What’s Taking So Long To Get The System Released?

Posted by Bradley Chesnut on January 14, 2010 under Agency AutomationTEAM, Agency Management Systems, Desktop CSR, TIME System | Be the First to Comment

Are You Also Wondering What's Taking So Long To Get System To General Release?

Hardly a week goes by that I'm not getting a phone call or email asking what the status is of the Desktop CSR and when it'll be released.

If we were just writing a glorified database system it would've been released within a year.  But when you add in our commitment to creating a "single-entry" system, an easy-to-use system, and building a system with proper workflows so your staff is handling tasks like renewals and endorsement very quickly and easily, along with having to re-engineer standard features so they're accomplishing their task like they should in 2010 (this isn't 1980 anymore), you should be able to appreciate our commitment to our future clients and the product we'll be introducing to this industry.  It takes a lot of programming hours to create a system like we've designed.

Why this is so important to us, and should be to you too, is your day-to-day workload is the foundation to how productive you are or how ineffecient you are.  This is where the big profits are made or lost.  The more productive your agency is in handling your day-to-day work the more profitable you'll be, and visa-versa. 

Knowing this, along with 20 years of experience in working hand in hand with agencies on their automation, we set out to design and create an agency management system like only insurance automation consultants could.  You won't be disappointed, and will find the wait well worth it! 

For many reasons I wish the system was already released. It's going to be exciting when I can show you feature by feature, task by task, job by job how our systems will drop your workload and allow you to be more productive.  At this point you'll see what I mean.

I can tell you that I'm working very long hours and programming is working long hours to get this project to the point of General Release.  But, we're not willing to cut corners!

I'm putting all of me into this because I love what I do and I love working with agencies.  This is something I'm passionate about, which is the #1 reason why it's taking so long.  I want the product to do what it's been designed to do, which in the end is to massively increase your productivity by handling, for starters and most importantly, your day to day work in the most efficient way possible.  I know what the system needs to do.   

Nobody wants just "another" management system on the market, nor do I want just another low-end low-cost system that's just a glorified database with basic features.  As an industry we've all been begging for a system that would allow you to do your day to day work in the least amount of steps and the least amount of time.  Just that alone would make a monumental difference in every agency across the country.

Upfront as foundational to the system my focus is on the day to day work an agency does.  Create a system that handles that piece efficiently and you've created a system that will be of high demand.  I don't care much about those extra whistles and bells right now.  What matters to me is creating a system that will allow you to process your work and handle your tasks quickly and easily.  This is where profits are made or lost in an agency!  This is foundational!  (I'll get to the whistles and bells at version 2+ after the foundational part of the system has been completed!)

Then we add to the foundational system powerful, time saving, 21st century features that just simply make your job that much easier too do.  How about the ability to have multiple client records opened up at the same time?  That's huge. 

And as far as that goes, how about having multiple policies and/or forms opened up at the same time.  You'll have the tools to do your job so much better, so much faster … what will you do with all of your free time?

Now, I could've released the product prematurely.  But come on.  Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't do that.  Grant the fact that I can give you a hundred reasons why I wanted to release the system this last quarter, it still comes back to the simple fact that the product just hasn't been ready to be released. 

Please, be patient with me.  When it's all said and done and we show you what our systems are all about I'm sure you'll agree that the wait was worth it.

The Hold Up Today Is …

Today the hold up is Endorsements.

Handling an endorsement is a very important process, and it's something you do daily! We are bringing some very advanced functionality here to handle the endorsement process correctly and efficiently. Programming found it to be far more work to create the results I was after for handling endorsement.

For example, if the Endorsement Date is a future date then it doesn't give you the ability to update the policy when you save the endorsement. When that date arrives, the assigned CSR is notified that she has Endorsements Due Today, with a list of them, for her to checkmark to update the policy. 

That way your policies are accurate. Very nice.

We use a similar process for handling renewals. You can renew a policy for a future date (very common) but the CSR can see both the current "active" policy AND the renewal policy. You'll like this a lot! We've built other functionalities in with this.

Back to the endorsement process, you'll use the ACORD PCR forms to create the endorsement but you'll submit them on a PCR memo because it's cleaner and less confusing for all. Then, when the endorsement is received back via the download, our download engine will compare what was endorsed with what you requested. If they're not the same, the system will create a "differences" report that will be sent to the assigned CSR. It's all very cool how it handles all of this, and how much time it will save you!

Anyway, that's short explanation behind it. 

For the first time in a management system the policies will flow like you process them and work with them.  Believe me, it absolutely has NOT been easy to create a system like this and has really pushed programming to the limit.  But, after working with agencies on automation for as many years as I have, if I was going to take this project on I was going to do it right or not do it at all. 

There's only one way to do things … the right way.  Just unfortunately sometimes it takes longer and cost more to do things the right way, but so be it because I don't know any other way to live my life or conduct business.