Independent Agency Questions

[Misty]

I am a long time captive and am happy but a family member is starting an Indy agency. I am having so many declines lately and I used to have an independent book I want to roll so they have been able to get into a cluster based on that plus referrals I can throw their way.
I am having a hard time envisioning what all she needs. I am used to the captive world and so much is implemented for you or you don't have a choice. The cluster gave us a huge list of compatible items but what is really needed, what is the minimum until she gets rolling?
I know we need a rater, Vertafore and EZLynx seem to be the top. They don't have pricing online, which is the best one? Any preferences? How about CRMs, anyone with a small agency have one they love? How do most people do MVRS and Prefill? That's all included for me.
If we took all the recommendations we would have Canopy, Glove Box, Salt, Sales Force and 4 other things to manage renewals and reviews. But we can't spend 800 a month. I already spend a bunch on Agency Zoom and a few other things for my agency. Starting from scratch what is the best bare bones way to go about it but be efficient? Thanks

 

[Mike Hodges]

Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin. MIchael Hodges, CLCS. You can book a meeting with me to learn more via my Linkedin page. There are many rating systems, management systems, etc. We have a Foundation program that helps build the foundation for an agency and we have discounted pricing for systems. We will walk you through the process. Each Carrier will have various programs regarding charging for mvr's. As a general rule if you quote 10 and write 5 you will not be charged mvr fees, if you sell 4 or less then they will charge you fees anywhere from $7-$12 per mvr ran. Cheers

 

[Mike Hodges]

Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin. MIchael Hodges, CLCS. You can book a meeting with me to learn more via my Linkedin page. There are many rating systems, management systems, etc. We have a Foundation program that helps build the foundation for an agency and we have discounted pricing for systems. We will walk you through the process. Each Carrier will have various programs regarding charging for mvr's. As a general rule if you quote 10 and write 5 you will not be charged mvr fees, if you sell 4 or less then they will charge you fees anywhere from $7-$12 per mvr ran. Cheers

 

[ehall2]

I am independent agent and this month is 50 years I have been in the business. I started my current agency in 1998. I used EZLynx for two months and didn't like it so terminated. I currently use ITC Turbo rater to rate autos. They have a flat fee of $100 per month for an unlimited number of companies. I don't use a rater for homeowner. I just know which two companies will be the best. For homeowner coverage I have, Progressive, Travelers, Mercury, Nationwide, Guard and Heritage. In Georgia Travelers isn't writing monoline auto or home, so unless you are going to bundle they are not an option. Progressive prefers to bundle if writing the homeowner but they will consider monoline homeowner. Mercury is competitive if writing home and auto but not competitive for monoline home only. I don't waste my time quoting Nationwide for auto and or home. Their rates in Georgia are outrageous. Heritage is very competitive for monoline home but they are nitpicking on underwriting. They don't insure autos. Guard is competitive but they don't write auto because they are part of Berkshire Hattaway and write auto with GEICO. I use Jenesis for my agency management program and it is $225 per month. I like Vertafore's comparative rater better than others but they didn't have a company that we use a lot. The companies I use don't charge for MVRs if I sell 75% of the quotes.

 

[saieddie]

This is probably too late, but ezlynx is probably the only thing you need. All the carriers I use have the mvr/clue on their websites. Ezlynx has marketing/retention/management system/quoting/accounting all in their package and they're the easiest to use. I wouldn't listen to anyone on here about companies to use or their appetites because thats going to be specific to your state/area. Call or visit with a big independent agency or your local insurance association and pump them for info on companies.

 

[marindependent]

I am a long time captive and am happy but a family member is starting an Indy agency. I am having so many declines lately and I used to have an independent book I want to roll so they have been able to get into a cluster based on that plus referrals I can throw their way.
I am having a hard time envisioning what all she needs. I am used to the captive world and so much is implemented for you or you don't have a choice. The cluster gave us a huge list of compatible items but what is really needed, what is the minimum until she gets rolling?
I know we need a rater, Vertafore and EZLynx seem to be the top. They don't have pricing online, which is the best one? Any preferences? How about CRMs, anyone with a small agency have one they love? How do most people do MVRS and Prefill? That's all included for me.
If we took all the recommendations we would have Canopy, Glove Box, Salt, Sales Force and 4 other things to manage renewals and reviews. But we can't spend 800 a month. I already spend a bunch on Agency Zoom and a few other things for my agency. Starting from scratch what is the best bare bones way to go about it but be efficient? Thanks

The cluster you choose should be able to help you with all of this. If your cluster cannot answer some of these questions, keep searching. But yes, you need a Rater, an AMS, and a CRM. Sometimes these can all be combined and sometimes not.

You should also have a website, an email, and a phone system.

I would get your own access to MVRs which you may need to pull on your own occassionally.

Are you personal or commercial primarily?

 

[shawnmwalker]

This will give you a lot to chew on: Industry Videos – Premier Group Insurance (pgiagents.com)

 

[sebastya]

I am a long time captive and am happy but a family member is starting an Indy agency. I am having so many declines lately and I used to have an independent book I want to roll so they have been able to get into a cluster based on that plus referrals I can throw their way.
I am having a hard time envisioning what all she needs. I am used to the captive world and so much is implemented for you or you don't have a choice. The cluster gave us a huge list of compatible items but what is really needed, what is the minimum until she gets rolling?
I know we need a rater, Vertafore and EZLynx seem to be the top. They don't have pricing online, which is the best one? Any preferences? How about CRMs, anyone with a small agency have one they love? How do most people do MVRS and Prefill? That's all included for me.
If we took all the recommendations we would have Canopy, Glove Box, Salt, Sales Force and 4 other things to manage renewals and reviews. But we can't spend 800 a month. I already spend a bunch on Agency Zoom and a few other things for my agency. Starting from scratch what is the best bare bones way to go about it but be efficient? Thanks

Who did you end up going with?