35 Years of Serving the Insurance Industry

As Applied celebrates its 35^th year in business, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the past three-plus decades and what the future holds for our industry.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 35 years. Who would have predicted that a simple idea – a new way to manage an agency and connect an industry – would be so embraced? Some would say our longevity is a testament to our hard work. I like to attribute Applied’s 35 years of success to our commitment to software innovation and customer success, as well as the people of Applied – aka Team Applied – who make this promise possible each and every day.

Our Past Prepared Applied for an Exciting Future
Since our founding in 1983, Applied has set out to be the leading technology partner to the insurance industry. As the original InsurTech, we’ve built our leadership position with many notable “industry-firsts,” including the first PC-based management system; the first SEMCI Interface systems, enabling automated download; and the first mobile app purpose-built for independent insurance agencies, just to name a few.

When Applied became a business 35 years ago, we were laser-focused on advancing agency automation with state-of-the-art management systems. Today, while a necessity for every agency, a management system alone is no longer sufficient to be successful in our digital world. Thus, in 2011, we expanded our vision to focus more on digital connectivity between every stakeholder in the insurance lifecycle – agents, insurers and insureds. The connected business of insurance enables digital agencies and insurers to create higher value business transactions and deliver superior customer experiences.  

But, It’s Really About People
To our clients: We’re so appreciative and honored to work with you. I would like to thank you for partnering with Applied and trusting us to provide you with the industry-leading technology, and unmatched support and services to compete and thrive in the digital age. Team Applied is committed to your success and making possible the core promise of insurance – enabling agencies, brokers and insurers to safeguard and protect what matters most in people’s lives. Many of you have become personal friends and advisors to our company, allowing us to grow and learn individually, and, as an organization. Thank you for your unwavering support.

To our team members: To be in business for 35 years requires incredible people. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work every day with such an amazing team of talented, passionate and caring people across the U.S., Canada, the UK and Ireland. Your willingness to give of yourselves and help each other and our customers is very special and is deeply admired. 

To our partners: Thank you for collaborating with Applied to automate workflows and increase connectivity across the insurance lifecycle by embedding leading functionality into Applied’s solutions and connecting to our applications. Your best-of-breed solutions have a positive, sustainable impact on our clients’ businesses. You are a key part of our success, and we are proud to work with you as an open technology provider.

What’s Next for Applied?
Although the nature of our industry has changed immensely over these past 35 years, one thing has not changed. Applied remains steadfast in our values, our mission, and our vision – to revolutionize the global business of insurance through innovative cloud software.

We have established a track record of setting industry standards by which others aspire to follow. At the heart of these accomplishments is a great deal of hard work, dedication, and a willingness to take risks to benefit our customers and industry. However, you will not find Team Applied resting on our laurels. While our 35^th anniversary may tempt us to indulge in a momentary self-congratulatory moment, we remain mindful that the insurance industry is an ever-changing place, and if anything, we must accelerate, not relax. We must think ahead to what the next 35 years will hold.

While we have come a long way, our work is not done. Building upon our industry leadership and expertise requires further dedication and focus on software innovation and customer success. Our culture of passion for delivering innovative solutions is unique in our industry. Despite the many changes we will undoubtedly make, it is this passion, and our relationships with you, our customers, which will remain the foundation for our next 35 years.

With gratitude for your support, 
Reid French

Industry Trends, 2018, Events

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