As an insurance agent, you know your goal is to keep your customers happy. However, keeping customers satisfied can often be an overwhelming job for both you and your team. Agency management software (AMS) offers a solution. With quality AMS insurance software, you can help manage workloads, improve team member communication, and foster a more collaborative working environment.
What do you look for when choosing the right AMS for your agency? Here we look at some essential tools, such as customizable workflows and real-time reporting, that can play a critical role in team management.
What is an agency management system?
An Agency Management System, or AMS, is a software tool designed to help you organize your agency work processes and keep your team working more efficiently. The right AMS can help track details of insurance policies, improve team member production, and provide instant access to all client information at the touch of a button, for all members of your team. However, not all AMS are created equal, so finding the right one for your agency is essential.
8 Things to look for in an Agency Management System
When looking for the right AMS for your agency, you need to consider the unique needs of your team and your business. Here we look at some key features that you should consider when choosing your AMS.
1. Customizable workflows
Standardized workflows do not always work for every agency or every customer. Having the ability to create customizable workflows allows you to adapt to the needs of your team and your clients, creating a workflow process that matches your team and works for your agency.
2. Dynamic forms
Client intake information is typically the first step in your client process, however, not obtaining the necessary information at the beginning can often slow down or make the process difficult to complete. Structured and dynamic intake forms offered within an AMS allow you to set mandatory questions, incorporate multiple question types, and utilize dynamic functionality that offers a personalized experience for all your clients. Forms can be created for different project types and offered based on prompts chosen during the intake process.
3. Real-time reporting
Real-time reporting allows you to see everything you and your team are doing, such as how many projects your team completes each month or how much time each project takes. This can help you make necessary adjustments in order to improve efficiency and productivity.
4. Collaborative editing
Editing can often be a frustrating and time-consuming process, leaving many team members out of the loop of sitting with outdated versions of an important document. Editing requests can often be overlooked and creating the final document can take much longer than necessary. With collaborative editing, every team member can make document changes in real-time, and these changes are immediately available to other team members. Conflicting edits can be discussed and managed in the same way.
5. Email integration
Having all of your daily business tools, such as email, integrated within your AMS means team members can access everything they need through one application. This helps to save time and increase efficiency and productivity. This integration helps to further streamline workflows while providing communication records.
6. Integrated accounting
Accounting is a major part of every agency and integrating it within your AMS helps you connect production information, payments, billing, and other income and expense items all in one central location. This helps to improve your workflow, reduces income and expense reporting time, and provides a more cohesive agency picture.
7. Seamless communication
A team works best when they are in constant communication. With the right AMS, all communication between team members and clients will be centralized in a single platform, allowing team members to easily find communications and easily stay up to date on every process necessary to help your business reach its goals and keep your clients satisfied.
8. Mobile access
While not always necessary, mobile access can be a valuable benefit when you have team members that are on the road or working out of the office regularly. With mobile access, they can connect to the AMS anywhere and at any time, allowing them to always stay connected even when they are out of the office.
Other things to consider when choosing an AMS
While choosing the right tools within an AMS is important in order to match your agency’s needs, there are additional things to consider when choosing the right AMS.
Cost
When choosing the right AMS, the cost is definitely a major consideration. You want to look for upfront costs and fees, as well as monthly licensing fees. Will the AMS provide the benefits you need for the cost, and will these benefits and increased productivity and efficiency balance out for your agency?
Data security
A major factor when looking at AMS platforms is data security. In today’s world, where data breaches are often breaking news, ensuring your information is protected and HIPAA compliant is essential. You want to know where your data is hosted, how often it is backed up, and what levels of protection are in place.
Implementation
Once you choose an AMS system, the real work begins. How easy is it going to be to transfer all your current data into the new system and how quickly can the new AMS system be functional? Does the AMS provider offer support and training for your team members as you make the transition?
Exit strategy
It is always good to think a few steps ahead in business. While you may think you have found the perfect AMS, what happens if this platform just doesn’t fit with your agency? If you decide to cancel, how accessible will your data be? Are you locked into any additional fees for cancelation?
The importance of choosing the right AMS for you
Once you have determined the goals of your agency and what you hope an AMS will bring to the table, it is important to evaluate every AMS based on its potential to meet those needs. Finding the right AMS tool can make all the difference when it comes to team collaboration, customer satisfaction, and productivity.
Let Better Agency help
At Better Agency, we understand the insurance industry and the unique needs your business requires in order to reach the highest level of productivity and customer satisfaction. Created by insurance agents, Better Agency’s Insurance AMS is tailored to your needs and business goals. To learn more about how we can help make a difference, schedule a Discovery Call today.
