Featured Post
The Importance of Data Insights in the Insurance Industry Pt. 1: Market Appetite
We recently sat with EMPLOYERS Client Relationship Manager and Product Owner for API Distribution Strategy and Development Basilios Manousogiannakis to discuss marketing and distribution related topics.
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Industry Trends
Catching Up with IVANS’ CEO – Insights from His First 100 Days
Now that he’s been at the helm for over 100 days, we thought it would be a good time to hear from IVANS CEO Reid Holzworth about what’s holding back the industry and how we move it forward for the benefit of all stakeholders.
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Industry Trends
Speeding Up on the Insurance Industry’s Superhighway
IVANS CEO Reid Holzworth explains why IVANS is focused on building the industry’s digital distribution platform.
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IVANS Index
IVANS Index: 2020 Year in Review
Take a look at the premium renewal rate change trends for 2020 in our just-released infographic, and unlock the full report for a more in-depth look at last year’s trends.
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
The State of Agency-Insurer Connectivity
Check out this blog post to view 6 insights on the state of agency-insurer connectivity.
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Industry Trends
A Bright Spot in 2020: Meet Our New CEO Reid Holzworth
As we look into the New Year, we wanted to take a second to sit down and introduce you to IVANS' new CEO Reid Holzworth and what he has in store for the insurance industry.
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Industry Trends
Have Yourself a Happy, Healthy Holiday
Take a look at our latest blog post for a cheerful message from all of us at IVANS.
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Marketing & Distribution
Industry Voices: Solving the Challenge of Managing Submissions with Acuity
IVANS Vice President of Product Management, Kathy Hrach recently sat down with the Digital Sales Director at Acuity Insurance, Joel Katsma to discuss Acuity’s participation in a project to tackle commercial lines process improvement including the challenges and how to address them.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution
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Marketing & Distribution
The Importance of Data Insights in the Insurance Industry Pt. 2: Growing Business
We recently sat down with Melanie Watkins, VP of Product Management for State Auto Insurance, to explore some exciting advancements in distribution solutions specifically with respect to commercial lines.
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Marketing & Distribution
The Importance of Data Insights in the Insurance Industry Pt. 1: Market Appetite
We recently sat with EMPLOYERS Client Relationship Manager and Product Owner for API Distribution Strategy and Development Basilios Manousogiannakis to discuss marketing and distribution related topics.
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
You Go First
The apprehension to be the first mover or first adopter is being overcome by a community process of development that promises a major move forward in reducing roadblocks and inefficiencies in the quote and bind process.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers
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Marketing & Distribution
For the Win: A Game-Changing Solution to Solve a Broken Industry Problem
Together with Indio, IVANS has teamed up with carriers and agencies from across the industry to form a working group chartered to tackle all the challenge of managing submissions. The result of this initiative is a game-changing industry solution that simplifies submissions management.
2020, Access to Markets, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Automated Servicing, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution
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Business Continuity
An Update On Our Business Continuity Plan
First and foremost, I hope that you, your family, friends, and communities are staying safe and healthy. For those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak – whether directly or indirectly – my prayers are with you and I wish those affected a speedy recovery.
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Marketing & Distribution
IVANS and Aon Affinity: Supporting Agents Where They Are: Part 1
IVANS’ Vice President of Data Products Group Brian Wood recently sat down (via Zoom of course) with IVANS Markets client, Aon Affinity, to discuss AON Affinity and AON Programs.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution
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Marketing & Distribution
Data Insights and the Future of Insurance
Key lessons learned in the better half of 20 years about how data is changing the industry as well as how data insights are changing our industry right now.
2020, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Marketing & Distribution
Test Your Knowledge: Commercial Lines Submissions Process
Test your commercial lines submissions knowledge and learn ways to improve the process for the benefit of all those involved – agents, insurers and insureds.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution
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Events
Big News: IVANS Connect 2020 Is Going Virtual
As you have likely heard by now, we have decided to take IVANS Connect online. And while we would like to say it was a hard decision to miss the opportunity to see you all in person, the decision was ultimately an easy one.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Events, Insurers, MGAs
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Industry Trends
COVID-19: Personal and Commercial Lines Policy Transaction Index Report
Analyzing more than 120 million data transactions, this special COVID-19 Index report measures the month-to-month volume of specific policy transaction types, like new policies, policy changes, policy cancellations and policy renewals for both personal commercial lines policies relative to transaction trends.
