A while back, I took one of those personality assessments, and the results were no surprise. I’m a “fixer.” Even when having casual conversations with friends, I want to fix their problem. That’s actually a helpful trait when you work in an insurance agency or brokerage. There’s never a shortage of things that need fixing, or at least, improvement.
I’m a firm believer that one must always be looking for ways to make systems and processes easier and more efficient. It’s a key to survival in our industry, which arguably was one of the later arrivals to the digital age. Now, with all the tools at our disposal, we have no excuse but to improve.
We’ve all found ourselves staring at a seemingly intractable problem and wishing we had help — even a sympathetic ear. That’s when a user group comes in handy. Imagine other people who use the same system as you and face the same frustrations every day. I know where to find those people: the Network of Vertafore Users, or NetVU. Our motto is “strength in members,” and it’s true that what benefits one, benefits all.
You know that feeling of accomplishment you get when you solve a problem? Multiply that feeling by a thousand when you solve a problem for everyone. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, not just for herself, but for others. Our industry is brimming with potential in the form of eager, motivated professionals who have a lot in common and are often working toward the same goal. When we put our heads together, we can accomplish so much more than any one of us can do in isolation.
My firm uses a Vertafore product called AIM for presenting a bound quote to a client, and it’s also our primary accounting system. Hundreds of other firms use AIM for pretty much the same thing, so you can bet that at any given moment dozens of us are looking at similar screens, performing the same tasks.
They say the devil is in the details, and I think that saying was invented for insurance. There are many variables embedded in a single policy, and, when you’re talking about commercial E&S policies, it can get even more complex. More variables mean more opportunities for errors and omissions, which of course are the bane of every professional.
That’s why the AIM product work group is so vital to our success. It’s where users come together to advocate not only for their own needs, but for the good of all users. In fact, “advocate” is one of the three pillars of the NetVU strategic vision. The others are “educate” and “community.” Much of my day is spent advocating for our clients, my coworkers and firms just like ours. Collectively, we make a difference when we put our heads together and chart a course toward simpler workflows, fewer clicks and a better customer experience.
The purpose of the AIM product work group is to regularly review all of the suggestions submitted by users and prioritize them to achieve the greatest impact. Individual users make suggestions, and community members vote for the suggestions they believe are the most important or urgent. The product work group meets monthly to review all the suggestions and vote totals and discuss with Vertafore product managers which ideas are possible. We share screens and run simulations, discussing the “what ifs” and available options. By the end of the meeting, we agree on the fixes and enhancements that will be put into action. Sometimes, we learn that an idea has already been contemplated and will be in the next upgrade or release. That’s the power of collaboration, because, if each of us operates in our own vacuum, we put ourselves and our agencies at a disadvantage, because we are unaware of new features that will not only make our lives easier but make things better for our clients.
The agenda runs the gamut, from things like finding a more efficient way to adjust installment payments when an endorsement is added to a policy to ensuring that two people working on the same record aren’t overwriting each other.
An underlying principle of the product work group is to let people know that their voice is being heard. To that end, we regularly revisit the older submissions that may have become more relevant over time. Maybe it was a feature that a lot of people hadn’t started using at the time, and it didn’t get many votes. But now the feature is rapidly gaining adoption, and more agencies are encountering the same problem. Our committee has the authority to escalate those issues and recommend immediate action.
See also: Pressure to Innovate Shifts Priorities
I know I speak for other members of the product work group when I say that we get a great deal of satisfaction from these meetings. We are all “fixers.” We realize that we’re volunteering our time, our minds and our energy to the cause because it helps all users. It’s an unselfish act, really. And that seems counterintuitive in a competitive industry, right? On the surface, yes, but at the end of the day we do this because we have the best interests of the industry at heart.
My husband and I have vowed to start every serious discussion with, “Do you want a solution, or do you just need me to listen?” We’re finding that’s also a great approach to problem-solving for agency management systems.
