Applied Systems kicked off its Applied Net conference yesterday in Orlando, promising new product announcements and a walkthrough of its current portfolio. But according to Michael Howe, senior vice president of product management with
Applied Systems, this year’s conference is offering something more: an in-depth look at some of the automation and technology challenges facing independent insurance agencies, as well as a chance to network with both wholesale and carrier partners.
“In the past two to three years, we’ve experienced meteoric growth in conference attendees,” said Howe, estimating roughly 2,800 to 2,900 will attend the conference this year. “When you get to that kind of scale, a lot of parties become interested in participating, so this is not just a conversation about Applied, but a catalyst for a bunch of stakeholders from various walks of life to come together.”
Howe expects that with more than 200 sessions, attendees will be able to not only learn about current agency offerings but participate in “strategic, thought-provoking conversations” about where the industry is headed and the pain points of independent agencies and brokerages.
Specifically, Howe expects data security to be a major topic as more companies move to the cloud. He also anticipates great interest in Applied Net’s new Executive Management Track, focusing on tech and automation solutions for agency principals.
As far as updates to Applied products, Howe announced this morning that the company will introduce new capabilities into Applied Epic, Applied TAM, Applied PerformanceManagement, Applied Rating Services and Applied MobileProducer. The updates are said to allow agencies to reduce operating expenses and are scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter.
“The pace of digital technology innovation and the rate of changing consumer demand are requiring independent agencies and brokerages to evolve their business models to better service customers, establish more efficient operations and successfully scale their business,” Howe said.
“Building on our history of first-to-market technologies and continued innovation, these upcoming strategic product releases will enable agencies and brokerages to better address the evolving needs of today’s insurance customer. The range of new solutions serve to reinforce and strengthen their core role as trusted advisor.”