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
A Book Roll Solution Made for These Times
Even in this time of social distancing and remote working, your day-to-day business activities need to continue. Some activities traditionally involve working with agents face-to-face, but the current world we are living in doesn’t allow for in-person office visits – and might not for some time. How can you do so if you can’t visit offices in person?
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Industry Trends
Coming Together in a Time of Crisis
We are all going through a trying time right now but through all the anxiety, confusion, isolation and Tiger King, the human spirit remains. People around the world, our industry, and here at Team IVANS are doing amazing things to support educators, first responders, healthcare workers, and local businesses they used to frequent. We want to share some of them with you because who doesn’t love Some Good News.
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Industry Trends
A Conversation with IVANS Expert Paul Warga
IVANS’ vice president of product management, Paul Warga, recently sat down virtually with Olivia Schmitt of Total CSR on Agency Nation Radio. Read on for a few excerpts from the interview.
2020, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Industry Trends
How to Celebrate Earth Day While Sheltering in Place
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused concerts, sporting events and other exciting spring plans to be put on hold, one thing that’s not cancelled is Earth Day.
2020, Agents, Best Practices, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Business Continuity
Breaking Down the CARES Act – What This Means for Your Business
This past Friday, March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act made headlines as the largest economic stimulus package in U.S. history. The Act includes relief for businesses and individuals, assistance to states, and key protections for workers.
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Marketing & Distribution
Putting a New Lens on Digital Distribution
Does your business already take advantage of digital distribution or plan to soon? The digital ecosystem of insurance is rapidly evolving and those businesses reluctant to implement digital practices, in place of outdated traditional methods, may fall behind the curve. Your continued success may depend on how you react as we navigate toward the future of insurance.
2020, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Business Continuity
Coronavirus Outbreak: Business Continuity for IVANS Customers
Your business continuity is our #1 concern. As your trusted technology partner, we are here to help your business continue to operate without interruption.
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Automated Servicing
The Secret to Generating More Benefits Business for Your Insurance Company
Benefits carriers face many challenges when manually handling the exchange of benefits information such as policy details, coverage, minimums, premium payments, and commissions among other information between their businesses and broker partners.
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Automated Servicing
What Efficiency Means to Your Business
Have you noticed how customers have changed in the past 10 years? Consumer behavior and expectations have experienced significant change with the introduction of new technologies in recent years.
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Marketing & Distribution
Step Into the New Year and Step Into New Business
Did you spend 2019 manually managing the bookroll process with your agencies? Now that it’s 2020, it’s time to consider bringing your book transfer process into the new year and the next decade with an automated solution that works for all your agency partners and allows you to identify new growth opportunities sooner.
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Industry Trends
The Future of Commercial Lines Submissions: Part 2
Following our previous blog post where we began our discussion around Commercial Lines submissions, let’s continue with a look at the second half of the process; starting with quoting and submission.
2019, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Industry Trends
The Future of Commercial Lines Submissions: Part 1
When discussing where we are going to focus our innovation to provide the greatest value for our customers, commercial lines submissions is often top of mind for many.
2019, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Industry Trends
Insurance Industry Trends to Prepare for in 2020
The digital revolution is here. While we advance toward this digitally connected future, I thought it wise to look at the state of the insurance industry and how technology is providing greater value to your business.
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Industry Trends
4 Things Insurers Need to Know About Agents of the Future
The way independent insurance agents conduct business is changing. Faced with an aging workforce, new insurtech competition, and the digital transformation of the industry, agents are quickly embracing technology to ensure future success and longevity.
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees: Why Agency-Insurer Collaboration Is Necessary to Grow Your Business
Have you ever walked into a forest, looked up and seen the way the crowns of trees seem to fit together like puzzle pieces? It turns out trees, no matter their species, work together to make the most of the resources and space available to them.
