5 Benefits of ePayPolicy Over General Payment Processors

by Digital Payment Processing

Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to offer digital payments and (fingers crossed) wean your clients off checkwriting forever. It should be easy to pick a payment processor for your agency, MGA or premium finance company — right? 

Of course, we think it’s a no-brainer. But many of our clients come to us after starting out with general payment processors like Stripe, Square, Quickbooks, etc. We’d like to save you some of their frustrations. Such companies are perfectly fine. It’s just that they’re industry agnostic. (That’s their fancy way of saying ‘generic.’)

Insurance Is Not a Generic Industry

Your receivables are not a simple matter of collecting premium payments and depositing them as income into your bank account. You have fiduciary responsibilities to your carriers and to your insureds. You’re subject to state statutes and regulations specific to our industry.  

We Know This Because We’re Insurance Experts

It’s true. Co-founder Todd Sorrell actually owned a premium finance company for several years before launching ePayPolicy with Milan Malkani (software developer supreme) in 2015.

ePayPolicy was created specifically as a digital payment processing solution for the insurance industry. 

Here are five benefits of ePayPolicy that (together) you’ll never get from Square (or Stripe, or…):

1. Operating Efficiency

ePayPolicy integrates with today’s most popular agency and broker management systems, including AM360, Applied CSR24 and a growing number of legacy and new systems. Not surprisingly, generic payment processors don’t know or care which management system you use.  And although we encourage integrations, not having one is also perfectly fine.

2. Relevant Features

With generic processors you’re a square (no pun intended) peg in a round hole. Their features are not insurance-specific. Ours are. We know how agencies and MGAs run, so ePayPolicy offers features that apply to you. Not only do we help you take payments, but also send funds across the industry through our network for only 50 cents! Our online dashboard to track and manage payments is also clearly catered to insurance organizations and their accounting teams.

3. Payment Options

Your insureds can pay by either credit/debit card or by ACH,* depending on their financial situation and goals. Some like earning travel miles. Others want to see their bank account timely debited.  

4. Data Safety & Security

ePayPolicy takes security very seriously. We don’t ever save your clients’ sensitive information in our systems (to avoid any kind of fraud). Plus, we’re PCI Level 1 compliant—the highest of four levels based on annual transaction volume. This means we’re subject to the most stringent data security protocols in the payment processing industry. 

5. Transparent Pricing

What you see is what you pay. How easy is that? ePayPolicy subscriptions start at a flat $20/month. No hidden fees or set-up fees. We also pass all transaction fees to the insured, unless you want to absorb them partly or wholly.

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

ePayPolicy serves some 5,000 clients across the spectrum of independent agencies, MGAs/brokers, carriers and premium finance companies. 

We’re endorsed by more than 70 industry organizations, including 38 Big I state associations. Check out all of our industry endorsements and ask your user group or association why they recommend ePayPolicy as their insurance payment processor of choice.

Take the first step. Get started online or schedule a free demo today. 

*ePayPolicy Canada currently accepts credit card payments only. 

Vertafore Canada Orange Partner Program Endorses ePayPolicy

by CanadaIndustry News & Company Updates

MONTREAL, Sept. 14, 2021 /CNW/ — Vertafore® Canada, a leader in modern insurance technology, today announced the launch of the Vertafore Canada Orange Partner Program, providing Canadian brokers the opportunity to take advantage of high-quality, pre-built integrations with strategic third-party technology providers. The program allows brokers to further optimize their processes and enhance the digital experience they offer their customers.

“In today’s competitive landscape, brokers increasingly need to focus on becoming future-ready, and it is essential that we, as solution providers, look for ways to help them achieve this,” said Dimitrios Argitis, vice president and general manager of Vertafore Canada. “We are committed to helping brokers achieve this through improved APIs and high-quality, vetted, strategic partnerships. The introduction of the Vertafore Canada Orange Partner Program is an important step in that direction.”

The Vertafore Canada Orange Partner Program is launching with seven partnerships that, when integrated with the Vertafore Canada SaaS solutions, offer brokers additional opportunities to optimize processes, enhancing the digital experience and complementing their strategic initiatives.

This initial set of partners serves as the foundation from which the program will continue to scale, and they drive significant value to brokers by offering them the following Vertafore Canada SaaS Platform integrated capabilities:

  • ePayPolicy: Brokers can offer their customers secure, quick and easy online payment options that integrate with Vertafore Canada solutions.
  • FIRST Insurance Funding Canada: Brokers can now provide monthly payment plans and full payment options for new business and renewals along with the policy proposal with FIRST PayTM, directly within the SIG.
  • Pathway: Brokers can automate client emails, texts, and document delivery through seamless data integration.
  • BrokerLift: Brokers can make selling insurance on their website easier both for their customers and the brokerage staff.
  • Xenex: Known as eSIGN, brokers can simplify processes by benefiting from this integrated SignatureMaster™ solution.

“These are partnerships that go well beyond just agreeing to work together. They represent a comprehensive arrangement that includes high-quality integrations that have already been developed and comprehensively tested, that collaboratively are being maintained and for which we have testimonials from brokers of their strategic value,” added Stacey Miranda, director of product management for Vertafore Canada. “The Orange Partner Program brings a new level of collaboration between Vertafore and its partners for the benefit of Canadian insurance brokers and their customers.”

