July 3, 2008 by Steve.

Search Engine Optimization—getting your agency to show up on a Google search result—is more of an art than a science. While there are many complicated and time-consuming steps an agency can take to improve their search result placement, using Google’s Local Business Center (www.google.com/local/add) is a simple step anyone can take. Doing so will help customers find you using Google Maps.

If you already have a Google account, sign in with your e-mail and password. If you don’t have a Google account, sign up for one and follow the instructions to create a free listing for your agency.

The street address you enter will be shown in the Google and Google Maps search results. Once you’ve submitted your business information, you’ll need to verify the listing before it goes live. A post office box can be used to register. You can verify using a touch-tone phone, SMS, or a PIN that will be sent via regular mail to your business address. Once the listing is verified, your information will normally appear in the Google results. There’s no charge for Local Business Center listings. Google doesn’t accept payment to include listings or sites in their search results.

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June 5, 2008 by Steve.

Are your clients able to communicate with you any way they want—whether by phone, e-mail, Web, call center, or live access? Instant Messaging (IM) is an option that is becoming easier to implement. Understandably, agencies are often concerned about the practical aspects of IM. How will the conversation be documented? Is it worth the time?

One service worth considering is Provide Support (www.providesupport.com), a software and Web process that provides a “Live Chat” option on your site. You are given code that enables you to add a button on your site that a client can click to start a live chat with someone in your office. You select individuals who become part of a chat rotation. When someone clicks on the Web button, a box pops up on the computer of the next person in the rotation. That person is responsible for the instant message conversation.

The price depends on how many users you add. One user costs $99 annually, three users is $200 annually, and 10 operators is $400 annually. The software provides a transcript of each conversation after the call is finished, along with a management recap at night.

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May 12, 2008 by Steve.

Although the delivery of electronic documents is growing rapidly, agencies continue to send many standard letters. Flydoc.com is a Web-based service that allows you to streamline the process of sending printed letters.

To use the service, you simply install a new printer driver that you’ll use to “print” documents. You can print in black and white or color, on a single side or on both sides of the paper. You can choose from three standard double-window envelope sizes, but there’s only one paper option for your sheets: letter-size, 24 pound white.

When you select Print, the document is submitted through the Internet to FlyDoc’s service center. FlyDoc promises to print, stamp, address, and send your documents via first-class mail within 24 hours. The first page costs as little as $.36 per copy for black-and-white printing and $.48 for color; subsequent pages cost $.18 for black and white or $.30 for color. The largest envelope available can hold up to 70 pages.

One nice aspect of the service is that it does not require a minimum number of letters. Being able to pay for individual pieces means you can use the service to send customer invoices or the personalized letters you’ve created using the mail merge feature in your word processor.

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April 16, 2008 by Steve.

I’ve been around this industry a long time. Over the years, I have had the privilege of participating in many projects that attempted to work on improving how agents, agencies, insurance companies, and vendors work. While I believe that progress has been made, there are many gaps in our industry. The industry as a whole needs to work on closing these gaps in order to make a profound difference in the profitability and viability of independent insurance agents.

Every problem we encounter in the industry also presents an opportunity for those willing to take bold steps to fill in the gaps. Here are a few examples:

The communication gap and opportunity—how do we build trust and develop deeper relationships with our prospects and clients in a fast-paced, even frenetic, world?

The generation gap and opportunity—how do we understand the coming generations and provide products and services that they embrace?

The expectation gap and opportunity—how do we begin to understand and respond to the changing expectations of our clients?

The workflow gap and opportunity—how do we streamline workflows so that we spend less time simply processing transactions and more time meeting client needs?

The training gap and opportunity—how do we help our staff learn new software and keep up with the constant changes we need to make to stay current?

The systems gap and opportunity—how do we get all of the hardware and software systems we need to use to communicate with each other so that data and information can be shared with whomever needs it?

