Our business and social worlds are being transformed right before our eyes. As technology forecaster Daniel Burrus said in his January 2009 newsletter TechnoTrends: "We are now at the dawn of a profound technology-driven transformation that will make the changes we have experienced over the past 25 years seems small and slow. We are about to transform how we sell, market, communicate, collaborate, innovate, watch TV, learn and, as you might guess, much more."

As these technologies evolve, the implications for the insurance industry are significant. The marketing, sales, communication, and customer service activities that agencies have relied on for years to grow their organizations are changing. Young, Internet-savvy consumers are using search engines and web sites to research all types of online purchases. They are communicating and meeting through social networks. They don't call when they need something, they text.

This new generation of consumers wants do business with companies that mirror their personal and business lifestyles. The successful agency of the future will understand this and leverage this "technology-driven transformation," harnessing the power of the Internet and new electronic tools to enhance customer value.