Regardless of the date of your next upgrade, it's critical to understand the trends driving technological change. After all, the only way to know if your agency is ready for more technology is to learn about developments. To that end, I'll examine the top 10 technology trends of 2008 in this issue and the next.
1) Going "green." You may have noticed that three top "commodity" insurers and brokers (Progressive, Geico and Esurance) have commercials that stress what they're doing to help the environment. The reason is simple: America is going "green" at a rapid rate.
Since agency owners usually think of technology in terms of monitors and mouse pads, they often overlook some basic ways of using it to lower energy costs and benefit the environment. For instance, agencies can:
o Use motion-activated light switches in restrooms.
o Use programmable thermostats for central heat and air.
o Turn off computers and monitors at night.
Going green can do more than save you money. It also can give customers a compelling reason to do business with you. Baby boomers may not be particularly motivated by environmental considerations, but Gen Y, your next generation of customers, is highly motivated by "green" ways of doing business and may require you to practice them to get their patronage.
2) Telepresence. Having the ability to make people at remote locations feel as if they were sitting at your desk can enable you to land more business from the growing number of personal- and commercial-lines prospects interested in such a capability. A number of technologies can increase an agency's "telepresence." Examples include:
Webinars: Many types of businesses use Webinars to create new relationships and maintain existing ones. Two resources for presenting Webinars are www.gotomeeting.com and www.gotowebinar.com. For instance, you can use GoToMeeting to review policies with your commercial- and personal-lines customers, or to present proposals to prospects in multiple or distant locations.
You also can use Webinars, conducted either by your staff or outside experts, to inform clients and prospects about such issues as identity theft and restoration, privacy and security, and new products and services. If you need a conference line for your Webinars, one resource is www.freeconferencecall.com. The service offers a variety of free and fee-based options.
Live chat: Volusion.com offers free live chat for your agency's Web site or other online resources. While you might not be ready for live chat, this service offers a simple and affordable option for testing the waters to determine which of your customers are open to this form of technological interaction.
Webcams: Webcams can be excellent for creating a telepresence between staff and clients. For example, they can be used to:
–Create a personal connection when presenting a proposal or annual review.
–Enable a producer in a client's office to ask questions or confirm coverage with the account manager who services that account. Webcams also offer a great way to enable the account manager and client to meet "face-to-face."
Video chat rooms: Services such as www.mebeam.com offer a way to connect with a group of people. Messenger tools, such as those available from AOL and MSN, also provide free Web conferencing.
Messaging software: Larger agencies might consider creating a telepresence among their own staff. Free software, such as the AOL and MSN messaging products just mentioned, allow easy instant communication within an agency.
There will always be topics that employees need to discuss face-to-face, but many interactions can be handled via online messaging. For example, my business, Advanced Automation, is a totally virtual company with 12 employees in five states. MSN Messenger is essential to how we do business.
The most important reason to develop a telepresence is that Gen Y will account for your bread-and-butter business for the next 25 years. By developing a telepresence now, you will be in the forefront of a growing trend and will be able to take advantage of marketing dollars spent by others to promote the value of a telepresence.
3) VoIP. The development of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has led the way to lower phone costs. VoIP provides "unified messaging," with more flexibility and features than traditional phone service offers. (See my column in the May 2007 issue.) For example, VoIP makes it possible to retrieve and respond to voice mail anywhere and anytime you have an Internet connection. VoIP enables your "phone" to ring on your notebook PC, bringing up critical client information instantly.
4) Managed mobility. Businesses will be affected greatly by how society responds to an increasingly mobile world. An article posted on the O'Reilly Media Web site states: "Just think how many people you see walking around with a cell phone earpiece seemingly glued in, as much a part of their wardrobe as a wristwatch. When a heads-up display can fit in a pair of glasses and a microphone on your throat, when speech interaction with computers is more widespread and the global network tracks our location so that it can respond more appropriately, you can bet that there will be widespread consumer applications of this technology."
