Vertafore Insurance Podcast

What is this project that is making such an impact on the industry?

As Vertafore CEO, Amy Zupon, said, “Project Impact is about more than just technology; it’s about creating meaningful change. We are committed to supporting our customers, our employees, and our communities in every way we can. We're thrilled to announce our latest podcast episode featuring Vijay Muniswami, the visionary leader behind Vertafore's transformative Project Impact.”  Known for his innovative approach and deep industry insights, Vijay has been a driving force with in the Vertafore ecosystem and the insurance technology landscape for over a decade. His passion for leveraging technology to create meaningful change is nothing short of inspiring. In this episode, Vijay delves into how Project Impact is revolutionizing the insurance industry through technology, community engagement, and sustainability. Tune in to discover the incredible innovations and strategies driving this project forward!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What Project Impact is and how important it is to Vertafore's development of solutions
What Vijay and his team learned from from spending time inside 70 plus agencies
The impact of Vertafore’s community engagement and educational programs
Innovations enhancing customer experience and satisfaction
Sustainability practices and their importance in the modern insurance landscape
You may want to bookmark this one, there is a lot of information in this episode.

This is the inside scoop on AgencyOne

Vertafore is changing the game again, raising the bar for the user experience even higher with AgencyOne. This platform will transform the way insurance agencies operate by providing a comprehensive, all-in-one platform designed to streamline processes, enhance productivity, and elevate customer service. Whether you’re new to the world of insurance tech or looking to upgrade your current systems, this episode is packed with insights on how AgencyOne can be a game-changer for your agency.

AgencyONE was born out of the need for a more integrated and efficient agency management system. It’s the result of years of industry research and feedback from insurance professionals. The platform has evolved through collaboration with agencies of all sizes, ensuring it addresses real-world challenges and needs. Today we have Jace Hopper, VP of Product Management joining us alongside Kelsey Anderson Manager of Product Marketing to break it all down for us.

Listen in as Jace Hopper and Kelsey Anderson share:

What’s new with it and where we are today with AgencyOne
A behind the scenes look at how it is being put together from the marketing and product view point
The day to day challenges in an agency that AgencyOne solves
How this project is truly about enhancing our customer's experience here at Vertafore.

We discuss this and so much more, that we will be releasing a sequel coming out in the fall. 

Everyone should have an opportunity to succeed in this industry

Dawnyel Smink is a force to be reckoned with in the insurance industry. As the founder and CEO of Canyon Lands Insurance (CLI), she has revolutionized the way insurance services are delivered, fostering growth across multiple states and establishing CLI as a powerhouse in the field. Her entrepreneurial spirit and keen insight have not only propelled her company to new heights but also paved the way for women in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

Dawnyel’s leadership extends beyond business acumen; she is a visionary who actively shapes industry practices, advocating for the empowerment and fair treatment of women. Her voice is a beacon of change, resonating through her participation in regional and national carrier councils.  Dawnyel Smink is not just a leader; she is an innovator, a philanthropist, and an inspiration to many.

Listen in as Dawnyel talks about:

Her journey as an entrepreneur in this industry, and how she came to where she is today
Leadership principles she has learned along the way, and how she has used those to empower so many others
How her active participation in regional and national carrier councils has propelled her career forward
The transition from Canyon Lands Insurance to Keystone and the impact for her agents
What's next on the horizon for her agents at CLI and Keystone and her excitement for it. 
Buckle up folks, because this one is a powerful episode

The Google of Insurance

Jack Gibson is a distinguished leader in the insurance and risk management industry, renowned for his role as the President and CEO of the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). With a career spanning over four decades at IRMI, Jack has been instrumental in steering the company’s strategic direction and expanding its educational resources. His expertise is also reflected in his authorship and editorial contributions to numerous industry publications. He was also instrumental in the partnership between IRMI and Reference Connect. 

We want to dive deeper into Jack’s work and the services offered by IRMI. 

Listen in as Jack talks about:

• His journey to IRMI and his prestigious career there as CEO.
• The long-term relationship between IRMI and Reference Connect by Vertafore
• The various use cases for IRMI in your agency
• All of the various content that IRMI offers including the brand-new BOP content
• What's next for IRMI.

This one you won't want to miss.

The future of InsurTech is now!

Christopher Frankland is an award-winning influencer in the InsurTech space, and the Global Head of Product & Innovation at Cover Desk. He has been serving in this role since April 2021. With a rich background in the InsurTech industry, Christopher has founded InsurTech360. His expertise extends to mentoring roles in various organizations, including Lloyd’s Lab, Hartford InsurTech Hub, gener8tor, and the Global Insurance Accelerator. Cover Desk, under his leadership, aims to lead global innovation efforts, including new product and service development, and identifying new market opportunities. This aligns with cultivating a culture of innovation across Cover Desk and the insurance industry.

Listen in as Christopher talks about:

His journey from across the pond to where he has become an award-winning influencer in our industry 
How he became the founder of Insurtech360 
The trends that he sees in the insurance industry as well as future trends
How Cover Desk is deploying incredible virtual employees trained in the technology used by your agency
The emergence of Artificial intelligence and how agencies could be using it
The use cases for artificial intelligence from a audio and visual standpoint using generative AI
You may want to bookmark this one.

There is a lot to unpack in this episode.

