Applied Epic Vs. Applied TAM: Why Upgrading Your Agency Management System is Crucial

Are you ready to migrate from Applied TAM® to Applied Epic®, or are you not convinced yet that you need to make the move? While systems like Applied TAM paved the way for our technology today, modern systems like Applied Epic offer more capabilities in a more secure environment. We know change can be hard, and we have options to help you with the heavy lifting to ensure a smooth migration.

As I think about this important transition for agencies, I often think about my transition from VCR to DVDs and streaming. I was proud of my VHS tape collections, but there was a time when it did not work anymore, and it was time to move on. The good news is there were companies to help us digitize the process, and we at Applied are here with resources and assistance to guide you along the way.

Keep reading to learn how management systems have changed over the years and why agencies should switch to an all-in-one solution like Applied Epic.

The Evolution of the Agency Management System

Applied Systems has been leading the way in insurtech since 1983. Older agency management systems like Applied TAM, Vision®, and DORIS® played a key role in helping Applied revolutionize the insurance industry. However, as time passes, the technology they're built on becomes more difficult to maintain and keep secure. To keep pushing for excellence and support independent agents, we are focused on more innovative solutions. This includes tools like Applied Epic, which help us create a safer and more efficient future for agency and policy management.

Why Switch from Applied TAM to Applied Epic?

Applied Epic comes equipped with capabilities to handle prospecting, CRM, market access, quoting, accounting, reporting, policy admin, payments and more. It’s the Swiss army knife of management systems, giving you everything you need to run your agency in one place.

It’s an open, highly scalable platform with the power to integrate with our other solutions and third-party tech. This modern platform is also easy for staff to use and accessible via a browser. As an Applied TAM customer, you’re also familiar with Applied and can stay in the ecosystem you are familiar with while accessing the latest modern tech. Applied Epic is also more secure with the latest security updates and necessary tweaks.

Benefits of Using the #1 Used Agency Management System

Applied Epic is the most widely used agency management system in the world. Here are five of the many reasons agencies love Applied Epic:

1. Empower employees to work in a system they’ll love.

A browser-based management system gives your team on-the-go access, ensuring they have the freedom to excel no matter where they are. Our modern and intuitive interface allows staff to effortlessly view account and policy details, complete quotes, file claims, and remarket renewals – all within a few clicks.

2. Streamline manual tasks to boost team efficiency!

By leveraging technology that works smarter, not harder, you can drive efficiency across your operations. Our user-friendly system is designed to simplify workflows with features like data prefill, attachment previews, and automatic email summaries. These capabilities significantly reduce the time spent on manual tasks, allowing your team to focus on what truly matters – serving your clients.

3. Put the data that matters most to employees in their hands.

We understand that data drives decision-making. That's why we've created persona-based dashboards that transform existing management system data into meaningful visualizations tailored to each role in your agency. By delivering the right information to the right person at the right time, we accelerate decision-making and enhance productivity. With this data and dashboards, agencies have more visual reporting capabilities with the option to also do traditional reporting with raw data.

4. Future-proof your agency with an open and flexible platform.

To truly drive your agency's value, you need a system that evolves with your business. Applied Epic is built on an open and scalable architecture, seamlessly supporting acquisitions and integrations of both Applied and third-party applications. This flexibility enables you to craft a customized tech stack that meets your specific needs rather than adjusting your business to fit the technology.

5. Work better with your insurer partners.

Connecting with insurers should be quick and efficient, and that is precisely what our embedded connectivity solutions provide. By integrating directly with your agency management system, you can easily access markets, submit quotes, and exchange policy details for both personal and commercial lines without ever leaving your core system. This streamlined process saves time and enhances service delivery to your customers.

The Epic Difference

What are the main differences between Applied Epic and Applied TAM for insurance agencies? Applied TAM was created as the first agency management software, so there is a big difference in what technology provides today with a modern agency management system like Applied Epic.

Some of what sets Applied Epic apart from older technology is:

• Simple and secure access via browser-based technology

• More capabilities delivered more frequently

• Reduced manual tasks

These are just some of the ways Applied Epic is a state-of-the-art agency management system that stands apart from Applied TAM.

