Author: ACT News Staff
Ashley Brower-Whitney has worked at almost every position in her agency and uses that experience to inform her technology decisions. She could see herself as a coach or a teacher if she were not in insurance. When asked about her own coaches or mentors, she says she could name about 15 people, including her dad in whose footsteps she is following.
Though her father never has been a wire-head, he always understood the value of technology and hired people with tech skills so they could drive the right purchases and strategy at the agency.
“He wanted to be on the cutting edge but not the bleeding edge. He didn't want to be the first one out the door," Ashley says.
But that foresight paved the way for Harbor/Brenn to become a tech-savvy agency, and Ashley has capitalized on what she has learned over the course of her 20-year career in the independent agency channel to make technology easier to implement at the agency.
Comfortable with technology from her Nintendo-rich youth, Ashley got heavily involved in NetVU around 2001 when Harbor/Brenn was still using the Agena Premier agency management system.
“I became involved at the state level back when it was AMSUG [the AMS Users Group]. I led the young professionals chapter at NetVU for a while. I loved digging into the system," Ashley says.
“I came to learn that change is hard. I've learned over the past 20 years that the most successful change occurs when people understand what's going on. Before we change systems at Harbor/Brenn, the biggest, most important things I can do are let the staff know why we're doing it and show them the benefits," she says.
“Before we switched agency management systems, I did lunch-and-learns to show what the new system looked like," she says. “Because I had worked in almost every department, I knew what staff needed across the agency. Knowing their pain points informs my decisions on what technology to pick."
Ashley was able to specifically target staff with new system attributes she knew would speak directly to their needs. And she gives them time to learn new technology.
Getting Buy-in
“I try to partner people up so a self-described non-techie can pair with a computer buddy who knows more. That way, they have a knowledgeable point of contact to get information from. This also helps distribute the load. One guy doesn't become the IT guy and have all that burden on top of his regular duties," she says, “though technically our IT 'guy' is a woman."
Those buddy pairings are particularly important at smaller agencies.
“We don't have the resources to hire a dedicated IT guy, so partnering works great for us. We also set aside time for staff to learn our agency management system. Vertafore has online classes, and we offer designated time for that.
“I don't mandate training or micromanage staff's time, but we do have a performance-based bonus program. Eligibility requires choosing some kind of quarterly education. Staff choose what they need. They schedule their own coursework just like they would a doctor's appointment, and they get paid for that time."
The agency's new text option is a good example of ongoing technology deployment. It's a service the agency offers to improve customer service, and though it sounds like a recordkeeping and interface nightmare, quite the opposite is true.
“It's through AMS360 - Everything is stored right there," Ashley says. “You can create activity notes right from your text traffic. Prior to having that capability, texting was problematic. But clients like the option. Adoption started off slowly, but it's picking up more as clients hear about its availability.
“There's a nominal fee, but it's very low. I was part of the beta testing, and I said early on our agency wouldn't be paying $1,200 a year for something like this. They took that feedback on board, and it was very affordable for us to adopt."
Love of Learning
Ashley is a natural learner—she reads about 100 books a year—and says education (“coaching might be a better word") is “in her blood."
She has had good mentors and coaches along the way, pointing to her father and about 15 other people who have been role models of some sort.
“I will say that an official mentor-mentee role—I've never had that. There have, however, been quite a few industry members at whose feet I could sit and listen."
When pressed for some examples, Ashley says, “Chris Amrhein stands out in my mind. Bill Wilson has probably forgotten more than I'll ever know. Stephen Moriyama, through NetVU, got me involved in their young professionals chapter. And David Walker, an agency owner in Michigan, was Big “I" president and involved in the Michigan Independent Insurance Agents Association. He always takes time to listen to me and answer me.
“I'm sorry to say I don't have a specific female mentor. There's just a dearth of women in leadership roles in the industry. There are some I follow on Facebook etc., but I don't truly know them."
One of the great pieces of advice she received came from her father, and it's advice she has taken as a guiding principle.
“He told me, 'If you take care of your people, they will take care of you. Treat your staff with dignity, and they'll work hard with dedication and pride. They are your most important stakeholder.' I try to follow that."
And how does Ashley share what she has learned with staff and others? Participating in user groups and ACT are ways she passes on and picks up knowledge outside the agency. She also is on Cincinnati's Technology council, which she says is very valuable since the company uses the council's input to inform its tech decisions.
She is currently in the midst of a little personal project to compile the best takeaways from the good books she's read and make them usable for her staff.
“One of the great things I recently read was StrengthsFinder [now CliftonStrengths]. The book deals with 34 strengths that people may have, and it helps you identify your own. At the end of the book, there is a code you can input into a web platform so you can do an official assessment of your strengths. Interestingly, learning and communications were two of mine. That really goes hand in hand with my interest in coaching."