Agency Management System

[sean.mcclintock]

...I have had some experience with a company called Epic-One (not to be confused with Applied's Epic). They have a MGA/Wholesale product that seems to be getting some traction with some decent accounts in the US....

Do you have a website you can provide for Epic-One? Google is failing me.

[Afrank]

Anybody know if there are agency management systems that are built on the force.com platform from salesforce? Or, does anyone know of a solution that will natively integrate with salesforce through their API? On applied TAM right now with 150 users. Trying to find a better solution for the modernizing trend of this industry. I want flexibility and customization and ability to scale. Any help would be appreciated. Haven't had luck in finding anything that's not old hat. Maybe terrace, but it's not on the force.com platform.

[SteveAnderson]

I am not aware of any type of agency management system that currently utilizes force.com and/or salesforce.com. I do know of a couple of small agencies that use salesforce exclusively and don't have a traditional agency management system. But these agents are small. For an agency of your size there are significant issues that would be hard to overcome in the short term: detailed policy management, claims management, download, real-time, accounting, etc.

I do know that at one point about a year ago Salesforce was working on building additional capability into their platform for insurance agents. I do not know the current status of that project.

I am unaware of any vendor that provides a easy, robust API or web service for their systems. One or two are providing some access but it remains limited. This is an issue vendors are going to be forced to address in the near future. Salesforce.com is a prime example of what happens when a vendor creates an open (and well documented) API. Outside developers create other products and services based on that platform which then makes the platform that much more essential to the end user.

This is the open vs. closed system argument. Even Apple, known for closed systems, created an open system with the App store in 2008 (which is in essence an API to the iOS platforms). To date, 500,000 apps have been created based on the iOS system.

Steve Anderson
http://www.SteveAnderson.com

[Tron]

Salesforce does have accord forms now, one of the things added to make the system more insurance agent friendly. I only know one agent that uses it and he does life policies. As for a system that is willing to integrate with others you might try aspire. I know an agency that had a voip company they needed an api developed for so the systems could integrate and aspire did it. Did alot of customization too and that was an agency with just four users.

[12insure]

You left 1 system out that works VERY well and is the cheapest quomation I have tried many and have found that the quoting and managment system works very well and it merges with our quickbooks the service is excellent never had any problems it amazed me at how efficient the system worked if you have any intrest in a demo they have one you can look them up online Tanner the sales staff have been very helpful the tech team is excellent everything is in real time they on the spot fix things every problem i ever had which was my doing not theirs they had fixed in minutes just a thought and they are dirt cheap

[Raney]

If you want to run your business and livelihood on the CHEAPEST quotation/quomation you have found, that is fine. Go ahead.

However, if you want a reliable and affordably priced system from a vendor in the market who has 35+ years in agency management system experience, look at Evolution Agency Management. They have one of the largest retail agencies in the USA (The Woodlands Financial Group) as a client. They also host many small (one user and up) and medium sized agencies. All for a price that is VERY affordable.

Forget the hype that you hear in this forum and do the math and research for yourself. eVo (Evolution Agency Management's flagship product) is the real deal and is growing everyday. We have had Applied and AMS agencies convert to our product with great success. You can pay the big boys price if you want, but give the other guys a shot. Bigger is not always better ... and cheapest is not always the way to go. Look at our website ... my-evo.com ... read our agents bill of rights and our transparent pricing model. Will you find that on any other vendor's website?! I doubt you will ... if you do, let us know. We are upfront, honest, and ethical in every way!

We are here to strive along with your agency and we have put our promises in writing. Do yourself a favor, check out our website, read our policies, and try us RISK FREE and if you do not like it, walk away ... no contracts EVER!!!! Try that with another vendor!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.my-evo.com

Enjoy ... the management system industry is changing and we are making sure of that.

[Afrank]

These are lots of great suggestions. We are looking to be ahead of the curve in terms of usability, scalability and ease of integration with Salesforce.com as well as ease of migrating away from TAM. We have been on TAM for over 15 years, so we have lots of data. We are looking for an enterprise solution though that will support 150-200 users.

I am very impressed with the system that the MGA Abacus Insurance Brokers uses to sell their program products. I want our system to operate that smoothly internally. Check it out: www.abacus.net (we are not affiliated with them, I am just a fan of their web design).

Thank you all again and please, keep the suggestions coming!

[Mike @ Epic-Premier]

For an MGA solution…look at ConceptOne™ at www.epic-premier.com. Full Policy, Accting, Claims & Doc management. We currently serve about 60 different clients in the MGA, Program Administrator, Wholesale Brokerage, and Specialty Carrier marketplace.
If you would like to learn more please feel free to contact me.