How to use demand generation strategies to create opportunities for your agency

Mikaela Dittbrenner, Vertafore's Agency Demand Generation Marketing Manager, brings a diverse background in lead generation, campaign marketing and conversion path optimization for both B2B and B2C programs.  Her relentless drive to boost demand generation and amplify brand visibility through strategic initiatives has propelled Vertafore's Agency Marketing presence to new heights within the industry.

Listen in as Mikaela talks about:

• Her Journey through her marketing career and how she landed at Vertafore
• What suprised her the most about the insurance industry
• What demand generation marketing is and why it is so important
• The importance of having good culture
• How to use demand generation marketing strategies to gather more opportunities for your sales team
• How to deploy a solid marketing campaign in your agency
• What is on the horizon for the Vertafore Demand Generation team through 2024.
  
  
  
  

Leading with compassion, intentionality, and mindfulness

Navigating this hard market takes extreme intentionality. Prioritizing mental health and having a great culture in your organization are just as important as having a solid foundation of process and procedure in your agency. Both lead to finding success in these times and today we have 2 great guests to talk more about this. Scott Howell is more than an insurance agent; he’s an educator, a thought leader, and a trusted advisor. His dedication to the industry and his clients is unmatched, making him a true “insurance guy” in every sense of the word. Scott is owner of iprotect Insurance and financial services and the co-host of the Insurance Guys Podcast. The podcast has become a go-to resource for insurance agents seeking guidance on everything from sales and hiring to the day-to-day operations of running a successful agency. Kenneth Williamson is the Director of Operations at Portal Insurance. He is a breath of fresh air as a voice in our industry. He leads his team with compassion and intentionality. 

Listen in on this conversation as they talk about:
Scott Howell and the Insurance Guys Podcast as they celebrate 1 million downloads and what that means to him
Scott Howell and Kenneth Williamson as they introduce themselves to the audience 
The importance of having a good culture in your agency and leading with compassion and mindfulness
Kenneth's approach to managing a service team during the hard market
Scott discusses his agency's tech stack, and how important it to the success of his agency
How important it is to have a solid foundation build on solid processes and procedures
The creation of their new company Mind Your Agency, and how it came to be.

You may want to bookmark this one

Watch out for this when selecting an insurtech partner

Alexis Cierra Vaughn was recently named "Women to Watch in InsurTech 2023', "Insurance Business America" as one of the top 85 trailblazing Elite Women in Insurance for 2022", Litghitco named her a top "Influencer" on the "Top 100 Insurance Innovators" list & ACORD and Alchemy Crew named her "Top 14 Global InsurTech Leaders of 2022 Globally.”  

In other words, if you want a guide to identifying the right insurtech partner, start here.  

Meet Alexis and learn: 

• how she grew Cowbell Cyber agency appointments from a few hundred to 23,000
• the genesis and early successes of her new consulting company, off-course
• the difference between a great insurtech CEO and an ego-driven one
• bleeding-edge technologies to consider when building your tech stack
• questions to ask in your insurtech interview process 

Insurance loss runs to useable data in seconds

Scott Knowles is a serial entrepreneur in the Insur-Tech industry, recognized for his innovative contributions as the CEO and Co-Founder of Loss Scan. Scott has been instrumental in developing Loss Scan’s one-click tool that imports and extracts detailed information from loss-runs, eliminating manual processes and saving time for carriers and agents, His deep understanding of the insurance industry has allowed him to create technology that not only solves problems but also enhances human capabilities. Loss Scan was created, not to replace humans but to improve and enhance what they are doing. He wanted to provide a tool that could handle the tedious work of data extraction, so his clients could concentrate on interpreting the data and making informed decisions. Loss Scan, has since become a game-changer in the insurance technology space, demonstrating the limitless potential of AI in enhancing human capabilities.

Listen in as Scott talks about:

• His journey from his first successful start-up in Modgic to co-founding Lossscan
• How he came to the idea of Lossscan
• The importance of the technology behind Lossscan Various use cases for the technology
• Artificial Intelligence and how he is taking advantage of it to enhance the customer journey
• A data-driven , AI powered approach to underwriting
• The creation of Lossscan was not to replace humans but to enhance their capabilities.

You may want to bookmark this one, there is a lot of information in this episode.

From Scratch to $36 Million using these sales strategies.

Andrew Filar is the CEO and Managing Partner of Peachy Insurance, the fastest growing Allstate agency in the U.S. Andrew is focused on building the best team in the insurance industry. He has acquired seven Allstate agencies and has organically grown them from $0 to $36,000,000 in annual premiums in just 5 years. Additionally, Andrew is involved with Next Call Club, where he helps businesses turn cold leads into warm leads, close more clients, and improve ROI through effective outbound calling.

Listen in as Andrew talks about:

His journey and how he got to be the fastest-growing Allstate agency
His training for unlicensed callers, and the steps to take before passing them to a licensed sales agent
A live role-play with Heath to demonstrate an outbound call process
The importance of understanding the client journey and the tools he uses for follow-up
The lead scoring model and how he optimizes his process using this model qualification and verification for lead sources 
A data-driven approach to not only optimize the funnel but also leverage the digital footprint
A closer look at how the cost moves through the process as opposed to the sticker price
A playbook for implementing an outbound calling strategy in your agency

The myth that online leads don’t stick around and how he shares his retention rate to respond to the judgmental bias
Next Call Club works and how to learn more about the service.