Insurance Agencies of the Future
In the past few weeks I have been asked by two different sources for information and opinions on issues with agency management systems. One of these inquires was about Real Time, client portals and new functionalities. The other was about systems being current with ACORD forms. My response to each spurred me on to write about this issue.
This will take more than one post. Your clients have a lot they want me to discuss with you.
My friends Steve Anderson, Karen Anderson and Sissi Haner had attended this seminar in the past. They each had spoken highly of the seminar and said if I had a chance I should attend. I have watched the available dates for about a year and always had a conflict. However, when July date was announced and it was available on my calendar, I registered immediately.
Moving to a self administered blog has been a challenge and a learning event. First there was learning how to administer the site itself. I still look around for the function I need. I am not fully up-to-speed in this piece of software yet. But with frequent use I am getting there fast.
Next the learning involves researching and deciding what widgets and plug-ins one might need or want. I have to tell you this is an endless list. Without the help of articles I have read by other WordPress users and the help of a very special WordPress administrator, I would be totally lost.
I feel a lot like an employee of an insurance agency would when they are learning a new system. I still have real work to do, clients to talk to, yet I need to spend time learning this new software and develop it as a tool for my clients. I know I will get through this learning and development curve and cruse along in an effective way soon.
One of the areas that I have spent a lot of time researching is a tool for blogging offline. I went through several recommended softwares before settling on Windows Live Writer. This software provides all of the functionality of writing direct in the blog plus a few plug-ins that are actually easier to use outside the blog. Like in implementing agency systems, I am spending a lot of time upfront for a payback in the long term by having the best, most efficient software in place. This will allow me to respond normally to my clients and support my website and blogging.
So if you are implementing a new system or updating the way you use your system, remember that the time invested upfront will pay off in the long term.
I have installed an interesting application – BlogJet. I I will be trying it out to see if it’s a cool Windows client for my blog tool (as well as for other tools). Get your copy here: http://blogjet.com
“Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination.” — Albert Einstein
I have been working with Media Contour for the past few weeks to update my website to WordPress. This provides me with a blog forward sight in which to better communicate with clients, colleagues, friends and others interested in what I have to share. (Hopefully, there are people interested in what I have to share.)
As with any project, it has been fun, frustrating and challenging all at the same time. The comments section of the blog is using IntenseDebate. I think you will find this a great format for comments. I hope that you visit my updated site, subscribe to the RSS feed and provide comments often.
I am interested in what you have to say, what you have to ask and what I can provide you to improve the operation of your agency and the technology used or being considered. We have been debugging the site the past two days, but should you find something not working, please let me know.
Thanks for visiting.
I consider myself a leading edge techie and sometimes bleeding edge thus I use the screen name of Gadgitgirl in numerous places. I spend my life teaching others how to let go of paper and accept technology. So why am I always intrigued by tools for writing? One would think that Pat would be doing all writing on her laptop or be a big user of MindMap and other such softwares for planning. However, that is not the case.
I somehow find looking at my laptop screen for these process a mind-stopping event. However, give me paper and pen and I am off and brainstorming. Thus, I am always looking at writing tools and paper, tablets, journals, etc.
I consider myself a leading edge techie and sometimes bleeding edge thus I use the screen name of Gadgitgirl in numerous places. I spend my life teaching others how to let go of paper and accept technology. So why am I always intrigued by tools for writing? One would think that Pat would be doing all writing on her laptop or be a big user of MindMap and other such softwares for planning. However, that is not the case.
I somehow find looking at my laptop screen for these process a mind-stopping event. However, give me paper and pen and I am off and brainstorming. Thus, I am always looking at writing tools and paper, tablets, journals, etc.
When one decides to become a faculty member of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors you get recommendations, you get approved and you write outlines. Your outlines are submitted to the Society and they are approved. The Society schedules faculty members a least a year in advance. So a new member to this group often waits a year or two to begin to get in the mix. Thus is is not uncommon for an outline to be a couple of years old before you have the opportunity to present it. Such was the case recently at an Agency Management Institute in Denver. I was scheduled to do present the Legal & Ethical Responsibilities portion of this institute.
