SPEED traps usually bring to mind a highway patrol car parked in an obscure place, waiting for unsuspecting motorists to exceed the posted limit. I drive 10 miles every day on an interstate highway. A team of patrol cars regularly stakes out one section. Oncoming vehicles cannot see the patrol car that "clocks" them as they go under an overpass. The pursuit car then chases down the speeders. It is amazing how predictably they catch motorists from the same spot day in and day out.

Not all speed traps are found on highways. There are others that can have serious consequences for businesses. I have a relative who was a long-time employee of Kodak's headquarters in Rochester, N.Y. Kodak was always a benevolent and paternalistic employer with a strong community spirit. It seemed as if the profits from their worldwide film sales would enable the good times to go on forever.

In the mid-1990s digital cameras began to appear, signaling that the marketplace of the future would be different from the one of the past. But Kodak's management was convinced there would continue to be high demand for quality images that could be produced only by paper and film. Their capital investments and strategic planning remained focused on traditional print making for several more years. By 2000, however, digital photography began to take an increasing share of the market. By the time Kodak realized they had a problem, they already were forced to play catch-up. They had miscalculated the speed with which consumers would accept digital photography, thereby not only losing the initial opportunity but also putting themselves at serious risk of failure.

Is there a speed trap lurking out there for independent agents? We were all warned of the disintermediation that the Internet would create in the marketplace. Pundits told us we'd become obsolete, as Net-empowered buyers would cut out agents and buy insurance online directly from companies. Instead, independent agents have enjoyed a resurgence, as consumers show they continue to want our counsel on how to protect their assets and our help in guiding them through the claims submission process. Consumers did not rush to buy insurance online, so not all new environments turn out to be "speed traps."

That doesn't mean we should be complacent. Consumers--including us--increasingly want to have our needs satisfied immediately. We can find products on the Internet no matter where we live and have them delivered to our doors within days. Given today's price of gasoline, it often makes more sense for us to shop online than drive to several local retail stores in search of a hard-to-find item. If we agree that our own behavior as consumers reflects what's going on in the marketplace, it behooves us to recognize the implications for our own businesses. How good are we at giving consumers instant access to our products and services?

Evolving technological trends stand to benefit agents greatly. Real-time transactions, currently available for such things as billing and claims inquiry, will expand to endorsements. Customers will be able to request policy coverage changes and obtain current billing and claim information directly through agency interactive Web sites linked to companies. Most companies are currently developing XML based Web sites, which will create additional benefits and opportunities. Are you thinking about how to incorporate these changes into your operations in the coming years? With 2005 drawing to a close, now is a good time to make plans that will ensure you won't get caught in a speed trap, as technology's rate of change and customers' growing expectations exceed your ability to adapt to them.

Kodak's failure to make a timely migration to a new platform is a cautionary tale for us all. As an owner, you are charged with creating your agency's strategic plan. Now, as a New Year beckons with opportunity, is the time to create one that will ensure your agency is never caught in the speed trap of advancing technology.

Special Reports /

Automation: Speeding technology can trap agents who don't keep up

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