With new corporate headquarters in suburban Chicago and a chairman who is committed to focused education and increasing usage, the Applied Systems ASCnet users group is poised to become increasingly relevant to its members. AA&B recently spoke with new president Brian D. Bartosh, CIC, president of Top O' Michigan Insurance, to discuss his goals for the organization and how he will achieve them.

AA&B: What are the top technology problems facing agents today, and how does ASCnet help solve them?

Bartosh: From my perspective, the biggest problem agents face is utilization or lack of implementation. As principals–and as an industry–we come up with some good ideas, but too often forget to fill in the holes and fail to make use of what we already own. For instance, it is possible to track our entire sales process and pipeline using the tools available right now in our Applied Systems programs, but too many agencies don't use these and other available tools.

My sense is that many agencies are simply using their management systems as an electronic filing cabinet, bringing it into the workflow only after making contact with the client.

I'm trying to lead members into being more proactive in their businesses. Carriers are good at this; they gather and understand customer responses and can predict what they're going to do next. Most agency owners say they don't have time to be proactive, because they're coming in on Monday morning and still reacting to last week's problems.

It's our job as ASCnet leaders to let members know what is available. While basic implementation can be done quickly–and can yield benefits immediately–principals need to understand that full utilization takes longer. It could be a 12- to 18-month process, not an overnight step, to drive the workflow and culture changes required.

I realize it's human nature to be reluctant to change, so we need to help members prepare for change.

Again, we have a lot of technology available now. There's another good reason why agents and brokers need to use what's there. That's because companies and vendors would develop even more if the usage was there.

AA&B: How will the move to Chicago affect ASCnet?

Bartosh: The main reason for the move is to be closer to a greater portion of our membership. Chicago is the No. 2 city for associations, right behind Washington, D.C., which means ASCnet will be able to add good, talented staff there.

It's centrally located for members from Canada and the U.S., making it easier to get to from from just about anywhere. When we need to meet face to face, we can connect with our membership base in the Midwest, California and the East Coast relatively quickly and easily.

An added benefit is that Applied Systems headquarters is about an hour away, which will allow for greater interaction when needed.

AA&B: How has ASCnet changed since you've been a member–and how has your involvement with ASCnet changed you?

Bartosh: I've been in the agency business for 31 years, and bought my first Applied Systems product 26 years ago. I joined the NUGAS users group 25 years ago, when it was first formed. From 1992 to 1994 I was president. I decided to come back after volunteering on the ASCnet Industry Solutions committee because it seemed like now was a good time to lead the group in challenging times.

The biggest changes I've seen in the organization is that we are becoming more united, more consistent in our approach. When the organization first started, many local chapters just did their own thing. They may have gotten together once a year, but they weren't as focused on education and sharing user information. Now the 68 chapters are more united and more focused.

There is also more principal involvement than there was in past, when the organization had a bigger CSR and systems administration membership. Principals didn't play much of a part. At the September TENCon in Chicago, we conducted a sales management session that was just filled with principals.

With the changing times, principals need to take a more active role in how their businesses are run. They have to go back to their offices and work on their businesses instead of just sitting back and watching it happen.

As technology moved along, we changed, too. As an organization and as leaders, we took advantage of new opportunities technology offered, and became more automated. For instance, we became more involved in the standards process; we were not concerned that much about ACORD standards 15 or 20 years ago, but now we are. Internally, we've implemented leading edge technology to drive interaction among members and to help our chapters connect better with local users.

ASCnet has changed me, too. I've learned so much from others and I'm running my business a lot differently than I ever thought I would. Personally, I have grown. Today I'm a better delegator, and I'm much more in tune with the agency statistics. I have actually become more focused as well. And I'm also more aware of the need for me to be accountable for better agency performance. Plus, I have some really cool friends from all over the world that I wouldn't have run into any other way.

AA&B: What would you most like to achieve in your year in office?

Bartosh: A key focus of mine is to reconnect with our membership and local chapters. I'm scheduled to visit each chapter and have made several visits already this fall. Our membership is faced with many local and regional issues where technology plays a key role in their efficiency. We want to know what they're dealing with in the way of carriers, implementing real time, and more.

Our primary objective is to see better usage by agents of the technology they already have in place. The utilization level and the pace in which we move in the insurance industry in general is low compared with other industries. I believe a lot of this has to do with change management, understanding how to incorporate change. I hope we can address these issues during my tenure.

To address these issues on a more regional level, ASCnet is restructuring its educational presentations to incorporate local chapters in the process. We'll be providing a series of track programs that agencies can follow at chapter meetings, which will culminate with sessions at TENCon 2011 in Orlando. Some of these will be designed for principals, others for CSRs and IT people. We'll wrap up with panel discussions at TENCon, where users will hear how others have succeeded.

We had quite a few successes in 2010 because we narrowed our scope. We're doing the same for 2011, with a detailed operational plan that includes more focused education tracks, implementation, and improvements in the way we handle membership. Our committees have narrowed their focus to 3 to 5 items each, which will allow them to focus more clearly and get items accomplished.

AA&B: What do you think is the best thing about the Applied Systems program? What most needs improvement?

Bartosh: When I hear people talking about deficiencies, most of the time it's because they just don't know what they already have available in their systems. There's a lot to these programs, so as users we need to look at what we have and get it implemented.

ASCnet just celebrated its 25th anniversary, and I personally have been using the Applied System product for more than 25 years. I've always enjoyed leveraging the ASCnet partnerships to build a better product to make us more efficient.

Again, one of the problems is agents and brokers don't necessarily take advantage of what they're using or upgrading to the newest versions. There are many features that are not used in the TAM, Vision or Epic, functionality that is right there and available to them.

Agents and companies are slower in using technology, even though we've had technology in our businesses for so long. Other industries use technology more efficiently than the insurance industry does. Our industry tends to be more traditional and, in many ways, we've not enjoyed the same progress others have.

As agents and brokers–and even companies–we're all facing similar issues, but a lot of us have had very good years, in spite of the economy. Even in Michigan, where the economy can't get any worse, my agency has done well.

Efficient use of technology needs to move away from the tech people and get to managers. Managers need to understand their business goals and that they have the technology to manage business issues. Again, at this year's preconference session at TENCon, we talked about getting back to business goals, not so much in terms of technology, but what agents and brokers want to do with their businesses.

We have a great opportunity to implement change. This is the approach I want to follow through the next 12 months to help our members become the best of the best.

AA&B: How important is it for agents to get involved in user groups like ASCnet?

Bartosh: Everyone gets something different from being involved in a users group. I do a lot of speaking and sharing ideas. I find that sharing and being involved brings accountability to myself. It's difficult to talk about something if you're not doing it yourself.

When I speak for ASCnet, I'm just telling people what we do each day with the system. Other members look at it from a networking perspective, to see what's happening around the industry and how others are using their systems to reduce costs. Others are just "lurkers" who benefit from seeing how others build their work flows and use automation.

I knew when I decided to move forward running for vice chair that it represented a big time commitment. I talked about it with my wife and she knew there was passion there; I've been involved in this since I was in my 20s. If it wasn't for her support I wouldn't be able to do it again. But it's fun and it's also challenging.

I like to connect with people; it's made my business better. My son, who just joined the agency a year ago, is amazed how much I'm able to draw from ASCnet friends I have all over the country. I realize I would never have these connections if I'd just stayed in my own community.

My agency is on the leading edge on technology use, so while I'm traveling for ASCnet I'm able to do my work. I've placed accounts and worked with clients remotely, thanks to VOIP on my laptop, and access to our management system. I wouldn't have able to do this 20 years ago.

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