View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2011/09/09/214244.htm
Independent agent Joyce Sigler has been named co-chair of the Real Time/Download Campaign.
Sigler is vice president of administration at Jones & Wenner, an insurance agency in Fairlawn, Ohio. In her role with the campaign, she succeeds Cyndy Smith, vice president and director of technology at Haylor, Freyer & Coon, in Syracuse, N.Y., who co-led the campaign for several years. An active member of the Network of Vertafore Users (NetVU), Sigler has 17 years of insurance agency and carrier experience.
The Real Time/Download Campaign (www.getrealtime.org) advocates for workflow and technology efficiency in the independent agency distribution channel. Real-time is the ability to click on a button from a client file in the agency management system or comparative rater for immediate access to carrier information on that client. The transaction may be a quote, billing inquiry, claim inquiry/loss run, policy view, endorsement or a request for information.
‘In today’s marketplace, independent insurance agents and brokers need to find new ways to increase profitability and efficiency,’ said Sigler. ‘Real-time agent-carrier communication is one of the easiest and most impactful ways of doing that. It certainly has been in our office.
‘We need to continue reaching those agents and brokers who are not using technology to its fullest,’ Sigler noted, ‘and we must keep advocating with carriers and vendors for continued improvements in their Real Time and Download interface functionality.’
While working for a carrier, Sigler helped agencies establish and upgrade their network infrastructures and provided management system and workflow training. She has held — and continues to hold — a number of volunteer roles with her users group and other industry organizations, and serves as a mentor to agencies seeking to improve their efficiency using advanced automation and workflows.
Sigler joins Campaign Co-Chair Karen Youngman, personal lines manager at Don Allen Agency, based in Rochester, N.Y.