HIGH-TECC 2008

September 2, 2008 by Steve.

Approximately 80 people gathered in Vail, Colo. in July to spend 2½ days exploring how the insurance industry can bridge the many gaps that stand in the way of continued success. I always return home from HIGH-TECC amazed and humbled.

I am amazed by the creativity, passion, and willingness to explore new ideas that is demonstrated by the people who attend. I’m also humbled by the knowledge and breadth of experience that is represented in such a unique group of people. I received the following from one attendee. It’s just one example of the creativity and open-mindedness I saw.

HIGH-TECC to-do list

I am looking forward to setting up my iGoogle and Facebook pages, using GoToMeetings, and uploading a Flip video to YouTube. Or, maybe I’ll use Silverlight for the HD and agree to work on my “Pillow Talk” blog. Hmmm, I wonder what actress to “walk onto” that page, as I contact Greenleaf with a Jott. I’m sure that name will get plenty of hits, but will West Bend approve?

I better actually accomplish some business before the week goes by! So, I will definitely iDictate, order DYMO Stamps, and follow up with Postful and FlyDoc to get certificates automatically rolling out. Now, if I could just stop Twirling and Twittering with my wiki…

To get all of this done before Friday, I may need to hit Provide Support to Get Satisfaction. Ahhh, maybe in a Second Life. Where did I put that Amazon Kindle?

— Jim Tuisl, “Satisfied HIGH-TECC customer”

That letter may seem a little weird—but every bolded word is a product, Web site, or service that we discussed during HIGH-TECC.

This year, I opened HIGH-TECC with a general session titled Communicate, Collaborate, Connect. It is my belief that the insurance industry as a whole needs to embrace new communication technologies that are already being used by younger generations. During the session, I highlighted several reasons for my belief and delved into specific technology and ways it is being used by others to create relationships in an electronic world.

I explored social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I talked about how wikis can be used to facilitate conversation and collaboration. I ended the session by showing AVIVA insurance company’s Second Life Island. (Second Life is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents.)

Agencies and companies need to explore and experiment with these types of communication options to determine how these technologies can and should be used to further customer interaction and enhance business.

The conversations ranged from “this seems really stupid” to “if college graduates are using these tools, we should learn how to use them—especially if we want to hire the younger generations.”

That’s what HIGH-TECC is all about: helping the industry explore what tools are on the horizon and how to use them to make your organization more effective. Make sure you don’t miss out next year. Mark your calendar now for HIGH-TECC 2009, July 19 to 22 in Vail, Colo.

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