This article (second in a two-part series by Steve Anderson) provides guidelines on making the most effective use of new automation technologies in your agency. Click here for Part I of this article.
A BEACON OF HOPE: WIRELESS WEB CONNECTIONS
The “naysayer” I mentioned in the previous article might be right if they believe that the idea of producers connecting to a carrier Web site through high-speed DSL won't last long — but not for the reasons they think. If this work model disappears, it won't be because it didn't work, but because something even newer worked better. High-speed, wireless Internet connections are becoming common in such venues as Starbucks stores and airport lounges (many hotels also provide “wired” high-speed connections).
The current Wi-Fi protocols usually require a user to be within 300 feet of an antenna. However, a new protocol on the horizon — the 802.16 standard — will deliver a high-speed connection with a range of 30 miles. When cell-phone service providers begin to merge with Wi-Fi networks (a natural progression, in my view), every cell phone tower in America will also provide wireless, high-speed Internet access. This will make it easier for producers to do exactly what they're supposed to be doing — meet clients face-to-face in the field — yet still remain connected to the office.
BACK IT UP: DATA BACKUP SERVICES
Since (hopefully) your producers are out of the office much of the time, they might be doing a lot of work on laptop computers. I'm routinely on the road for a week or more at a time, during which I may write several articles, answer numerous e-mails, and do other work on my laptop. I started bringing CDs with me, but burning CDs as a way of making a backup copy of my work takes a long time.
A couple of rather new services — LiveVault and EVault — are among the growing number of attractive options for backing up agency data, both from the road and from the agency office. For a monthly or annual fee based on the amount of data being backed up, agencies can access the backup service over the Internet and begin the backup with a few clicks of a mouse.
These services offer two significant benefits. First, the data is backed up and housed at a location more secure than any insurance agency office I've ever visited. Also, both services are continuous, “delta” backups. The first run might take 18 to 24 hours, as all the agency data is backed up. After that, the backup incorporates only the changes in data. This differs from a traditional tape backup, which records all agency data each time. It also differs from the usual incremental backup, which backs up every changed file. For example, a CSR might enter a change into one of 1,000 records in a database file. Many incremental backups would back up the entire file — all 1,000 records. A delta backup worries only about the record that was changed, and thus is far faster.
BAG OF GOODIES: OTHER TECHNO-TOOLS
Several other items that offer less dramatic benefits can still be useful to insurance agencies:
- USB Key: Moore's Law (roughly translated, that computing power would double every couple of years) seems to have had the USB key in mind. Smaller than a car key, this storage device replaces the need for a floppy disk. The most expensive one I've seen can hold two gigabytes of information. For about $100, you can get one that holds 512MB. As its name implies, the item fits into a USB port on your computer. Besides giving you an easy way to transfer items from one computer to another, the USB key can serve as a limited, temporary backup solution if you don't have access to an online backup service.
- Password managers: It seems that insurance carriers and other businesses are so concerned about the security of their online transactions that we've actually created a less-secure situation. With so many user IDs and passwords to remember, agency employees are covering their desktop monitors with sticky notes that leave the passwords out for anyone to see. There are several programs that will remember your IDs and passwords for you. I've been experimenting with a recent release from Symantec System Works, which is one of several such programs. These programs usually note the first time that you enter a new ID and password on screen and ask if you would like the password remembered. If you answer affirmatively, the program automatically enters the password for you from that point on.
- Web site services: Several services provided through Web sites might be of use for any business, not just insurance agencies.
- E-fax offers a relatively inexpensive way to receive inbound faxes electronically. The service costs $10 a month, for which you receive a fax number that routes incoming faxes to you as e-mail attachments.
- Paperless PO Box provides a physical P.O. box address in California. Mail received at the box is scanned and e-mailed to you daily. I know an agent for whom this has proved quite handy. He winters in Florida but keeps working, and having the P.O. box smoothes over problems of getting timely mail when he changes locations.
- Zairmail lowers the cost of bulk mailings. This might be of benefit, for instance, when agencies mail their privacy policy once a year to their
entire customer base. You send your text and address list to the service, and they merge, print, and mail. A postcard with a four-color front and a black-and-white back can be printed and mailed for just 79 cents per item. A one-sided letter sent in a window envelope is 49 cents per piece. Overall, this is less than what it would cost most agencies to produce and mail the items in-house.
- Lawroom.com provides human resource answers and research topics online for a flat annual fee of $300. Under the ACORD Advantage program (with which I've worked), you can receive weekly HR updates and “snapshots” at no additional cost.
- Voice recognition software: For several years, I haven't been willing to discuss this technology because it didn't seem reliable enough. But now it's becoming noticeably better. Recently, I've begun using Dragon Naturally Speaking, Version 7 Preferred. The program is a memory and resource hog, so it's usually best to shut down all programs and re-boot your computer before using it. It also seems to work better if you purchase a more expensive microphone than the one that comes with the program (although I've gotten good results with it). The program costs approximately $250. It works with a variety of other programs, not just Microsoft Word. You can even use it to dictate e-mails in Outlook.
As I said at the beginning of this article, getting the most benefit from technology means identifying a problem you need to solve before you buy a new “toy.” Once you've identified some problems that might be solved with a new item, have it checked out.
Designate someone who's free to experiment with several options and determine what works best (it's wise to provide funds for this purpose in your annual budget). A good way to start might be to pick just one item from the above list and concentrate on integrating it into your agency operations. If you do your homework before making the acquisition, you'll find that your investment in cool tools, gadgets, and gizmos will pay off in a serious way.