The Agents Council for Technology is saying a hearty thank-you to Jay Byrnes for his years of service as chair of ACT and is offering a warm welcome to his successor, Cindy Hower. ACT News turned to both leaders to take a look at how the past is merely prologue. The IA channel is churning with new opportunities and demands, and ACT continues to help agencies navigate the waters. Byrnes and Hower make the case for maximizing agency benefits from membership.

ACT News: What do you see as the top priorities for ACT, and are there any plans for those to change over the next year? 

Jay Byrnes, Owner and President, Byrnes Agency: When we have someone attend a meeting for the first time, they invariable say, “Oh my gosh, there's so much here I never knew about. It's great." I agree, and we need to get that awareness out there. We use the traditional routes, but working with our state associations gives us a great way to get more eyeballs on the content.

Cindy Hower, President, Kellerman Insurance: I don't see any major changes, but there are a lot of things going on with ACT right now. The first and foremost thing is to let agents know what resources are available through ACT. It's part of their Big “I" membership, so they should maximize the benefits they get from it. Some of the benefits include help with cyber security and developing the customer experience.  

As far as new things, something we just did that ACT hasn't done before were roundtables at the IIABA Fall Leadership Conference. Directors from each of the states discussed technology needs in our agencies. That generated new awareness of ACT. ACT will report back on ways it can take that information to bring member benefits back to the states.

ACT News: From your point of view, what are the greatest pain points in our industry, and how can ACT facilitate solutions?

Jay: It's the Amazon effect: immediacy, big client expectations. We suffer from that comparison. That's the bad news. The good news is ACT is there to leverage technology so we can be on par with other industries' great customer experience: claims, documents, service. We can tackle some of these expectations.

There are a lot of free ACT resources on cyber—the Agency Cyber Guide, for example—that agents can take advantage of to contain cyber risk costs. It can be daunting, but there are a lot of tools at low or no cost, so agencies can at least start putting up that wall of protection and be advocates to their clients on the same cyber challenges. The faster we get our game face on, the better we can serve our clients.

Cindy: Drilling down into cyber security is a huge deal. We all know we need it, but small to midsize agencies need something to rely on for step-by-step guidance.

Just attending ACT conferences can help immensely to start finding tools and people who can help.

Another pain point is how we reach our customer base when everyone wants to be communicated with in a different way. The Customer Experience brochure and work group are providing solutions on how to better communicate with clients and workflows. I hope members take advantage of those tools.

ACT News: What is the primary reason young agents need to get involved? How can ACT (and the industry) do a better job of raising awareness and attracting them?

Jay: They are the future leaders of the industry and are less burdened by the “I tried this and it didn't work" mentality. They bring a different and important perspective to make sure we don't get set in our ways. There's a pretty wide swath of young agent roles involved. The big challenge we have is getting them to continue coming. The scholarships have been a great addition to our tool chest—having vendors and carriers to help capture and include these people.

To increase their comfort level, we do polls that are anonymous and breakout groups where you are not having to raise your hand in front of hundreds of people. We also have some grizzled veterans who put their arm around the young people and show them the ropes. The dine around at the conferences has been a great way to break the ice among peers in the industry. Should I stay in my room with room service or go out to a restaurant? We help solve that problem and get them networking as well.

Cindy: Our industry needs to get out of its funk and be more nimble. Young agents can bring the information they learn to their agencies and get them to move forward. Including them in work groups and association activities should help motivate their involvment.

Some of the presenters we have had at our ACT conferences have been young and totally over the top in the contributions they are making. Some ideas are pretty out there but are enormously relevant. That speaks to inclusion. Letting young agents have their day increases our awareness of what can be learned.

ACT News: Looking just five years into the future, what will independent agencies need to be doing to balance the expectations of bringing digital ease of doing business with the “trusted advisor" guidance that sets the IA channel above others?

Jay: Agents have always adapted. They are entrepreneurial and know how to change. The challenge is five years comes fast. You have to set your priorities based on your customers. There are potential pitfalls of assuming your customers don't want things just because they haven't been asking for it. “I'm not hearing this from my customers. I don't think they want it." There is a false sense that the industry isn't going to change. If we're caught flatfooted, that could negatively impact our members. Knowing that you can't do it all, you can still make incremental changes.

Cindy: There are studies that indicate that millennials do research on the web but they turn to a trusted partner when they really go to buy. We are going to have to catch them in the digital world in the first place, then build that relationship in the way they want to.

ACT News: Do you have any reflections on where we've been and where we're going?

Jay: ACT is a free resource to bring the actors in the industry together to solve problems. If you have an interest, you don't have to be an insurance geek—a programmer, a technical, pocket-protector person—we're looking for people with passion. The truth is we have people involved who are amazingly technical and others who bring a broader perspective.

Cindy: When I said I was taking this post in ACT, my office laughed. However, I do believe there is a lot of opportunity utilizing technology. Status quo is not the future. ACT can help you, and you can help ACT. Get involved.

Published: January 8, 2020