2019, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Automated Servicing
Enhancing Relationships and Growing Your Business, One Download At a Time
If you’re an MGA and you are not offering download – you should be. As the insurance landscape becomes more competitive, independent agencies are moving to automation technology to better compete in the digital world. They expect their ecosystem partners to do the same.
2019, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Automated Servicing, Insurers, MGAs
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
The Latest Trends in Digital Distribution and Automated Servicing
The digital age of insurance is here. Insurtechs are starting daily. Consumers are demanding new digital services. And regulatory changes are forcing organizations to adapt more quickly than ever before.
2019, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Automated Servicing, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Industry Trends
A Match Made in Heaven – What Makes Agencies Love Insurers
Nowadays, nearly everyone expects the convenience of not only accessing information on their mobile device via a web browser, but from a mobile app too.
2018, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Automated Servicing, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Events
The Value of Face-To-Face: Networking in the Digital Age of Insurance
As innovation in technology and artificial intelligence continue to enhance opportunities in automation, the value of face-to-face interaction will become increasingly important for certain industries to consider.
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Automated Servicing
Going Beyond Download – What’s Available and How You Can Benefit
According to the latest IVANS Connectivity Survey, 82% of agents surveyed reported they place more business with insurers that provide automation. In the digital age of insurance, efficiency through automation can build stronger agency relationships and lead to significant time and cost savings for both your business and agencies. Are you using all the automation available to be as efficient as possible?
2019, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Automated Servicing, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Industry Trends
The Agent of the Future: What Carriers Need to Do to Prepare
The world of the independent agency is changing rapidly and dramatically. Shifting customer expectations are creating a need for new business models.
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Marketing & Distribution
Embracing Digital Distribution: Instantly Reach More Agents
A challenge for many insurers is finding the right agents to fit their appetite. It’s even more difficult for a new insurer since many agencies do not know where or how to find you.
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Marketing & Distribution
Insurtechs Working Together: A Different Way to Cover Small Businesses
Any agent who has worked with small business owners knows that the process is a complicated one. There is typically a lot of work involved, including working through complicated insurer appetites, policies that don’t properly cover customers, and what feels like endless forms to fill out in order to submit and underwrite a risk.
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Best Practices
Surety eDocs: How Insurers Can Help Agency Partners for Mutual Success
Many independent insurance agencies would agree that the traditional way of receiving Surety renewal documents is a highly manual process. In a typical work week, I would estimate that I spend about four to eight hours going through the mail we receive from our insurers.
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Industry Trends
A Visual Guide to Millennial and Gen Z Buying Preferences
As previous generations retire and move to a life stage in which they consume fewer products and services, younger millennial and Gen Z adults between the ages of 18 and 38 are becoming more relevant to the insurance industry in terms of size and spending power.
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Industry Trends
Growing Insurtech Together
Every day, articles on the latest insurtech company or trends are covered in trade publications. The subject of insurtech continues to be a hot topic as the insurance industry evolves. Once a conventional industry, we’re regularly seeing more positive change and growth among small and large, new and old companies.
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
A Journey Through IVANS’ 35-Year History
For 35 years, IVANS’ commitment to innovation has enabled thousands of insurers, MGAs and agencies from around the globe to safeguard and protect what matters most in people’s lives.
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Events
Happy Holidays from IVANS
On behalf of all of us at IVANS, I’d like to thank you for your ongoing partnership with our company. As we conclude this year and head into 2019, we look forward to driving continued success for your business in the digital age of insurance.
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Industry Trends
The Future of Commercial Lines Distribution
The traditional way of working with your agency channel is changing. Today’s insurance agencies are going digital and have the same technology expectations as traditional consumers – they want 24/7 service and choice.
2018, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
Insurers, Ever Wonder How You Can Better Support Your Agency Partners?
Today, insurance agencies face many challenges that they didn’t contemplate years ago. Consumer buying behaviors and patterns are different.
2018, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
Irrefutable Interdependencies: The Case for Agent - Insurer Connectivity
As a lover of all things tech, it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that I also love science. Recently, while thinking about the future of the insurance industry, I was taken back to something I first learned about in my sixth grade science class, which is the concept of mutualism.
