10 Tech Tools For Brokers to Work From Home

April 13, 2021

1. TrustLayer

Customer service is often the primary competitive advantage in insurance broking. Any broker that works with large enterprise and risk managers, knows how important it is for them to track and verify their vendors and suppliers insurance policies.

“Verification of insurance and business credentials is a pain point for millions of businesses and demands a solution that is automated and secure,” has said John Fohr, co-founder and CEO of TrustLayer.

Through artificial intelligence and machine learning, the collaborative risk management platform can verify coverages, check exclusions, and insurance validity in real-time. For the insured, TrustLayer provides instant proof of insurance, while requesters can confirm and track vendor coverage.

Stand out to your policyholders by proactively being able to offer them a solution to help manage their COIs and vendor verification.

2. Google Workspace

Formerly known as G Suite, Google Workspace has all of the tools needed for a broker to communicate and collaborate with colleagues and customers, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive. But, that’s just scratching the surface as insurance agencies have been able to use Workspace for

Sharing important documents like policy renewals and cancellations with Drive
Agency scheduling and managing meetings through Calendar
Editing collaborative documents via Docs
Communicating with others with Gmail and Meet

What sets Workspace apart from alternatives, mainly Microsoft Teams is its low learning curve and affordability as plans start at just $6/month.

3. Convoso

Because of COVID-19, the insurance market has become even more competitive. If you’re looking to thrive, then you might want to check out the call center software Convoso.

According to its site;

“The U.S. insurance industry annually writes over a trillion dollars in premiums. To rise above the competition, increase your conversations via automated redial workflows, improved caller ID reputation, and by communicating at the right time with the right channel via calls, emails, and SMS. Save agent time with streamlined processes and connect with more qualified leads.

Convoso customers report dramatic increases of 30% to 300% in contact rates. With our powerful suite of software tools, you’ll convert leads faster.”

Convoso also comes equipped with “a predictive dialer that automatically routes leads to agents licensed in the prospect’s state,” as well as real-time analytics.

4. VeriShow

If there is one communication tool you must rely on following COVID-19, it’s a video call platform such as Zoom or Skype. However, VeriShow is specifically designed for insurance agents as it comes with the following features;

Being able to communicate with customers via voice, video, or text.
Collaborative web browsing and content sharing.
The ability to complete forms and claims together virtually.
Review and annotate documents in real-time.

Also, because VeriShow is completely browser-based, there’s nothing to download. And, VeriShow also integrates with WordPress and LivePerson so that you can connect with customers in real-time.

5. HubSpot

CRM solutions might not be on the top of your mind. But, they’re helpful in that you can keep tabs on your clients through automatic reminders, comprehensive reporting features, client-specific tasks, and milestones in one convenient location. And, one of the most popular CRM platforms is HubSpot.

Since this is a full CRM platform, it comes with the following;

Marketing Hub for lead generation and marketing automation.
Sales Hub with features including quotes and meeting scheduling.
Service Hub to handle customer feedback.
CMC Hub if you want to customize your site.

The only knock is that pricing starts at $45/month. If that’s too rich for your blood, you might want to consider more budget-friendly alternatives like ActiveCampaign, EngageBay, or Zoho CRM.

6. PandaDoc

Working from home has meant that moving to electronic signatures is absolutely essential. Of course, wrangling up all of those important contracts, documents, and reports from a distance can be a hassle for any agent — especially when working with multiple clients per day.

To solve this predicament? Tools like PandaDoc.
This all-in-one document automation solution comes with pre-built templates for insurance agents that you can then send to clients. They then electronically sign the doc and have it returned to you quickly and easily. You can also store all of these documents in one secure location.

While you can upload and eSign documents for free, plans begin at $19. You may also want to consider other options like DocuSign or Formstack Sign.

7. MailChimp

“There are around 3.7 billion email users in the world today, with the figure likely to grow to 4.3 billion by 2022,” according to digital marketing advice resource, Smart Insights. “This makes email marketing a viable strategy to put your efforts into, especially as the ROI for it is around 3,800%.”

With that in mind, if you don’t have an email marketing solution, then it’s time to get on-board with a platform like MailChimp. It’s a tried and true all-in-one platform that comes with;

Audience management features like CRM, signup forms, and segmentation.
Creative tools including campaign templates and dynamic content.
Marketing automation, such as transactional email.
Insights, analytics, and A/B testing.

Best of all? There’s a powerful free plan. But, if you require something more robust, pricing starts at just $9/month.

8. Indio

Indio has one simple goal; make the insurance application process between agents and clients as seamless and painless as possible.

Here’s how it work. Instead of engaging in the tedious back-and-forth between you and your leads, you can customize applications quickly thanks to a library of pre-built templates. There are also “smart” forms that reduce keystrokes and having to answer repeat questions.

After the client has reviewed, signed, and submitted their submission packet, you can send them off to a specific underwriter.

9. Hootsuite

“I recently ran some social media workshops for insurance agents and brokers for an international firm,” said Sherrilynne Starkie, who has over 20 years of experience in public relations, content creation, and media relations. “These stats came from a survey conducted by one of my clients, and it included an online survey of nearly 250 brokers across Canada in April 2018;”

56% of brokers respond to clients on social channels
20% of brokers are not using social media but are planning to
88% of brokers post digital content online
51% of brokers spend $1,000-$5,000 on social media each year

Social media is the perfect platform to engage with customers, provide support, and develop long-term relationships. You can also use these channels to highlight testimonials and share content like provide claim-related information.

But, managing each individual channel can be time-consuming for brokers. That’s when tools like Hootsuite are priceless. With Hootsuite, you can plan, create, and schedule updates across all your social channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even WordPress.

10. ExpressVPN

According to InfoSecurity Magazine, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, cyber-attacks have risen 37% month-over-month. To protect you and your client’s sensitive data, you need to take measures like using strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

But, also don’t forget about a VPN that lets you safely and securely go online when connected to a home or public network.

While there are plenty of excellent VPN providers available, like Nord or Surfshark, ExpressVPN is considered by many the top dog. Mainly because of how easy it is to use. It’s also a fact and a proven track record for privacy.