Helping Agents Tackle 3 Perceived Download Dilemmas

Although download has been around for 40 years, it is relatively new for Commercial Lines compared to Personal Lines. As a result, agents aren’t always as familiar with download for Commercial Lines and sometimes have reservations to try it. The truth is that download could be an inexpensive and valuable addition to your team, freeing up your staff from tasks that weigh your agency down.

Why Download?

According to the 2022 Ivans Connectivity Report, download saves agents an average of 2 hours per day. It also decreases errors caused by manual entry and reduces costs spent on printing and mailing documents. You can have policy information, claims, and more at your agency staff’s fingertips and pull data in electronically with little effort.  In turn, this helps you service your clients better and more efficiently.

Why Not Download?

Cal Durland, director, customer success at Ivans, recently shared the reasons she has heard that agents choose not to download with tips and insights to help.

1. 1. Putting Together the Process Puzzle

   Agents have said they don’t know how the pieces fit together with download. There is a lifecycle that needs to happen for download to begin.

   How to Get Started

   • Work with a carrier or MGA and get appointed to write business with them. Set your agency management system up to recognize that carrier or MGA.

   • Configure that partnership so you can get the download to come into the system you’ve selected. Once the partnership is established and you write a policy, you can view that information in your Ivans mailbox within 24 hours after you write the policy.

   • When the renewal process starts, repeat the process above.

   Once you’re set up with download, you can easily view and manage your carrier and MGA download connections with Ivans Exchange, a complimentary tool for agents. Within Ivans Exchange, you can find out which of your carrier partners are offering policy, eDocs and Messages, Claims, and Direct Bill download. You also have the potential to influence the carriers who are not providing download by indicating that you want them to offer it.

   “We want to make sure we’re all working together. It takes agents’ input to system providers to carriers to make the experience better,” Cal said.

2. 2. Looking for More Lines of Business

   What lines of business can be downloaded? This is a question that agents ask, especially from a Commercial Lines perspective. There are some lines of business that are embedded within another download. If you’re having difficulty finding a line of business within download, you can start with eDocs or Messages, a secure alternative to email, mail or faxes that pushes a document or a message from the carrier’s policy system into the agency system. Supported lines of business include Personal, Commercial, Agriculture, Excess & Surplus, and Surety.

   Agents who currently receive eDocs and Messages download want more. Thank you to all of you agents who communicate this to your carriers. As an agent, it is important to advocate for download, eDocs and Messages with specific lines of business with your carriers.

   Ivans has some documentation on what each carrier downloads as eDocs. We’re working on expanding that documentation, because we’ve heard that you want to know what is currently being downloaded and you want to know what you have to still go to their website for. Eventually, you’d like that to come down as download too because it’s so much easier when it comes into your system versus having to have people go to the carrier’s website and pull the documents down.

3. 3. Navigating Industry Inconsistency

   It is not a secret that carriers and MGAs don’t all have the same download processes. While there are industry standards, there hasn’t been a defined way for carriers to implement those standards. The Ivans team recognizes this and is working to create a more consistent experience across carriers. One thing you can do as an agency to improve this is work with carriers and MGAs on their processes.

   “Maybe something isn’t exactly what you want. You could show them what another [carrier or MGA] does. That always helps if you can show them that another does it better,” Cal said. “When you work with them on it, it not only helps your agency with a better download experience. It helps the whole industry.”

   Commercial Lines download has continuously improved over the years thanks to many agents’ efforts in identifying inconsistencies or room for improvement and working with both Ivans and their carrier and MGA partners.

Connect with Ivans to Maximize Download

Join the ranks of Ivans’ recognized Connected Agencies by fully utilizing Ivans’ connectivity solutions. This includes leveraging Ivans Exchange to easily view and manage carrier download connections going through the Ivans Network.  To learn more, email connections@ivans.com or schedule an appointment with our team!

To get started with download, ask questions or give feedback, email the Ivans Connections team at connections@ivans.com. There is also a new chat feature within Ivans Exchange that you can use to chat with us – just log in and look for the button in the bottom right corner of your screen to start a chat.

Automated Servicing, 2021, Industry Trends, Agency-Carrier Connectivity, Agents