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Longwood, FL

Headquarters

14 Years

As an Applied Customer

Additional Info

Team Members: 1,400+
Offices: 60

 
 

The desire to grow while simultaneously meeting consumer expectations

Since its founding in 1988, Insurance Office of America (IOA) has expanded to 60 U.S. and UK locations. Their mantra, “getting better at being bigger,” reflects their growth-focused mindset, but it’s equally as important to them to meet the expectations of today’s tech-savvy consumers. “Since I started at IOA in 2010, we've seen substantial growth. And as we grow, we want to continue to meet clients' expectations,” said Tara McKay, Assistant Vice President of Operations - South and West Florida. The agency needed a management system with the flexibility to grow as they do and integrated tools that would help attract and retain customers, plus top-tier talent.

 
Applied has been a key partner since our initial move to Applied Epic 10 or 11 years ago. We recognize that for us to be successful as an organization and continue to grow and provide the level of service to our clients that we wish to, a strong partnership with Applied is essential.”
John Woods Chief Information Officer, IOA
 
 

An integrated product suite to digitally transform the business

IOA partnered with Applied and implemented its suite of integrated cloud-based solutions. Starting with Applied Epic®, the world’s #1 management system, to manage and maintain a clear picture of their entire agency, followed by Applied Epic® for Salesforce®, the industry-leading sales and marketing tool, to advance their sales operations while remaining connected to the core business.

The need to meet customers where they are was also a must. Applied CSR24®, an online and mobile customer self-service application, and Indio®, an application and submissions management platform, were the ideal solutions for the job.

Modern, digital experiences for clients and staff

Applied Epic provides IOA with the foundational management system they need to run their entire agency across all locations and lines of business. “In the past, things were housed in different places. So, if you needed an attachment for something, you had to go to a different system, and it was difficult to find things that way. But now, with Applied Epic, you go into the client, and all your attachments, billing, and everything else you need is right there,” explained McKay. Best of all, the platform is built on an open, scalable architecture, offering the flexibility to quickly expand and integrate with both Applied and third-party applications as business needs change.

To get the most value from their investments in Applied Epic and Salesforce, the agency adopted Applied Epic for Salesforce. The application allows sales and servicing teams to work together efficiently in two separate but wholly synced platforms. Andrew Lockhart, vice president of enterprise initiatives, said, “The ability to remove a step of entering data twice and effectively have the same information that's in Salesforce be in Applied Epic helps streamline some of the workflows we have between our account management staff and our producers.”

 
 

Indio allows IOA to replace the cumbersome, paper-heavy application process with a simple online experience. “Traditionally, the application process is not an enjoyable one for clients. Half the time, the PDFs aren't fillable, and there are a lot of questions, some of which may not matter. The ability for our team to select the questions that are applicable for the client and then put them in a simple format is really important,” stated Lockhart. Indio isn’t the only tool the agency uses to service clients how they’d like. Applied CSR24, which they branded as IOA 365, provides clients 24/7 access to their policies, certificates of insurance and claims.

Customers aren’t the only ones IOA hopes to win over with technology. “Employees want to be engaged in what they do. They want to work with efficient, cutting-edge technology,” explained John Woods, chief information officer. “Recruitment is very competitive. Everyone is fighting over a small talent pool and trying to find ways to encourage more people into the insurance industry. Technology plays a huge part in competing with other industries and helping to attract and retain talent in this space.” The innovative technology Applied provides is a competitive differentiator for the agency when bringing on new clients and employees. Bob Peters, chief operating officer, said, “Applied is a true partner in helping us meet the needs of our customers and employees.”

IOA partnered with Applied because of its continued commitment to innovation and service to clients. “We want to be innovative. We want to lead the industry. We want to do right by our people. This is exactly how Applied operates and why we feel like the partnership is set up for success, not just now but long into the future,” noted Woods. The agency is confident it has found the right partner to bolster its growth strategy and catch the eye of tech-savvy consumers.

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