By Ben Page, principal, Page Insurance

Agency producers talk about gaps in coverage–gaps that might cost clients a fortune if not properly handled. But there are also major gaps in technology found in most small to mid-sized agencies. Unfortunately, with these gaps, there's no chance for scooting by without a loss; there are guaranteed losses every year until they're fixed.

It's no surprise that these gaps exist. A hundred years ago, if a farmer traded in a horse for a tractor, everyone could see the progress and could work to keep up. Many of today's technologies are less visible–especially to many of the baby boomer generation who comprise most agency management. Also, the sheer volume of technological tools makes it difficult to identify and employ the right tools for the job.

Read related: “3 Tech Tips to Eliminate Agency Time-Wasters.”

Here, in ascending order, are 10 of the most common and efficient fixes to agency technology gaps:

10. Online password managers. These are a huge time saver. My favorite is LastPass (LastPass.com), which is very secure and eliminates the need for your staffers to waste time looking for passwords. It also gives you total control over who has access to what.

9. Dual monitors. Use of dual monitors is said to increase productivity by 10 percent, but from my experience, I'd say it's more like 20 percent. Anyone who uses a computer to process, quote or work in multiple programs should have dual monitors–and perhaps even three or four.

Read related: “Agents Share Their 'Must-Have' Tech Tools .”

8. Webcams. These allow you and your team to meet with prospects, clients and coworkers in a way that eliminates the costs associated with in-person meetings while retaining the face-to-face interaction that is proven to deepen human connections. They also allow for live and recorded communications.

7. Virtual meetings. Combining a service like Anymeeting.com and webcams enables agencies to facilitate meetings between remote locations. A few years ago, we began holding our own agency meetings this way, allowing us to manage and facilitate them from anywhere in the world. Depending on the circumstances, staff members on vacation or sick leave could easily jump into the meeting. It's also a great way to meet with clients and prospects.

6. VoIP phone systems. They're less expensive than hard lines and more powerful. Of all the unique features you'll enjoy, having all of your agency's phone calls recorded and stored is one of the best. This protects your agency from E&O problems and is also is a wonderful tool for auditing and coaching your staff in their phone interactions–one of the primary tools for improving sales and service.

Read related: “Agency Technology- VoIP: Can you see me now?“

5. E-signature services. We use DocuSign to save time and hassle in collecting signatures. Check with your state and carriers to see if this is allowable. You can convert any form into a document that is then emailed and digitally signed with the use of any computer or smart phone. Clients will love it because it makes everything easy. Many of our agents use this service to avoid printing, signing and scanning their own signatures. It's a huge time saver that also cuts down on the cost of paper and ink.

4. Personality profiles. If you're Walmart, one bad hire is just a small percentage of your overall workforce so you can easily absorb the loss. It's another story for one bad hire at the average independent agency. One of the best tools I've found to avoid bad hires (and I've tried about all of them) is the personality profile. I was very skeptical in the beginning but have learned the hard way over the years that they are extremely useful. Omnia (OmniaGroup.net) offers free profiles to get an idea of how it works. They have also developed insurance industry specific profiles to simplify the process.

Read related: “The Art of the Interview.”

3. Intranet. This is one of the more powerful tools an agency can use–a secure website for internal purposes only, primarily information management.

Although dozens of features can be built in, one of the most useful in our agency's intranet is the editable policies and procedures system. Instead of paper manuals that are hard to keep updated, our P&P (including detailed how-to instructions on all of the systems and tasks in the agency) can be edited by anyone with access.

Changes are forwarded to an administrator for review and final approval (in our case, the COO). This allows our P&P to grow organically–similar to how Wikipedia works—while still retaining final say from administration.

Other features can include training materials, common forms, carrier information, internal message boards and links to commonly used resources.

The least expensive way we've found to create an intranet is through Google Sites, which does take a moderate amount of tech savvy to create, implement and manage. However, no programming skills are necessary; you just need someone to can sit through Google's training videos and put the time in to get it done.

2. Google Apps. This is a powerful suite of communication tools designed for businesses. About 5 years ago we switched from Microsoft to Google Apps, a move that saves us about $10,000 a year and has made everything easier. Google Apps can handle email, calendar, document storage, embeddable forms, online applications similar to Microsoft Office, document collaboration, online meeting apps, and more. Go to https://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business to learn more.

1. Sales system management. This is by far the most costly tech gap in small to mid-sized agencies. Sales is a direct result of your sales system: improve your sales system and your sales improve. Every producer has a system, even if it's just sticky notes and a poor memory. Small improvements to your current systems can result in immediate and big improvements in results.

A good system keeps all tasks and processes organized and prioritized automatically for every person in your team. Leads are not forgotten or mismanaged. Tasks and processes designed to increase leads (like referrals), increase conversion, and increase closings happen like clockwork.

CRMs are not comprehensive sales management systems. They are best at servicing existing policies. Use the CRM reports and other features as part of your sales system, but don't be afraid to use other technologies, such as Google forms, spreadsheets and other sales pipeline managers to design, implement and manage everything in your agency's pipeline.

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10 Most Common Fixes to Agency Technology Gaps: Slideshow

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