2018, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Industry Trends
Why Digital Transformation Is a Partnership
For a very long time, everyone outside the insurance industry has been admonishing everyone inside the insurance industry for their lack of digital capabilities. In turn, insurers have been pushing agencies to step up their digital capabilities.
2018, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Best Practices
3 Ways to Support the Needs of Today’s Digital Agents
As the world becomes more digital, agencies are leveraging technology to meet consumer demand for instant, 24/7 customer service. Consumer demand, along with the need for greater ease of doing business and a more diverse product range, has pushed agencies to seek increased connectivity from insurer partners.
2018, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Automated Servicing, Best Practices, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Industry Trends
Digital Collaboration: Agents Speak and Why Insurers Should Listen
Digital technology is changing the way we live and work, creating a more connected life in a more connected world.
2018, Automated Servicing, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Automated Servicing
Goodbye Paper, Hello Productivity
Do you find yourself spending countless hours every day re-keying data and processing requests? Are you searching for a better way to access policy documents on demand?
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
CAB/AAB Insider: Agents Reveal What They Really Want from Insurers
Our annual Carrier & Agency Advisory Board (CAB/AAB) meeting brings together insurers and agents for an open dialogue on the group’s collective experiences, challenges and opportunities in the insurance industry.
2017, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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Marketing & Distribution
How Digital Distribution Will Revolutionize Insurer-Agency Collaboration
The insurance industry is transforming unlike any time in its history. New startups, new business models, innovative products, and new types of partnerships are surfacing everywhere.
2017, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Automated Servicing
Why Your Business Should Be Leveraging Automated Servicing Technology
In today’s digital world, insurers across the industry are recognizing that their agencies need improved servicing options to work more efficiently and sell more business.
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Industry Trends
IVANS Index: Industry Insights to Help You Run Your Business Better
More than a year ago, the IVANS team asked agents and insurers, “What insight is missing in the industry that you truly need to better run your business and serve your clients?”
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Industry Trends
Emerging Trends: The Widening Technology Gap – And How to Close It
Recently, I spoke at the 2017 AAMGA Automation Conference in Atlanta, an annual gathering of MGAs and insurance professionals that centers on automation and advancements in insurance technology.
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Marketing & Distribution
New Ways to Distribute Your Products
As the digital transformation of insurance continues, agencies and insurers have come to rely on technology to run their businesses. In order to provide the best coverage to their insureds, agents are looking to place their risks with the best markets by product and service.
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Marketing & Distribution
Grow Your Business Through the Independent Agent Channel
On a daily basis, there are new stories commenting on technology’s impact on our world. Technology is redefining communications, evolving business and upstarting new economies.
2017, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Industry Trends, Insurers, Marketing & Distribution, MGAs
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Agent-Insurer Connectivity
What Do Agents Want from Insurers?
The world is becoming more digital and the insurance industry is no different. Consumers are demanding real-time customer service from their insurance providers.
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Automated Servicing
Getting Started with eDocs & Messages – What You Need to Know
Insurance has historically been known as a paper-heavy industry that mails all notices, policy information and general messages.
2016, Agent-Insurer Connectivity, Agents, Automated Servicing, Insurers, MGAs
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Industry Trends
Women in Insurance: Meet 2 Industry Leaders Paving the Way for the Future of Insurance
Insurance Networking News’ 9th Annual Women in Insurance Leadership conference took place recently in Chicago, celebrating gender diversity in the workplace and honoring the important contributions of women who have helped redefine the insurance industry.
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Industry Trends
2020 Insurance Trends: Competing in an Era of Customer Immediacy
Humans and technology are inseparable. Each impacts the other, in both predicted and inexplicable ways. The co-evolution of humans and technology continues to progress exponentially through time, and currently, the interdependence of the two is bringing society into an era of customer immediacy.
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Industry Trends
Technology & the Insurance Industry – Buckle Up, There’s an Exciting Ride Ahead
This is a great time in the insurance industry, and we have an exciting ride ahead of us. But before I get into that, I want to share this GE commercial I saw the other day that reminded me of how our industry is often perceived. It’s embedded below, so check it out before reading on.
2016, Agents, Industry Trends, Industry Trends, Insurers, MGAs
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