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Independent insurance agents no longer need to be convinced that integrating technology is a good idea. Choosing which technologies to integrate and how to leverage them to achieve insurance marketing objectives are definite challenges. In conjunction with the Agents Council for Technology (ACT), the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) recently posted an article on this topic recommending technology solutions agents can use to streamline businesses practices.
The article, written by insurance technology luminary Steve Anderson and aptly titled, Technology Tips to Boost Agency Productivity, “…provides independent agencies with practical guidance on ten tools that could boost their productivity and marketing effectiveness in 2010.”
The Insurance Marketing HQ whittled Steve’s list down to three, but depending on an agencies needs, any of the choices could be valuable additions.
Voice Recognition
“People have always talked to their computers — using four-letter words in many cases — and until recently, computers didn’t listen very well. Affordable, usable, and reliable voice recognition software has been an ‘any day now’ technology for at least a decade. If you tried it in the past and gave up you should give it a fresh look. I use and recommend Dragon NaturallySpeaking (version 10 preferred). The software works seamlessly with Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook. It is available at many retail stores and through www.nuance.com.”
Send & Receive Large Files
“Being able to attach large files to an e-mail to send to someone else is becoming more difficult as organizations place limits on the size of received e-mails. This problem can arise when trying to send a submission to an underwriter or with a client who needs to send you a picture or large spreadsheet. www.SendThisFile.com and www.YouSendIt.com are Web-based services that streamline the process of sending and receiving large files.”
Outlook (Email) Rules
“Outlook rules will help you flag a particular e-mail so that you can respond appropriately. For example, you might want to set up a rule that whenever an e-mail is received from one of your top ten clients, Outlook will notify you of the received e-mail. Fortunately, Outlook provides a step-by-step process that allows you to create a rule easily.”
IMHQ Tech Tip:
Digsby.com – IM, Email and social networks in one, easy-to-use application. If your agency is involved with different communities on the social web, Digsby organizes them all together providing a dashboard-column driving experience and real-time alerts (that can be turned off) anytime someone comments, tweets, becomes a fan, etc. It’s also great for inter-office communication as it integrates IM services like AIM and Google Talk.
(IMHQ strongly recommends agencies draft a social media policy so employees understand how to use without abuse.)
Technology can be the grease that keeps agency functions running smoothly.
