Technology

Avoiding the "oops"

OneApp Agency software helps firms manage licenses, contracts and more

By Dave Willis

By Dave Willis

For years, the brokerage that Kathy Eklov works for had a system to manage producer licenses, continuing education and carrier appointments. “We were using Excel spreadsheets to track licenses, manual paper forms to record continuing education and an Access database to help manage our carrier appointments,” she explains.

The system was not terribly efficient. Plus, she says, it was error prone. “In one of our spreadsheets, an entire column got deleted and we were never able to recover the information,” recalls Eklov, assistant vice president-human resources at West Des Moines, Iowa-based Holmes Murphy & Associates. “That really caused us some issues.”

That’s because data integrity is so important. “As we grew and spread into more locations, we had to find a better way to manage this information,” says Eklov, whose 500-plus employees work from 13 locations in the Midwest and in Arizona. They found that better way in OneApp Agency, a management software solution developed by Tennessee-based SyMplify Technologies.

Compliance and more

“Our software is designed to help agencies handle the administrative side of running an operation,” says Jim Marks, SyMplify Technologies vice president and product manager. “We focus on helping manage critical data about licenses, carrier appointments, continuing education—anything our clients need to track and maintain to keep their operation compliant and running smoothly.” While the product helps agencies manage their operation, Marks says it is not an agency management system in the traditional sense. “It’s more about the basics of running an insurance agency or brokerage.”

OneApp Agency evolved from a similar product launched more than a dozen years ago for physician practices. “In their world, it’s credentialing,” says Marks. “We call it licensing.” Marks came across the physician practice product about three years ago and, with his insurance background, saw potential application in the agency and broker arena. Fast forward several months and OneApp Agency was born.

Christy Poteete, licensing coordinator and full-time receptionist for Chappell, Smith & Associates, a 125-plus-year-old agency based in Franklin, Tennessee, saw potential application, too. “For years, I had an Excel spread sheet and I tried to go in each time I got something and update the sheet,” she notes. “And I would hope nothing ever happened to it.”

To back up this “hope” she relied on paper—lots of paper. “I would have copies of all the licenses,” recalls Poteete, whose multiline agency has a strong aviation book of business and operates a remote office in Atlanta. “When I got a renewal, I would run off three or four copies and just drop them into the employee folder. That way, if a company needed one, I could run over and pull out a copy.”

Today, she keeps electronic copies of licenses, carrier appointments and other employee documents in the OneApp Agency system. “When I get a document, I scan and save it under that person’s name,” Poteete says. “When I need a copy, I go in and pull it up and can actually e-mail it right from the system.” The system is designed to help organize and securely store a range of company and employment documents for access from a single location.

Starting out

Making use of OneApp Agency is an easy process, Eklov notes, in part because it allows for the importing of data from existing sources. “We were able to bring over all of our spread-sheet and database information, including data contained in our payroll system,” she notes. “It was a relatively smooth process.”

The system features an area to list work history, hire date, supervisor and more, Poteete says. “There is a place to put the national producer number and contact information, such as address and phone numbers. It’s good to be able to access all of that information with just the click of the mouse.”

In addition, the system pre-fills forms. For instance, if someone needs a non-resident license or an appointment with a new carrier, a couple of mouse clicks let the user select, extract and link data from the OneApp Agency database to auto-populate the appropriate state form—or any form, application or document. “It fills out everything except the signature,” Poteete explains. “The application is complete when you print it.” Before, she would handwrite each application.

With OneApp Agency, agencies can add forms on their own. “Some states require that we use specific forms,” Eklov notes. “We can scan the document and then make it an editable form.” The system allows users to pull information from the database and automatically populate the new form.

Reporting and reminders

Both Poteete and Eklov say the system’s search and reporting capabilities come in handy. “The software can be set up by branches or however you wish,” Poteete notes. It’s possible to search by state, agency location, product line, department and more. “If I want a report that shows everybody licensed to sell aviation insurance, I go in and click different options and it prints out a list of everyone with aviation licenses. I can also get a report that shows everyone licensed in Florida, for example.”

The system handles any kind of insurance license. “It gives the ability to track by individual or by the agency,” Marks says. “If you wanted to know what lines of authority you have in which state or with which carriers, you can do so quite easily.” This can help agencies monitor performance against carrier volume requirements.

OneApp Agency also helps track continuing education activities and requirements. “We can quickly see what training was done and how many hours employees spent during the year on their professional development,” Eklov says. Such tracking and reporting helps agencies make sure the best education is offered and reduces the need to squeeze in last-minute courses that may not directly meet the license holder’s work needs.

It keeps up with all renewals and warns of upcoming expirations. “As soon as you open the program, a reminder screen pops up,” Poteete explains. “It lists the agent’s name and allows you to drill down to what is expiring.”

“This keeps things from slipping through the cracks,” Eklov adds.

Poteete has seen that happen. “Sometimes people forget to bring you their renewal application or something happened and a certain state didn’t provide it,” she says. “This allows you time to work on it before it cancels.”

Updates and audits

In addition to processing renewals, licenses and contracts for new employees, the system helps with terminations. “When we have producers or account managers leave, for instance, we can go in and terminate all of their licenses and appointments automatically,” Eklov says. “It cuts the time down dramatically.”

Similar efficiencies occur when an agent moves. “An agent may have 20 or more licenses or contracts,” Poteete explains. “You can go right into the system, change the address and have it automatically update every record. Most states have their own forms. This allows us to simply click the states, and the form is filled out automatically.”

A key feature that Eklov values is activity tracking. The system archives and reports on any additions, deletions and changes made to the OneApp Agency database. This enhances database security and identifies changes that agencies must report to regulatory agencies. “We were looking for an audit capability that lets us actually look in the system and see what we did,” she explains. “Before, we had no way to determine who did what and when. When you have several people doing the work, you want to be able to track and understand what’s going on.”

Efficient and consistent

Poteete, whose licensing, CE compliance and carrier appointments work is only part of her job, has seen first-hand the benefits of organizing her work by using the system. “It has really saved me a lot of time and heartache,” she notes.

Eklov, whose brokerage has two individuals handling the work, is equally impressed with the efficiency gains. “Moving to OneApp Agency freed up about half of one person’s time and allowed her to work on other things,” she explains. “Then, we found out that people were doing bits and pieces of licensing, continuing ed and carrier appointments at some of our outlying locations. We weren’t even aware of that.”

Holmes Murphy brought this work to a centralized location and, as Eklov puts it, “made that individual busy again.” All of the information is now in one place. “And we’re certain we’re doing things consistently across the organization, instead of everyone doing it their own way and, possibly, violating some state rule.”

That’s a far cry better than trying to manage a labyrinth of databases, paper forms and spreadsheets—even with all of the columns still intact.

For more information
SyMplify Technologies
Web site: www.oneappagency.com
Phone: (888) 796-3388

The author
Dave Willis is a New Hampshire-based freelance writer and frequent Rough Notes magazine contributor.