Mike Drakulich
If U.S. insurers are nervous about another bad tornado season, they have good reason. Financial losses from natural catastrophes hit record highs in 2011. Globally, natural disasters cost $380 billion in damages. In the United States, tornado damage alone accounted for more than $10 billion. Those losses are reflected in combined ratios. Fitch Ratings recently reported a rise in combined [...]
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Independent agents have worked valiantly to minimize the impact of the soft market, streamlining operations and ramping up marketing and sales in hopes of at least treading water until conditions improve. What industry analysts can’t seem to agree on is whether the industry is now in the midst of a recovery. And, if not now, when is it going [...]
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If you’ve been in the market for a new printer for your home office recently, you know how advanced they’ve become. They are so full of functionality they are practically computers themselves. According to a recent study by Columbia University researchers and reported by msnbc.com, they may lack sufficient security to keep hackers at bay. Millions could [...]
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How long has it been since you checked your Facebook page to see who’s commented on your last post? A few minutes? A couple of hours? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and now Google+ have become indispensible tools for communicating personally and professionally. In the business arena, the insurance industry has embraced social media in getting the word out [...]
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Steven Brown, president of Hoffman Brown Co. in Sherman Oaks, Calif., doesn’t get snow his way. But he had a personal connection to the early snowstorm that blanketed six eastern states with up to two feet of snow late last month. For Brown, the storm served as a powerful reminder of how businesses can be hamstrung [...]
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What lies ahead for Applied Systems users and agency technology in general? Three weeks after taking the helm as Applied Systems chief executive officer, Reid French talked with Insurance Journal‘s Andy Simpson about the role he thinks Applied Systems will play in the agency and brokerage of the future. He also talked about the choices agents are making in [...]
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The pace of technological innovation is extremely fast. It’s not good enough for tech companies to just keep pace. They have to anticipate so they can be a step ahead. It’s important for Applied Systems to follow this precept. As your technology partner, we must remain reliable for you so you can do the same for your customers. This year, [...]
After starting work as Applied Systems CEO on Sept. 13, Reid French didn’t even have time to move into his new office in University Park, Ill., before he had to pack his bags for Orlando. Awaiting him there was his first TENCon (Technology, Education, Networking Conference) hosted by ASCnet (Applied Systems Client Network). During the conference, French [...]
Perhaps most agents and brokers wouldn’t want to hire ELoyalty of Lake Forest, Ill., to examine how they deal with customer complaints. But it doesn’t cost anything to learn from research done by the company, which delivers behavior analytics and integrated contact solutions. ELoyalty spent six years developing software that decodes the personality of a complaining customer [...]
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Having the right app can make all the difference. During a recent concert, at the moment the lighters came out to punctuate the crowd-favorite power ballad, this non-smoker was glad I had plunked down $1 for the lighter app on my cell phone. With a fingertip touch, I bonded with fellow concert-goers, and the Kings of [...]
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