What makes this article particularly significant is the fact that it originally was published in September 2002. Society is already well along in the process it describes. Examples of current mobile technology that can benefit your agency include the following:
Smart phones: These are cell phones that offer Internet connection, text messaging and such software applications as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The most recent smart phones to capture America's attention are the iPhone, the Voyager from Verizon and Tilt from AT&T.
Enhanced smart phones like the i-Mate Ultimate are worth considering for staff operating outside the agency. These phones look and act like the average high-end smart phone but have an additional trick up their sleeve. You can hook them up to a full-size external display, keyboard and other peripherals and run them like a desktop or laptop. They even come with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Client, so you can use them to access your agency's server. You can also connect a projector to i-Mate and run a PowerPoint presentation from your phone.
Holographic keyboards: This is one of the more cutting-edge uses of technology. Holographic projectors can display a virtual, functioning keyboard on a tabletop or any other surface. Such a keyboard can be used with smart phones, laptops or PDAs.
Bluetooth technology: Bluetooth is an open standard that facilitates wireless, short-range transmission of digital voice and data between laptops, PDAs, phones, etc. Bluetooth headsets, for example, can be used as wireless headsets inside the agency, then seamlessly work with a smart phone outside the agency. MobileInfo.com states: "As a result of the success of WAP (wireless application protocol) and the adoption of smart phones and handheld devices, Bluetooth will have tremendous effects on everyday life. Bluetooth is one of the key technologies that can make the mobile information society possible, blurring the boundaries between home, the office and the outside world."
Wireless Internet cards: Internet cards like those provided by AT&T and Verizon can be used in most laptops to connect wirelessly to the Internet.
Secure remote access: An important rule with laptops and other mobile devices is to never use them to store personal client data. If they're lost or stolen, your agency has considerable exposure, including the legal responsibility to notify clients of the lost data. Software available from www.gotomypc.com lets staff keep all such sensitive information on their desktop PCs, then use mobile devices to access it in a secure environment.
Tablet PCs: Tablet PCs allow users to convert a laptop's monitor into a writing surface on which they can use a stylus or digital pen to enter data. Another type of tablet PC is a wireless clipboard. Students and doctors use these devices to record information and upload it to a PC.
This technology can be used to increase accuracy and save time in both the office and field. Imagine a walk-in client who needs to change a policy. A CSR could have the client enter the needed information on a wireless clipboard. The data, along with the customer's signature, could then be loaded directly to the PC. Also, if a CSR wanted to show a visiting client some information, the CSR could show it to the client on a tablet PC, rather than turn the monitor around or ask the customer to get up and move to the CSR's side of the desk. Using the tablet PC, the client could also provide additional information, which would be immediately uploaded to the CSR's computer. Producers could use a tablet PC on a stand to create presentations at a client's home or office. The client could also enter information on the tablet PC. Back at the agency, the producer could the upload it to his or her computer.
5) Hosted applications. In the 1990s, application service providers (ASPs) gave agency owners the option to use the Internet to access their software applications and data, which would be maintained on an ASP's remote servers rather than in the agency. Although the idea was sound, ASPs didn't take off, and many providers bit the dust. However, the hosted-application market didn't disappear completely. Hosted agency management systems like AFW's 360 and Applied's Vision offer a number of benefits to agencies, regardless of size.
The benefits of hosted applications include fixed IT expense for the annual budget, making it easy for agents to forecast future technology costs. They also can eliminate the need to upgrade server hardware, and to obtain extra licenses or individual workstations (as opposed to terminals). Besides turning to ASPs for their agency management systems, agencies can have their Web sites hosted (we offer such a service) and find other uses for ASPs.
Next month, we'll consider the five remaining top business technology trends for 2008.
Ted Baker is the president of Advantage Automation Inc., which for 17 years has offered agency-consulting services addressing a variety of management and agency-development issues. He also is an author and frequent conference speaker. Ted can be reached at questions@advancedautomationinc.com.

Special Reports /

Agency Technology: The top technology trends of 2008-part I

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