The Agency Technology Performance Audit gives you an unbiased view of where your agency stands now in its use of technology along with an analysis of where you need to head in the future.
But before I tell you more about how you can get an audit quickly and inexpensively, I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself and how I came up with the ATA.
My name is Steve Anderson and as I said, I have been an independent agent for quite a while. Working as a manager and producer in two different independent agencies (one belonging to my father-in-law!) has provided me with a practical understanding of agency internal operations, marketing and sales management, and how an agency can most effectively use technology.
I wear many hats these days. I am Executive Editor of The Anderson Agency Report (TAAR), a monthly newsletter dedicated to providing independent agents with the insurance technology information they need to more effectively manage and grow their agencies. I am also on the editorial staff of Rough Notes Magazine where my column, Agency Marketing Technology, appears bimonthly, I serve as Dean of the Technology Department for the IIABA Virtual University and am a member of the national faculty for the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.
I devised the Agency Technology Performance Audit to provide an evaluation of where your agency stands in its use of technology. Six important areas of agency operations are examined. These include:
Management: What is the overall attitude toward automation in your agency? Are you are using your investment most effectively?
Administrative: How you are using your automation resources? Are you are getting the most out of what you have? Are your procedures up to date?
Infrastructure: What is the status of your network? Is your hardware ready for the new software coming? What upgrades will you be facing in the next 12 to 24 months and are you budgeting for them? How are you handling backups?
Marketing & Sales: Are you effectively using technology to help you increase agency revenue? A review of proposals, company submissions, and automated marketing activities is conducted.
Customer Service: How are you using technology to retain your clients? Are you maximizing your automation to provide better (timelier, more responsive) customer service? How can you streamline existing workflows to maximize productivity?
Communications: How are you communicating within your agency, with your customers, with your companies and with other business partners? How can you make best use of the Internet? How can an internal Intranet streamline your operation? Should everyone have access to the Intranet? Are you ready for VoIP applications?
During the audit I will spend a day and a half in your agency. During the process I will review your current environment, interview various members of your staff, and ask many questions. I will sit and observe a selected number of staff as they process their daily work. You see I don't believe what people tell me, I want to actually see how they process their daily work.
I then take my observations and produce a written report that provides you with a score in each of the above areas along with a detailed description of my observations. The end of the report includes my recommendations for what you should be planning for in the future. These recommendations are listed in order of priority with the most return for the least expense listed first. These recommendations provide you with a roadmap you can use to plan for the future. The cost of the audit is $5,000 plus reasonable travel expenses.
You owe it to yourself to to make sure your agency will be one of the ones that survives the next several years. And, if you are ready, the next several years promise to be a great opportunity for you to grow your agency and prosper into the next century.
Contact me to schedule a visit to your office. Find out quickly if your agency is at risk and what you can do to ensure you are in the best possible position to be successful now and in the future.
