Applied Systems In the News
Why agencies value online management systems
By Erin Slattery
Agents and brokers in non-coastal areas sometimes say they don’t have hurricanes, so they don’t need an online management system. Thousands of Applied Systems online users in the landlocked Midwest United States and Central Canada would disagree.
In fact, interior regions can have hurricanes. The strong storm that hit Southern Illinois and parts of Missouri and Kentucky in May 2009 was officially dubbed an ‘inland hurricane.’ The National Hurricane Center defines that as sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher occurring in a non-coastal area.
“The storm’s path devastated an area about 40 miles wide, and power was out for seven days,” says Debbie Bracy, owner of Bracy Insurance in Herrin, Illinois, located approximately 600 miles from the nearest ocean shore. “We had to file literally hundreds of claims on our cell phones. But I could drive out of the area and was still able to get the information from TAMOnline that we needed.”
Beyond the forecast
However, disasters—weather-related or not—are hardly the only factors that motivate insurance professionals to move their agency management online. Using TAMOnline prepared Bracy Insurance to service customers through the storm, but that preparedness was not the reason the agency originally moved to the online system.
“We went online because of backups,” explains Bracy. “We no longer have to back up records and maintain the tapes, which is a plus. I recommend any agency go online—regardless of geographical location. It’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
More important, it is crucial to protect customers’ personal information. The physical and electronic security in AppliedOnline is far beyond what any individual agency or brokerage can afford or administer. Applied Systems data centers are classified Tier 3+, an industry-standard category that says the data centers are up and available 99.98 percent of the time.
Since AppliedOnline started operating more than a decade ago, no AppliedOnline agency has ever experienced a security breach or data leak. With nearly every state and province enacting laws for businesses to protect customers’ personal information, more and more agencies appreciate the data security inherent in the online solutions.
Efficiency and customer service
At Weinman Insurance in Indianola, Iowa, the move online was a move toward time savings and better customer service. Agency ownership felt employees could better use the time it was taking to update TAM. The most important concern was maximizing time for sales and service.
“Insurance agencies should be sales organizations,” says Denise Anderson, office manager at Weinman. “By delegating system updates and the entire dynamics of your agency management system to Applied Systems, it allows you to concentrate on what is most important—protecting your customers.”
Being prepared for the future is just as important as being prepared for disaster. Another major benefit for Weinman: Employees can work from anywhere outside the office using TAMOnline. That easy accessibility is preparing the agency to move forward. “I think that in the future, virtual offices will be used,” Anderson explains. “And if it happens, TAMOnline can accommodate that very easily.”
Erin Slattery is a marketing programs specialist at Applied Systems, Inc. To learn more about how an AppliedOnline system can deliver improved customer service, better security for agency data, enhanced emergency preparedness and other business advantages, contact Applied System at sales@appliedsystems.com or 800-999-5368.
Article first appeared in AQ2