This year’s HIGH-TECC conference in Vail, Colo. is specifically designed to help you explore these gaps and maximize the opportunities that are available to agents, insurance companies, and vendors that are willing to look forward. As we begin to fill in the gaps, our organizations are better positioned to meet the needs of clients, staff, and business partners.

At HIGH-TECC, you’ll also discover ways to:

• Develop new strategies to attract and keep customers.
• Sell successfully against low-priced competition.
• Build a strategic long-term plan.
• Reduce your chances of failure.
• Boost your profits and your bottom line.

If you’ve ever thought about attending HIGH-TECC and wondered if it is really worth the time, effort, and money, I would suggest you talk with some of the agents who come year after year. These agents attend repeatedly because they understand the value of working “on” their agency, not just “in” it. They take the time to focus on the big picture, including where they want their agency to be in the future. HIGH-TECC enables you to get answers and solutions from both experts and other agents. It’s a platform where you can get “tried and true” answers to your real- world problems.

Some people have asked, “Why Vail?” The answer is simple: 1) It’s a great place to get away and focus on your business, and 2) Vail in the summertime is a wonderful place to vacation with your family, if you choose.

Again this year, we have a stellar group of presenters—a “dream team” if you will, that you’ll find informative, stimulating, and instructive. And since we value one-on-one interaction, we intentionally keep HIGH-TECC small in size. (Because of that, I encourage you to register early. We’ve even included incentives for you to do so—including a discount—just so it gets to the top of your “to do” list.)

It’s not too early to plan for your summer now. As we all know, July will be here before we know it so go to www.HighTecc2008.com and register now.

I look forward to seeing you at HIGH-TECC 2008!

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April 14, 2008 by Steve.

Microsoft recently announced plans to provide a software-as-a-service offering not just to the large enterprises already eligible for such a service from Microsoft, but to companies of all sizes. Through the new Microsoft Online Services, businesses with less than 5,000 employees will be able to subscribe to Internet-based applications from Microsoft and its partners instead of buying hardware servers and software licenses.

Initially, the company will offer subscription-based applications around e-mail and its SharePoint teamware. Microsoft has already provided similar services for enterprises with more than 5,000 employees.

US-based customers can register to take part in a limited beta of the new service at www.mosbeta.com. 

We have been an advocate of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for some time. It is particularly well suited to agencies because it allows them to use sophisticated software without the pain of having to manage software and hardware in-house.

There are a number of examples of other product offerings that utilize this model. Microsoft is trying to head off similar services from Google (Google Apps), Yahoo, and other firms like Dell.

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February 4, 2008 by Steve.

One of the biggest barriers to effectively handling a claim for your client is helping them ensure they have a full inventory of the contents they lost. There has been various software solutions created to help with this problem. AnywhereVault is a personal inventory Web site that helps people document their personal property and important paperwork so they can more easily recover from theft, fire, or other disaster. As a byproduct of completing a full inventory, the site enables users to determine if they have adequate insurance coverage and generates reports of their personal possessions that ease the process of filing and collecting on insurance claims.

AnywhereVault guides users through the process of documenting possessions, storing proof-of-ownership data including serial numbers and receipts, and uploading important documents, such as insurance policies and wills. Users also can upload photographs. The data can be sorted and organized in numerous reports that enable users to calculate value to ensure adequate insurance coverage and provide claims adjustors with proof of ownership documentation.

Users can choose from four plans that range from $15 to $80 per year depending on the volume of information they need to store. Anyone can sign up for a free 30-day trial. You can use this as a value-added service for your existing clients.

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December 26, 2007 by Steve.

Progressive Insurance stopped sending agents paper copies of policies and endorsements some time ago. They’ve now taken the next logical step: turning off paper to policyholders. This new service is an extension of a Paperless Billing service introduced in early 2007 that allowed customers to request that they receive an electronic bill versus a physical paper bill delivered by the U.S. Mail.

New or existing clients can request that all of their documents from Progressive be delivered as an attachment to an e-mail. Consumers are increasingly receiving and paying their bills electronically. This trend will continue. It is important that you began asking your clients how they want to receive information from you.

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