|
|
 |
 |
T H U R S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 0 7
Industry News
TRUSTED CHOICE®
Trusted Choice® Unveils New Web Site
Trusted Choice® has a redesigned Web site. The main page is now more consumer focused, which should help potential clients better understand what it means to be a Trusted Choice® agency and why they should choose a Trusted Choice® agency for their insurance needs. The new layout also means easier navigating. Agents can still log in from the homepage, www.TrustedChoice.com, by clicking the Agents/Brokers button on the bottom of the page. Members will need their Trusted Choice® login information to access the password-protected area. Anyone who has lost or forgotten their login info can e-mail Trusted.Choice@iiaba.net to request it. While exploring the new layout, please take a moment to make sure your agency profile is up to date---you never know when a consumer will be using the agency locator to find you. For additional information, contact Jenner Gohr at jenner.gohr@iiaba.net or Kevin Brandt at kevin.brandt@iiaba.net.
InVEST
Boost Student Training
SetWriteTM 3.0 Online Rating Software is available to active InVEST programs nationwide. Rackley Rating, a Vertifore company, generously donated the software demonstration. This online rating tool will permit teachers and agent liaisons to show students the factors involved in rating automobile and homeowner policies. SetWriteTM 3.0 enables agents to enter information once into a single interface and receive rates and related information directly from participating carriers in real-time. Users also will be able to access manufactured rates from carriers that are always included in traditional comparative rating. This software will help enhance the simulation experience for InVEST students.
Active InVEST schools can sign up for the software by filling out the registration form and faxing the completed form to Sandra Skipper at 703-683-7556 or e-mailing it to sandra.skipper@iiaba.net. Anyone with questions can contact Skipper at 703-706-5437.
A 501(c)3 educational trust, InVEST introduces high school and community college students to insurance and the more than 350 diverse careers available within the industry giving students a new outlook on the future. The program offers insurance agencies, brokers and carriers a diverse and talented group of entry-level recruits.
VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
Come on a Surfing Safari
If the Internet is the information superhighway, then the Big “I” Virtual University is the on-ramp for practically all the insurance information you’ll need.
The Big “I” Virtual University has the most complete Internet links section of any insurance Web site. Its exhaustive links will take you to myriad insurance and informational Web sites dealing with agency and company operations, technical information and much more.
For instance, the commercial lines section links to sites with information on bonds, ocean marine insurance, transportation sites, workers’ compensation, sample agency business income worksheets and more. The personal lines section links includes auto and home-valuation calculators, international auto insurance sites and inland marine resources.
Need help with developing a disaster plan? There are links to complete disaster plans that you can adapt for your needs. Also, you can link to National Flood Insurance Program manuals, policy forms and flood map information, as well as weather-related resources and earthquake information.
There are numerous links to government agencies and resources, as well as to legal sites with court cases that can be used to support coverage claims. If your agency conducts business north or south of the border or overseas, there’s also a lengthy list of international insurance resource link. In the agency management area, VU provides links to free informational newsletters from noted industry consultants Al Diamond, Chris Burand and Jack Fries; sales and customer-service resources; as well as risk-management and loss-control sites.
On the company side, you can link to underwriting, coverage and claims resources, including watercraft- and aircraft-valuation sites; self-insurance tips, captives and reinsurance. You can check out two dozen industry publications (most free), more than a dozen insurance glossaries and several insurance portals. Looking for new talent? To start your search, you can visit several colleges and universities that offer an insurance degree program.
Life needs spice. That’s why the VU has a “Just for Fun” section that includes insurance jokes and other humor sites.
If you think links are all the VU offers, you’re mistaken! The site provides users access to fee-based accredited continuing-education courses; insurance, business and technology resources; a highly regarded e-newsletter; and thousands of pages of insurance-technical content.
The VU is a free benefit for Big “I” members. All you and your employees need to access this online resource and classroom center is a personal login provided by the Big “I.” (If you do not have this login information, click here.) The Virtual University awaits you and your entire agency staff.
YOUNG AGENTS
There’s Still Time to Register for Young Agents Leadership Institute
The 2007 Young Agents Leadership Institute is one week away--- have you registered yet? The event will be held Sept. 28-30 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. With distinct breakout sessions focusing on membership development, communications and political involvement, attendees will leave this conference with outstanding leadership skills. Attendees will hear from ACORD, Artizan Internet Services and Applied Systems and members of ACT during the Technology Panel, where they will gain insight into the latest technology trends. There will also be an opportunity to network with peers and Big “I” leaders, learn new strategies for agency management and develop valuable professional and personal contacts. Keynote speaker Chip Eichelberger will enlighten, motivate and inspire attendees to make the most of the conference. The Young Agent Committee Awards also will be announced at the event, highlighting the efforts and enthusiasm Young Agent Committees have toward their states. The Young Agent Opening Event will be held on a San Diego dinner cruise on Sept. 29.
Don’t let this opportunity pass by---visit www.independentagent.com and click “Young Agents” for updates on the event and for online registration. For more information, contact Katie Cosgrove at 800-221-7917; katie.cosgrove@iiaba.net.
BIG “I” MARKETSSM
BIM Agent Scores Technology Consultants E&O Sale
Bill Hayn of the Greater Atlanta Insurance Agency in Atlanta, Ga., is the focus of the latest Big “I” Markets sales success story. Hayn recently wrote a policy for a consulting firm using the technology consultants professional liability product available on Big “I” Markets. Hayn got the business “through a friend of a friend of a friend.”
“The firm had E&O insurance once before but had let it lapse,” Hayn says. “They needed it now because a contractor the firm was working for required it.” Hayn rates his experience with the product’s underwriter as “excellent.”
This wasn’t Hayn’s first success using Big “I” Markets. A few months earlier, he placed a windshield glass replacement company and had a great experience working with the underwriter from our commercial market provider at Standard Lines. While he was on www.bigimarkets.com working on that quote, Hayn took the time to familiarize himself with other markets he had access to via Big “I” Markets and noticed the announcement on technology, which led to his latest sale. Learn more about market access opportunities available to Big “I” members at www.bigimarkets.com.
EDUCATION
Should Carriers Train Agency Staff?
In the 2006 Agency Universe Study, a biennial demographic report of independent insurance agencies nationwide, agency owners were asked to rate their carrier agreement on a seven-point scale to a number of issues critical to their future success. The report revealed that at least six in 10 agents agree that carriers should offer training for new producers and CSRs. Fewer, but still almost half, felt that carriers should be involved in training producers who are becoming agency principals. The same percentage felt that industry associations should be involved in training process.
To get a more complete look at the independent agency system and find out what else the majority of agency owners say about the industry and their operations, order your copy of the “2006 Agency Universe Study” today. The “Agency Universe Study” is considered on of the most exhaustive study on the independent agency system and includes agency profiles, emerging trends and agency business strategies. It is conducted every two years by Future One, a collaborative program of the Big “I” and member companies. For an order form, click here. For more information about the study, contact Madelyn Flannagan at madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net.
|
|