Advanced Features and Capabilities

One of the things users love most about Applied Epic is the efficiency that stems from exclusive capabilities and enhancements, including:

• Integrated text messaging that allows you to automatically route messages to the right account

• Attachment previews so you can easily identify the documents you’re looking for

• Multi-select and bulk deleting of policies and items in direct bill commission suspense

• A streamlined Add Activity workflow that automatically prefills policy or account details

• AI-powered email summarization that sums up an email into an Activity note when attached in Applied Epic

Not only are you missing these features with Applied TAM, but you’re also not getting access to the new Epic Quotes Commercial Lines or Epic Dashboards. These are the types of innovations the next generation of talent expects. If you want to attract top-tier talent, you need to upgrade to a more modern management system that offers these capabilities.

User Interface and Experience

The user interface and experience of today’s agency management system technology, like Applied Epic, are decades ahead of systems like Applied TAM. With this browser-native software and role-based data visualizations, agencies can enjoy a modern, intuitive user experience with way less clicks, fewer screens and more native lookups and validation.

Data Analytics and Reporting

When you upgrade to Applied Epic, you’ll see the power of data with business insights right within your system with Epic Dashboards. These insights can help you better understand trends and target where to focus your agency’s efforts to make the most profits and provide the most value to your customers.

Integration Capabilities

All the tools needed to manage the end-to-end customer lifecycle are natively embedded or integrated within Applied Epic, so you can effectively and efficiently work in one system that keeps information and workflows connected instead of switching between multiple disconnected solutions.

• Marketing Automation: Integrated marketing automation lets you manage email messaging campaigns, contacts, and marketing subscriptions from your agency management system workflow. 

• Market Access and Quoting: Integrated personal lines and commercial lines rating applications allow you to remarket or quote new business directly within the management system. This way, you can make sure your customers get the best products at the right price – all with fewer clicks.

• Account Rounding: An embedded commercial insurance renewals application makes it easy to identify coverage upsells and opportunities at key renewal milestones based on policies in Applied Epic. 

• Insurer Connectivity: Seamless connection with Ivans technologies grants you access to the most insurers and markets for submissions, servicing, and policy intelligence from within your management system, making work easier for you and easier for your insurers and clients to do business with you. 

• Omnichannel Customer Service: Integration with the customer self-service portal and mobile app allows policyholders to access their policy information when and how they like. All customer interactions are synced to the management system so that you always have the latest client details. 

• Digital Payments: A natively integrated digital payment platform provides a simple, secure payments experience for policyholders while automating financial management and reconciliation for agencies.

Scalability and Growth Potential

When you invest in modern insurtech like Applied Epic, the sky is the limit with new business and seamless renewals. The open, scalable architecture supports the integration of Applied and third-party solutions, allowing you to create a customized tech stack.

Policy Management and Decision Making

With Applied Epic, agencies level up their policy management and decision-making capabilities with real-time access to policy information at every stage of the policy lifecycle. This information, coupled with the data insights from Epic Dashboards, allows for data-informed decision-making for all agency roles.

The Migration Process

Moving to a modern, innovative system doesn’t need to be a lengthy or disruptive process. At Applied, we’ve learned the art of system migration through our extensive experience transitioning thousands of Applied TAM agencies. Agencies can now be up and running with Applied Epic or EZLynx in as little as two months – significantly faster than the traditional six-month timeline. This means you’ll experience less disruption and quickly benefit from our systems' advanced capabilities.

We understand that the thought of migration can be daunting. Rest assured, our dedicated Services and Implementation teams are here to support you every step of the way. With an average of 9.9 years of insurance experience, many of our team members have navigated migrations themselves while working in agencies. They know the challenges firsthand and are committed to making your transition seamless and successful.

By placing your trust in Applied, you’re choosing a partner dedicated to leading the industry through innovation, accountability, and exceptional customer success. Let us help you leverage advanced software solutions to transform your insurance business and exceed expectations.

Planning and Preparation

We want this transition to be as minimally disruptive to your business as possible. After you build your agency’s implementation team, our experts will collaborate with you to coordinate data review, roll out the training plan and more. It’s important that you communicate regularly with your internal implementation team to ensure you get the most out of your investment.

Data Transfer and System Setup

We know transferring sensitive customer data can be scary. We have documents we can share about how to clean up your data before migration and tips to make sure we maintain data security as you migrate. Our experts don’t recommend bringing over more than three years of data, so that is something to keep in mind as you clean up your data.

Training and Adoption

How can you help your team feel more comfortable in the transition and ensure you have the necessary training? It’s important to set aside time to take the courses that Applied recommends for basic training and get everyone practicing in the system before you have your own training sessions for daily workflows and start implementation. We recommend getting your teams involved in implementation when possible. You can always reach out to us where you need training if you need assistance.