Mike Cross
Epic-Premier Insurance Solutions, Inc.
(888)999-7736

[Afrank]

Thanks Mike. We're not looking for an MGA solution (although we have a few programs where we are the MGA). I was pointing out Abacus.net because of the ease of use and simplicity of their designs. We are a large broker and have multiple divisions. In addition to our full P&C and Employee Benefits brokerage operations, we also have a programs department that manages 10 national insurance programs (some of which we are the MGA). We are moving to salesforce.com as our primary pipeline management system and will also use it for marketing and client service action plans (and the chatter communication tool layered across all). I'm really interested in seeing an AMS that is built on Force.com because of its ease of use, customization and flexibility for scale.

While your software looks great, we want something that will integrate with our system now and grow seamlessly over the next 5-10 years. The cloud model seems the way to go if we are going to make a considerable capex decision.

Thanks and please keep the conversation going.
Adam

[AgencyEquity]

An agency management system is essential in running an independent insurance agency. Many carriers will not provide an agency appointment without some sort of a system. There are well over 15 different vendors who offer well over 20 different insurance agency management systems in the marketplace. The two largest vendors have been around for some time. They are Applied Systems and AMS/Vertafore.

Should a new agency go with one of the larger vendors? First of all, I would say an agency should always plan to get a system it plans to keep indefinitely. Will circumstances change and require change in systems? Yes, but with advance planning, you can minimize this. If an agency is looking to add producers, it should keep that in mind when purchasing a system.

The larger, more expensive systems have huge capabilities and can add all the branch offices an agency may acquire, along with hundreds if not thousands of producers. These systems are flexible and are able meet the extensive needs of these larger agency organizations. They do nearly everything, including:

 Client Management
 Carrier Management
 Vendor Management
 Premium Finance Company Management
 Electronic Document Filing
 Accounting
 Invoicing
 Task Management
 Acord Forms
 Certificates
 Management Reports
 Producer Commissions
 Workflows
 Real-Time carrier access
 Real-Time rating on carrier’s platform
 Policy Data Download
 Integrated Email
 Instant and Text Messaging

With the fast-changing and innovative world of technology, the list of capabilities is constantly growing, including integration with other websites, social media, applications and phone systems. You should always inquire about the latest features of a system and evaluate if such features will benefit your agency.

Besides the two major vendors, there are a number of medium-sized to smaller size vendors who have made headway in the marketplace due to the innovative features of their systems, including web-based systems, social media and client access. Some smaller vendors have been around for some time. Their systems are very affordable, but the capabilities and technology may fall short when compared to the newer systems. However, their technology may be more stable and offer lower-cost entry points and monthly fees.

Be aware of the number of carriers and policies that a system can download. Newer vendors often introduce the product before they are able to configure all the possible downloads, while an established vendor has been downloading for years and has been able to add nearly all available carrier download options. Without these downloads, your agency staff will have to manually input all the policy information. While you certainly may have to do this for certain policy types and carriers and on policies secured through a wholesaler, minimizing this function is important for a number of reasons. Inputting the data into your system instantly is very important, especially when serving an account. Also, using staffing for data can be costly, and input errors do happen. Before purchasing a system, make sure to see a current list of the carriers and policy types that the system is set up to download.

Management Systems have trended towards hosted systems in the last 10 years and continue to go in this direction. However, there still systems that sell in-house systems. In more recent years, many of the newly developed hosted systems have been web-based, yet you will still see systems hosted on Citrix or other similar platforms. The best thing about hosted systems is that you can access them from anywhere, not just in your office. You can access them on your laptop while meeting with a client, and some newer systems allow access on a mobile device.

While I feel that a hosted system is truly the way to go in the future, security is a valid concern. Cost is typically not an issue either way. Keep in mind that if you do not get a hosted system, you are responsible for backing up and managing the system, including updates.

[John J90]

I see a lot posts here regarding recommendations for large and mid size agencies, but what about recommendations for a one person insurance agency just starting out?

[AgencyEquity]

You really need to do your homework on what best fits you needs for your specific agency, but given a one person operation, you should consider a web based system especially if you want to work from multiple locations.

[mindi]

we are currently on applied/tam and very unhappy with their real time support and the system in general. we are looking at Nexsure and would like to hear from someone currently using their program. all the reviews i've read hear thus far are dated 2009 and earlier.
also, anyone using Ebix or agency master?

[kbitzer9]

Mindi - we have been using XDimensional Technologies Nexsure system since April of 2005. We have approximately 60 users in two offices. There are many features about the Nexsure system that I believe to be superior to other systems that are available today. We also enjoy a very close working relationship with everyone at XDTI, including senior management, customer support and product development. I would be glad to to discuss with you in detail my experience with XDTI and the Nexsure system. Let me know if this would be helpful and we can make arrangement to talk.
Karen Bitzer - Roach Howard Smith and Barton - kbitzer@rhsb.com

[Jay]

Mindi- we have been on Nexsure for 5 years and would love to share our experience