Automation Excellence Award Recipients Announced

Two members of NetVU (Network of Vertafore Users) have been selected as recipients for the 2010 Automation Excellence Award, announced 2009-2010 President James T. Armitage, CPCU, AAI, Arroyo Insurance Services, Arcadia, Calif.

Published on April 27, 2010

The Automation Excellence Award recognizes member agencies that best exemplify excellence in agency automation implementation and make the fullest use of available technology. Two awards are presented: one for an agency with 25 users or less, and another for one with more than 25 users. The 2010 Automation Excellence awards were presented at the 34th National Conference, held March 25-28 in Nashville.

The 2010 Automation Excellence Award recipient among agencies with 25 users or less is Chas. H. Bilz Insurance Agency Inc. in Covington, Ky.

The 2010 Automation Excellence Award recipient among agencies with more than 25 users is McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP in Dallas, Texas.

“These recipients show all our members what is possible when you ‘Dream, Dare, Do,’” pointed out Armitage. “We applaud their long-term strategic view of technology and workflow. They have led their peers in the independent agency system, and we thank them for their creativity and innovation.”

Chas. H. Bilz Insurance Agency Inc. Chas. H. Bilz Insurance has conducted its personal lines, commercial lines, and life and health business in a paperless environment for several years.

Accounting records, including commission statements, production reports, and vendor invoices, have been electronic for more than three years. For two years, the agency has had electronic personnel records; the agency’s 150-page procedures manual is in electronic format on AfW and AMS360.

The agency’s technology environment includes three screens (with AMS360, e-mail, and websites or scanned documents on the screens) for service staff. The agency scans mail and forwards it to AMS360 for the appropriate individual. Commercial lines policies, audits and endorsements are electronically attached to AMS360 for review of coverages. The firm uses specialty applications to track group business, along with imaging of policy documents and correspondence.

Bilz uses personal lines download and direct bill commission download. Through AMS360’s “My Renewals,” the agency eliminated its paper expiration book. Its phone system forwards voicemails to e-mail for documentation to AMS360, while also routing client calls to the next available employee.

Bilz has a commercial lines customer service representative that works remotely from another state. They use TransactNOW to access carrier websites while the client is on the phone; use e-mail form letters to communicate policy cancellations, audits, and underwriter requests to clients; and use CSR24 for clients to process certificates of insurance and identification cards via the Internet.

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP McQueary Henry Bowles Troy developed several programs to improve productivity and efficiency, while also serving the Sagitta All Users’ Chapter Inc. (SAUCI). A new program for account managers provides access to a detailed report of active clients, policies, premiums, revenue and transactions, as well as detail of expirations and aged receivables. It ranks each producer compared with peers for these areas. The agency’s automated tools allow account managers to monitor client needs. Another program allows producers to compare production to goals.

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy developed a business analytics program to track a client’s health plan, which includes a financial examination and monitoring of the plan. McQueary Henry Bowles Troy also developed a paperless document management program, providing remote access to policies, endorsements and other documents.

The agency’s leadership was instrumental in the transfer of Sagitta.org into SAUCI, creating a new users’ group that brings together Sagitta agencies and outside vendors to enhance technology education through the SAUCI TechFest education event. McQueary Henry Bowles Troy pioneered and shared the “how to” of Intrinsik Informer with all Sagitta and Vertafore users and modeled and partnered with Artizan and Vertafore in creating prorated calculations used for external reporting. The agency has piloted all versions of Sagitta and implemented and shared the Exchange Archive Solution, Virtual Servers and complete SAN solution.

About NetVU: NetVU is an independent, national, member organization committed to providing industry advocacy, world-class education and networking to its 15,000 independent insurance agency members. Aligned by their use of Vertafore technologies, these agencies are united in their shared focus on improving efficiency and enhancing profitability. www.netvu.org