Every modern insurance agency needs a management system. The right system will help you and your team stay organized and meet your goals. While some features are common to most insurance agency management systems, others are often overlooked or forgotten about. Some are fairly common but underutilized by agencies, while others are just not that common.
The Essentials
Before getting into some of the commonly overlooked features, the following are the ones that we consider essential.
- Client database
- Digital document management
- Task management
- Support across devices
- Analytics
- Intuitive interface
- Commission tracking
With those in mind, check out the other features you don’t want to overlook.
Extras for the Client Database
At the very least, every agency management system will have a client database. But you can boost your insurance agency’s efficiency by taking full advantage of the various features that may be included in it. For example, you could look for a system that lets you add notes to various clients. This is a great way for various members of your team to share information about clients or just ensure they don’t forget a key detail.
Extras for Digital Document Management
Digital document management is another one of the essential features that can have some extras that are often overlooked. For example, the best systems make it easy to add various media files. This is great for saving photos of various documents or anything else you need to keep track of, like logos and licenses. And many systems will also allow for electronic signatures. After all, if you are taking things digital, you don’t want to have to print out documents and have the client sign them. You’d have to get the documents to the client, whether in person or by mailing them.
Marketing Automation
The best insurance agency management systems will have some element of marketing automation in them. The degree of this automation can vary, but you want at least something. The idea here is that by automating marketing, you can focus on other tasks at your insurance company. Additionally, by having this feature integrated into your management software, you don’t have to get a separate program. Jenesis, for example, features automated email marketing.
Employee-related Features
There are a few different ways that management software can integrate employee-related features. Some will have features to keep employees engaged and boost productivity. A common example is the ability to track the productivity of employees on the system. Sometimes, this is employee-focused, a way to help keep agents accountable and stay motivated.
Other times, it is more geared toward the agency management team. For example, you could use a feature tracking productivity and transactions of employees to see who needs additional training—or if someone is not a good fit for your agency.
One of the most basic but useful employee-related features that are commonly overlooked is a time clock. Choosing insurance agency management with this feature prevents the need to get a separate system. It also prevents the need for employees to switch programs to clock in and out.
Client Portal
In today’s digital age, clients expect to be able to access their insurance information from everywhere. Many insurance agencies create a website to do this, but you don’t have to. That is because some insurance agency management systems include a client portal.
The features of this type of portal can vary, but it is something worth taking advantage of. It should let clients view their policies and potentially print certificates or show proof of coverage. It should also ideally show balances and maybe provide a link for accepting payment. This type of client portal will improve client satisfaction and free up more of your team’s time.
Invoicing and Payments
Many insurance agencies use separate systems for invoicing and payments, but some of the top insurance agency management systems will have these integrated. As with the other unexpected integrated features (such as marketing or employee time clocks), this saves you money and adds convenience. You don’t have to find or buy another program. You also don’t have to train your team to use another program. This extends to things like issuing receipts and accepting credit cards.
Backups
With all the information that you store in your insurance agency management system and how frequently you use it, you don’t want anything to happen to your data. Most systems will offer some sort of backup solution or explicitly tell you how to back up the data. However, not all do. On the other hand, others take this to the next level by automatically backing up your data for you. Some of the systems won’t even have a limit on the backups.
Conclusion
Take a closer look at all the features of your insurance agency management system. You will likely find some features that you aren’t using to their full potential but could improve your efficiency and productivity.