Change can be a scary thing, but it’s also part of growth.
That’s the universal truth facing the principals of any growing insurance practice: as the size and complexity of your agency grows, and as the industry experiences more and more technology changes, your own technology needs are inevitably going to evolve as well. Any leader has the responsibility to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the insurance industry and keep the business growing by taking decisive action, when warranted, to keep up with the technology curve.
The Challenge
When we speak with agency managers in the field, we often discover that they realize that their business model is struggling with antiquated systems, but are fearful about leaving their technological comfort zone. Even when agency principals clearly see the need for change, they frequently encounter resistance from staff members who have grown comfortable with programs that are now obsolete and limiting. So the agency leadership not only has to sell externally to clients, but has an internal sales job as well.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Your Data is Not in Danger
Many agency principals are worried that changing to a more innovative management system will cause them to lose their data, or force them to manage two systems in parallel. That is simply not the case.
The industry standard is that you – and not your software company - are the owner of all your data. That goes for client data, policy data, employee data, contact management systems – everything. In most cases, data never gets broken up: your agency management system is a data overlay, meaning it is simply a tool to make sense of your data.
A generation or two ago, managing data was more difficult, if not impossible, when you wanted to access it while away from your office. But as computing technology evolved, data management systems became distinct from the data itself. This sounds complex, but in reality, it made it very easy for information professionals to upgrade data management systems, while retaining the underlying data.
The bottom line: getting the agency management system you need to grow your business and retain top talent will not put your data at risk. Instead, it will allow you to break the chains on the data that you spent years accumulating, and use it in new ways to better serve your clients, better reach your prospects, decrease labor costs on back office procedures, and increase agency profitability.
Enter EZLynx
“I can tell you now; my entire staff looks back and says “I’m sure glad we made that change”. I can’t believe there was any resistance, because it has been an overwhelming success for us.”
--Brian Burns, Compass Insurance Group
Our flagship product, EZLynx Rating Engine™, allows for easy access to all your quotes, customer document electronic signing, prospect-nurturing drip email campaigns, and quick remarketing—all in one, user-friendly interface.
While EZLynx Rating Engine and Management System™ are a great team for day-to-day use inside the agency, they work even better when combined with EZLynx’ consumer-facing products. Reach the outside world with Consumer Quoting, Client Center, Marketing Campaigns, and Agency Websites. This total-solution approach offers a cohesive agency experience.
With your EZLynx Agency Website, you will be able to offer online quoting to prospects as well as 24/7/365 self-service to current customers. The easy access to their policy documents and information will save you time spent on the phone or meeting in person to deliver and have documents signed.
Streamline Your Business
“What used to take me 40+ minutes, now takes me 10.”
--Marla Folsom, Horizon Insurance Group
If you haven’t looked at agency management system technology in a few years, you’re in for a big surprise. We’ve designed the EZLynx Management System by incorporating the very best-in-breed technology and features, making full use of the latest technology innovations. Indeed, in today’s market, here are the minimum features and functionality you should expect:
- Easy, intuitive interfaces. If your employees are using ancient DOS-style keystroke technology, your back office is moving too slow and adding too much overhead. Your systems should operate more like a smartphone than a Commodore 64.
- “Drag & drop” document uploads.
- Federally recognized online document signing. No more driving across town to chase down a signature.
- Synchronizations with insurance carrier downloads on a daily basis.
- Full automation of tasks with daily reminders built in.
- Everything built on a single software platform with seamless integration so there are no worries about compatibility issues or accessing your data with any device from anywhere in the world.
- Full integration with Microsoft Outlook.
- Full commission and premium accounting management functionality built in. You can count on being able to easily calculate, identify and mark carrier-paid commissions, pay your producers, and generate a variety of useful and detailed reports – all in one program.
- Automated reminders at policy renewal time.
- Organized, searchable document storage – lets you keep track of all emails, certificates, uploaded documents and ACORD forms.
- Ongoing training support and on-demand videos for staff.
Tired of tracking down policy update information? EZLynx’s innovative and exclusive Policy Sync function makes it easy to update the existing quote application with the latest policy information – saving the agent valuable time when it’s time to re-market.
Also note, you can only receive this capability if you have a rater and management system from a single vendor. 95% of today’s management system vendors do not have this piece of the puzzle, so agents are left to buy a management system from one vendor and a rater from another vendor.
“EZLynx Management System is absolutely the best system I have experienced. The system is easy to use. The tutorials are well put together. The information is accurate. I am very happy with it.”
-- Charles ‘Chuck’ Holsinger, Cactus Insurance Agency
Leadership and Management Tools
Are you in a leadership role in your agency? Agency Pulse™, a cutting-edge solution from EZLynx, enables you to view critical sales metrics at a glance. These are actionable metrics that help reveal opportunities for growth and increased profitability. For instance, you can quickly put your fingers on the following metrics and manage and improve them over time:
- Close ratios
- Retention
- Carrier segmentation
- Premium metrics
More importantly, agency owners can see the changes in metrics from the previous month, making it much easier to track strategic objectives and priorities. No other vendor offers a tool with the capability of Agency Pulse.
So, how can your firm benefit by making the leap to EZLynx Management System?
- More efficient back office operations.
- Lower overhead.
- Producers are freed from mundane office tasks and have greater freedom to meet clients and prospects and sell solutions.
- Managers have more time to lead and coach because they spend less time fighting paperwork.
- Sales resources are more efficiently allocated.
- Errors and omissions insurance premiums may fall when you adopt a modern agency management system.
- Faster learning curve for new staff, thanks to superior interface.
- More equity. Agencies with stronger management systems command superior multiples when it comes time to sell the practice.
As we mentioned, there is no risk to data l oss. Existing data sets are thoroughly backed up before we make any changes. Yes, pushing an organization beyond its existing comfort zone may take effort on your part, but when it comes to upgrading your legacy program to a truly modern agency management system, risks are extremely low – and the potential payoff is huge.
To find out more, contact us today at 877-932-2382, or visit us online at
www.EZLynx.com or view our
customer testimonials.
About EZLynx
EZLynx is an industry leader in property and casualty insurance solutions, with cloud-based agency management, comparative rating, client servicing, and digital marketing tools for the insurance agency marketplace. EZLynx pioneered the concept of real-time quoting and remains today the leading provider for independent agents. EZLynx processes more than four million auto, home and package transactions every month, offering a choice of rates from 160 top insurance companies in 48 states.
