months, you’ll play as little as $15.95/month depending on your plan.
Congrats to the giveaway winners, Jennifer Wicks with Assurance Partners LLC and Janelle Pollock with Iott Insurance Agency, Petersburg, MI!
Tips from NCOM Posts 
Gary Williams, The Williams Insurance Group, Shreveport, LA
For those using Citrix Sharefile for your secure email, how are you managing the credentials? What happens if you stop using Sharefile — how will you recall that mail attached to an Activity in AMS360?
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Alice L. Martin, Taggart & Associates Inc., Boulder, CO
How are you using silent activities to record the renewing of a policy?
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Rachel Phillips, Lappan Agency Inc., Alpena, MI
Need some input on the best way for a CSR to FLAG an account.
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Shawn Gustafson, Burke Insurance Group LLC, Las Cruces, NM
How do you process mail in your agency?
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