In my nearly 30 years of insurance industry experience, I've learned without a doubt that size does not matter. As an employee and later an equity owner in a family-run insurance agency, we never had more than seven people on staff. Even in those days, when computer use was in its infancy and each day we wrestled with several oversized underwriting manuals, complete with rates, for personal lines business, workflows and policies and procedures were great resources for employees and management. Today, with the advent of paperless and semi-paperless environments, with policy data and oral and written communication recorded and stored electronically, well-conceived workflows and policies and procedures are as important as ever.

Some confusion has been noted around the differences between workflows and policies and procedures. Additionally, some may refer to workflows as “procedures,” but it is best to use clear nomenclature to differentiate the two, thus providing less confusion for staff.

The policies and procedures not only set out what is expected and required, but also demonstrate what type of client service the agency provides. Workflows depict how that service is delivered, documented and retained. It is the staff's information guide. When combined, the two tell the employee plainly what to do and how to perform to acceptable standards.