June 25, 2007 by Steve.

Google provides a quick and easy way to search for information on the Web. But that’s also a problem. Searching the entire Web usually provides many more results than you want.

Using a new service from Google, you can now customize what the Google search engine looks for. Google Custom Search allows you to specify specific Web sites to search.

In order to use this free service, all you need is a Google account. Then, a wizard will step you through the process of tailoring a search that reflects your specific needs. There’s almost no limit to the number of sites you can include in a custom search, or the number of different custom searches you can create. The primary advantage of creating a custom search is to significantly reduce the number of hits you generate during a search.

Using the wizard, specify sites you want to include or exclude from your search engine. You can also prioritize sites, giving some more precedence than others. Once you’ve created this list of sites to search, test your new engine and preview search results. If you like what you see, you can cut and paste a few lines of code to place the custom engine on your Web site or add it to your Google homepage.

By investing the little time Google Custom Search requires to set up and understand, you’ll save time when you search.

Posted in Cool Tools | Print | No Comments »

June 16, 2007 by Steve.

In October 2006, I wrote an editorial in my print newsletter, The Automated Agency Report, that said, “…an increasing percentage of the population is relying on search engines to find information. Their searches include information about products and services they are interested in buying. As more and more people use the Internet to find providers of products and services, such as insurance, agencies need to become more sophisticated in making sure they appear in search results.”

Then, just last month, I read the Online Automobile Insurance Report published by comScore. The report is based on comScore’s database of passively observed online behavior and from a survey conducted among more than 2,000 U.S. consumers during the first week of March 2007. Following are some interesting facts contained in the report:

•  In the fourth quarter of 2006, 31 million people — 15% of Internet users — visited an auto insurance Web site — more than double the 15 million visitors in early 2004.

•  28.1 million people received an online auto quote in 2006, but only 1.6 million policies were actually purchased online in 2006.

•  Most people continue to prefer to work with an agent, but over half of customers who recently purchased insurance with an agent had also performed an online quote. When asked why they used a local agent, consumers most frequently responded that they liked having a person to visit or call. For those who did not use an agent, the main reasons were convenience and speed.

•  Over 20% of those surveyed said they would buy from the company they trust most, no matter the price. Only 10% said that they would select the least expensive, no matter what company. While most companies focus their advertising on price, people are not willing to switch unless the cost savings is substantial — nearly $500 a year.

•  When a person wants to switch their auto insurance, it is critical that they are able to obtain the information they need. People who see an auto insurance ad are more than twice as likely to visit a Web site specified in the ad as they are to call a toll-free number in the ad. Slightly more people will use a search engine to find a Web site than will call a toll-free number.

•  Two-thirds of people surveyed would go online to find more information about auto insurance. Two-thirds also say they would purchase auto insurance online. Younger customers are much more likely to be willing to purchase online.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, “Any reports of the death of the independent agent are greatly exaggerated.” Most consumers continue to prefer using a local agent. They also prefer to go online to do research (i.e. get quotes and other information) in order to ensure you are giving them the best options for their coverage. Agents and insurance companies must learn how to leverage the Internet to acquire new business and provide customer service to existing clients.

While this report only focused on auto insurance, I view the results as insightful information for any agent who wants to understand how consumers’ purchasing habits are changing and adapt marketing, sales, and customer service options to meet their needs.

Posted in Opinion | Print | No Comments »

June 9, 2007 by Steve.

The ability to copy and paste information between programs is a great Windows feature. That said, the feature doesn’t always work as one would like. Suppose you’re trying to copy and paste text from a Web page into a Word document. Using the regular copy and paste method (Control-C, Control-V), the result is a formatting mess.

The reason? When you highlight a block of text, the copy command copies the visible text as well as all of the HTML code that is part of the Web page. Using the regular paste function, all formatting code is included with the text you are pasting. This also happens if you want to copy and paste from one document to another.

Word, however, provides an option to only paste the actual unformatted words and not the extra code. The option is called Paste Special, which is found on the Edit menu. When you choose the Paste Special option, you’ll be given several choices. Choose the Unformatted Text option to strip out all formatting. There are several other options that you can experiment with to see the results.

This works in other office applications as well. In Excel for example, Special Paste allows you to copy and paste values from cells without bringing over the cell formulas. From the options screen for Paste Special, select only the Values option.

Posted in Cool Tools | Print | No Comments »

June 5, 2007 by Steve.

Microsoft is moving into the online world in a big way. One example is FolderShare, a service available as part of Windows Live. FolderShare allows you to create a private peer-to-peer network to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. The service is currently in Beta and is available at no cost.

We easily set up an account on our laptop and on an employee’s desktop in an office in Arkansas. We set up the file sync feature to keep certain folders synchronized between our laptop and the desktop. Using this process is an easy (and inexpensive) way to create an online backup service.

Another intriguing feature is the ability to share large files that can’t be e-mailed. You simply select the file(s) you want to share, invite others via an e-mail, and they are able to access the shared files directly from their computers. With this service, you no longer need to send large files via e-mail, burn them to CDs/DVDs and mail them, or upload them to a Web site.

There are no limits on the quantity or size of files transferred during the synchronization process, but you can only share files up to 2 GB in size (although we feel that is plenty large). Go to www.foldershare.com to try it for yourself.

Posted in Cool Tools, General | Print | No Comments »