By Steven Finch, vice president of enterprise solutions, Vertafore
It's a clich?, that image of an office worker drowning in paperwork. Yet sometimes it still feels like the reality.
In today's business climate, doing more with less really is the goal. But it's easy to have the misconception that you're working to capacity when you're mired in process. In reality, there may be a better, more efficient way to do things. So how do insurance agencies reach a level of operational efficiency--and, more importantly, how do they empower their employees to proactively strive for that efficiency?
In today's business-speak, we call it "intelligent workflows." Yes, it's another translation of that old middle-school adage: "Work smarter, not harder."
Working harder means having a customer fill out a form to gather information (or worse, having an agent fill out a form while interviewing a customer), only to give that form to a data-entry person, who enters all the information into the proper database.
Working smarter means being able to download the information from a central database or automatically plug all that customer information directly into the software program.
Working harder means sending your team multiple e-mails to figure out who can cover which accounts for someone's week-long vacation.
Working smarter means automatically rerouting tasks and assignments to the employees who have the capacity to cover their colleagues.
The pattern is clear; if only fixing the culture and well-practiced processes were just as apparent. And if only your agency or brokerage had the necessary IT team to implement technical solutions.
There are a variety of different programs and solutions that take advantage of the latest computing and online technologies. One is known as Software as a Service (Saas), which uses a cloud-computing platform to keep a business' networks and systems running smoothly.
Read related, "Clearing confusion on cloud computing."
SaaS, sometimes called software-on-demand, is gaining popularity and allows companies to streamline billing and invoicing, manage documents and coordinate human resources. And it usually comes with its own IT department.
The most popular cloud systems in business these days are CRM, the business world's equivalent of an agency management system. It's been amazing how quickly these types of programs have transformed the business world in less than a decade.
In the insurance world, agency management systems are the butter to an agency's bread. Technology has changed, but the way the industry works has remained steady since the insurance business was invented. Relationships are everything, and customer service is the biggest factor that differentiates one company from another.
When you break it down, the equation is simple: intelligent workflows plus software-on-demand type of services equals more streamlined business operations. Add a system to keep better track of customers and another that frees up agents' time for use on more valuable tasks--like nurturing those relationships--and you get a more successful agency.
Intelligent workflows automatically route routine steps to processors or a centralized processing pool, ensuring that the right person is working on this right task at the right time every step of the way. Additionally, by providing agents with access to workflow data, they can better gauge and manage bottlenecks and processing issues to ensure business is marketed, renewed and serviced as timely as possible.
"During the holidays when people were out, we were able to route their work to other employees without having to rifle through in-boxes or mail to find out what needed to be done," said Jody Hampshire, corporate trainer for Flood & Peterson Insurance, a large Colorado-based insurance broker that uses Vertafore's WorkSmart for intelligent workflows and content management. "I used to have to go from location to location to help out. Now, if someone is out, all I have to do is highlight his or her to-do list and transfer it to mine. I can sit at my own desk in my own office or sit in my own living room and get the work done. I don't have to drive to an office 40 miles away."
Read related: "Virtual phone systems enhance client communication."
The concept of intelligent workflows doesn't have to be hard. Knowing which tools work best with a company's system is important. Then, actually applying the technology is the obvious next step. In no time, any agency can be more productive by only working smarter.
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Steven Finch is vice president of enterprise solutions for Vertafore, and is responsible for workflow and content management solutions. He has been with Vertafore for 20 years and has spent his entire career focusing on delivering technology solutions to the independent insurance agency market.
