Vertafore Insurance Podcast

The State of the Industry

Mike Becker, CEO of the National Professional Insurance Agents has his finger on the pulse of what is going on out there in our industry, discuss, which is exactly why we invited him to come on the show today and the state of the industry with, the Mayor, Heath Shearon. Mike Becker has connections all over the country inside insurance agencies big and small as well as significant connections on Capitol Hill.  Mike share with us how PIA is advocating for insurance agents every day and also bridging the gap between agencies and technology, 

Together, we discuss: 

• Mike Beckers story on finding his way to the PIA of Arkansas 
• What Pia is doing every single say to fight on behalf of the Small Business owners of our industry.
• How they are tackling the numner one issue facing PIA members today ... Finding and Keeping Talent.
• The importance of the Relaunch of the PIA Tech Council. 
• The Experience of Joining Amy Zupon and others on the CEO panel at the Indie Tech Conference last year. 
• How PIA is addressing the topic of AI

There's a lot to unpack in this episode. Click below to dig in.

Communication Is The Key!

Chris Paradiso of Paradiso Insurance is the guru of the customer journey. He gives us a peek behind the scenes and walks us through what makes his agency' so special as it relates to the customer journey.  He talks so highly of his staff and how important it is to train your staff up and lead with proper communication. His agency has a robust touch point system post bind, and he has been very intentional every step of the way to ensure that each of his clients have a great experience with the Paradiso Agency....

Together, we discuss: 

• Chris Paradiso's story of successes and he even shares with us his mistakes too. 

• How Speed and Price are not the most important thing
• He talks about educating and training your team. 
• Process and Procedures and how important it is to be intentional in setting those up
• Chris walks us through step by step through what they do at his agency.
• The importance of training your staff and communicating effectively.
• Email is about information-Phone calls are about communication.
• How important Flag Day is for his agency, and it sets the tone for the culture of his agency. 

There's a lot to unpack in this episode. Click below to dig in.

...Get more out of your team...

David Watson, CEO and Founder of RiskAdvisor and Equity Partner of Mappus Insurance Agency, is a thought leader in the industry, as it pertains to processes and procedures in your agency. He talks us through the impact of the customer journey, and how important it is to have a Customer Journey enhanced and driven by technology. Not only does he walk us through what he is doing in his agency at Mappus, but also talks to us about RiskAdvisor and how he's found a way to improve the quoting process.

Meet David Watson and hear:

• David Watson's story of how he got in the industry and where he is today.
• How important David feels that it is to have Processes and Procedures set up for your agency.
• How he has leveraged automation in his agency's customer journey.
• A walkthrough step by step of his customer's journey, and the tech he uses to power this journey.
• A walk through RiskAdvisor and how you can use his product to enhance your agency process for quoting.

 

Embracing Automation to Enhance your Customer Experience

CJ Hutsenpillar of Hutsenpillar Insurance takes us behind the scenes and shows us how he has built his tech stack to focus on the needs of his customers. With a tagline in his agency of "where the convenience of online shopping meets the security of having a local agent," its no wonder why Hustsenpillar insurance setting the bar high for customer experience. Not only does he walk us through the sales cycle of his customers, but we also talk about so much more...

Together, we Discuss: 

• What sets Hutsenpillar Insurance apart from the competition
• QQ Catalyst, AgencyZoom and the open API's that allowed them to build out a robust tech stack
• How he stopped looking at geographic location and focus the best talent available 
• He walks us through his his customer journey from start to finish. 
• The lessons learned from Direct-To-Consumer carriers and how to differentiate yourself from them. 
• Automation presale and post bind.
• The importance of educating your customers as a part of the Customer Journey 

There's a lot to unpack in this episode. Click below to dig in.

VIP Podcast - Kill data entry with this tool!

Carl Ziade and Jean-Pierre Vertil, Co-Founders of Gaya, make a lofty promise to “speed up your insurance quoting process by 10x.” Their AI-powered Chrome extension allows you to move data between carrier portals, management systems, and other software in just a few clicks. We have a sneaky suspicion this niche solution will grow to do big things in the future.

Meet Carl and Jean-Pierre to hear:

- The story of two immigrant founders taking their shot in America
- Why these Standford MBAs choose to tackle the insurance industry
- How Gaya leverages AI and Natural Language Processing
- Real agency use cases
- The vision for Gaya’s future

Why You Should Embrace Robots in Your Agency

Mike Fusco of Fusco and Orsini pulls back the curtain and talk to us about the hard market through his lens. Mike and his agency have a strong focus on Commercial Insurance and Employee Benefits.  He tells us how he uses robot process automation to improve efficiency, employee morale, and overall customer satisfaction. Not only do we discuss this, but also we discuss why he loves the hard market and so much more...

Together, we tackle: 

• What sets Fusco & Orsini apart from the competition
• How his Team Dynamic produces big returns
• What is Robot Process Automation ? 
• Why should we be paying closer attention to RPA?
• What's next in his agency for technology and Robots
• What should agencies expect in 2024? 

There's a lot to unpack in this episode. 

Building AI-Powered Conversions

Rick Warter, SVP of Customer Success, discusses how we’re thinking about system conversions differently at Vertafore. Moving massive amounts of data from one system to another is no easy feat. Doing so accurately? Even tougher. Rick explains how his team is tackling this challenge using artificial intelligence in creative ways.

Meet Rick and learn:

• The current state of conversions at Vertafore
• What makes a system conversion so challenging
• How AI is improving accuracy and speed
• Where the conversions team is headed next

Is AI evil?

Jamie Peers, VP of Business Development at Synatic, guides us through the unknown as he peels back the layers of AI’s real impact on insurance. Fluent in data architecture and connectivity through his work at a leading API insurtech, Jamie’s outlook on the future of AI is intriguing. Ultimately, he wants to help you answer the question…for yourself.

Meet Jamie and learn:

• Who is Jamie Peers (and why you should know him)
• A 30,000 foot view on how AI works
• The unknown cost of AI in insurance
• AI challenges you should be aware of
• Where will insurance AI be in 3, 5 and 10 years?

The First Ever Artificial Intelligence Insurance Agent

The Vega-Sanz brothers started out as two frustrated and car-less college students trying to get to a local pizzeria. Now? They have been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for building the first ever AI-powered insurance agent. This is a company to watch in 2024. Not just because of their innovative tech, but because of their endless ability to pivot.

Meet Matthew Vega-Sanz & Roberto Salinas and learn:

• The unbelievable (and at-times-humorous) story behind how Gail started
• What an AI-powered Insurance Agent can do in an agency today
• How Gail (aka, the AI) works
• Why agencies should see AI as a competitive advantage
• How Gail empowers (not replaces) the insurance agency team

Putting Your Tech Stack to work

Casey Nelson, founder and Ceo of Stakwise, is the Insurance tech stack guru and someone to count on to question the status quo and make you change the way you think about the technology in your agency. He  is a former agency principal and has spent his entire career developing processes and procedures to increase efficiencies. Early in his career he saw technology as the answer to so much of the efficiency that he was seeking. and enhanced the processes he was implementing.... 

Meet Casey and hear:

• How he began his career in the Insurance industry. 
• How to use the tech you have right now in your agency to improve efficiency.
• What he calls the "trinity of your technology" Stack
• What he thinks is crucial to your client's Experience at your agency.
• How to get staff buy in and early adoption of new technology. 
• Casey define the difference in a CRM and AMS