With so much emphasis on technology these days, it’s easy to lose sight of our own personal interactions with prospective clients in the sales process.

We're joined by Kelly Donahue-Piro, President at Agency Performance Partners (APP), who shares the results of her team’s 2023 Secret Shopper Program targeting independent insurance agents – the results just might surprise you.

Kelly has been working in the insurance field for 15 years, and at the helm of APP since 2014. Kelly and members of her team are regular keynote and featured speakers at insurance events. In fact, she and/or members of her team will be speaking at a number of SIAA-related events this spring, including the Lone Star Summit on April 30th.

Kelly brings some helpful perspective as we work through the meaning of the results captured through the Secret Shopper Program. If you would like to view the results for yourself, Kelly has been kind enough to provide them and you can access them through the link below.

https://www.siaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IATS-Episode-27-Q2-2024-Secret-Shopper-Call-Stats-Asset-for-Show-Notes.pdf

In today’s environment, the agency management system (AMS) has indeed become a critical component of agency operations. It’s time to get rid of, or at least reduce your reliance on, that paper filing cabinet. These days, an AMS can really help you get to that paperless office, while increasing your overall agency efficiency.

We're joined by Michael Ley, Director of Network Relations at HawkSoft, who provides insight into today’s agency management systems and the key benefits of using one. As with all things technology, the AMS has evolved significantly over the last ten years.

HawkSoft has been helping insurance agencies with AMS installations and integrations for years, and our guest highlights the key considerations to choosing the right system for your agency. As robust as today’s agency management systems are, Michael informs us that it isn’t necessary to start with all the functionality an AMS offers – it’s okay to start with the basics and turn on more components over time.

Technology keeps advancing and improving, making it difficult to know when and what to choose for systems that will help insurance agency operations become more efficient. In this episode of IATS, we consider the systems most needed by, and order of implementation at, insurance agencies.

We're joined by Michael Streit, General Manager of EZLynx, who helps us to understand the most critical technology to implement and provides a framework for the progression of integrating additional technology into agency operations.

EZLynx has been helping insurance agencies with technology and its implementation for decades, most notably with their insurance raters. As the marketplace has evolved, so has the company’s capabilities relative to developing a tech stack (or parts thereof). We gain insight from Michael about the effects of moving forward versus not moving forward with newer technologies.