For more information, please visit https://www.vertafore.ca/orange-partner-program.

About Vertafore Canada

Vertafore Canada is the expert in Canadian broker innovation and a leader in the BMS (Broker Management Systems) marketplace for insurance and financial services brokers. It offers an integrated suite of products designed to increase revenue through efficient use of technology. Vertafore Canada is the new name for Keal Technology, a leading provider of broker and commercial management systems in Canada, acquired by Vertafore in 2016.

New Specialty MGA is Tech-driven and Open for Business

by Client Spotlight Series

Dan Marzouk is launching a K2 Insurance unit to handle the nuanced coverage needs of vehicle service garages and dealers. “We are focused on a better way to do things,” he says. “K2 Specialty insurance provides exceptional service and excellent technical assistance. The company has significant infrastructure and several units have implemented ePayPolicy into their platforms. We are implementing ePayPolicy into our garage and dealer unit from the get-go.”

How the Relationship Started

A carrier approached K2 Insurance in early 2021 to discuss setting up a niche MGA for vehicle dealers and garages.

Filings were sent to states in May and the technology integration wrapped up as of July.  Dan always planned on using ePayPolicy. He says, “ePayPolicy was one of the easiest integrations. They have a partnership with MGA Systems, so it plugged right into our accounting system.”

Benefits to Retail Agents

With ePayPolicy, K2 provides agents and their accounting teams with a full view of their payables.

“ePayPolicy allows our customers to accept payments directly through our system. They choose which policies they want to pay. Their accounting team can know if there’s money they owe K2 that they may not have billed. Everyone can log in and see all their invoices and all their credits,” Dan explains.

Plus, if an agent happens to have ePayPolicy on their end, that makes it even easier. It’s also a bonus for K2. “When they get paid, we get paid.”

The response during beta testing has been “ecstatic.”

Benefits to the MGA

K2 appreciates ePayPolicy for saving time and streamlining the receivables process. As an example, Dan talks about receiving a wire for $52K with no backup. “We could spend a week going back and forth trying to figure out which account(s) that payment is meant for. Our ‘mega’ agencies have a single accounting team. We may be working with five different offices, but they will send one payment! ePayPolicy makes clear how each payment gets allocated.”

Dan especially likes that ePayPolicy:

  •  fully integrates with K2’s accounting system
  •  enables K2 to invoice multiple accounts simultaneously
  • minimizes energy drain and confusion of chasing down payments
  • saves K2 from having to send out cancellation notices
  • can process both direct bill and agency bill payments

He also talks about collaborating with ePayPolicy to achieve special, nonstandard customization his team needs. “We hopped on a call with the programmers. Everyone looked at the code together and we quickly got it done.”

ePayPolicy Helps with K2 Clients Large and Small

Small to medium-sized agencies without accounting departments can use it for direct pay. Medium-sized to large clients are agency bill. K2 can send all their agencies links so their insureds can pay conveniently online.

“I want to keep it very easy. I don’t have to worry about keeping bank account or credit card info on file. It’s all secure and the system has fail safes,” Dan notes.

In Summary

K2 Specialty Dealer Insurance shares an accounting team of three people with other K2 units. Dan comments: “We had one unit that was hesitant about ePayPolicy, but our accounting team convinced them to reconsider. K2 has a large network of agents across the country. We want to do everything we can to make their lives easier.”

He concludes: ‘People buy based on product, price and relationships. We help our agents build relationships. Individual quotes may come in a little higher or lower. Our value is that they don’t have to worry about billing.”

Advice to Other MGAs

Dan suggests: “If you haven’t thought about it, think about it. If you polled your top agents, likely many of them are using ePayPolicy already. With COVID, your offices may not be staffed. No one is there to accept checks. You don’t always know that a wire came through. You always have proof of payment from ePayPolicy.” 

About K2 Insurance

K2 Specialty Dealer Insurance is part of K2 Insurance Services, LLC, a leading underwriting and distribution franchise in the program insurance market. K2 Insurance is the parent company for 22 — and growing — MGAs focused on individual niches across the U.S. and world, including energy, golf and country clubs, attorney malpractice, wineries, municipalities … and now, garages and dealers. 

Brown & Brown Makes a Customer-Centric Decision

by Client Spotlight Series

Kelton Robinson was new to the insurance industry when he joined Brown & Brown in 2018. He immediately looked for new ways to modernize the agency and knew that enabling payments online was one of the first steps.

At the time, not many Brown & Brown offices offered digital payment options, but those that did recommended ePayPolicy. Being FAIA’s payment processor of choice was also a big plus. 

The ePayPolicy implementation was “seamless,” despite it happening at the same time they were converting to a new management system. ePayPolicy’s integration with Vertafore’s AMS360 was a definite bonus. As Kelton’s team adjusted to learning more about the platform, excitement built up. AutoPay and Invoice Notifications were and are some of their favorite ePayPolicy features.

ePayPolicy Has Modernized the Agency

Not only has ePayPolicy helped Kelton, but his entire Brown & Brown team and their customers have benefited from the switch.

Good Customer Response, Good Timing

Customers now have the option to pay instantly by credit card or ACH. Kelton says, “We haven’t forced it. We’ve simply offered it as a payment option.” He notes that personal lines customers were quick to embrace digital payments. Some commercial lines customers were hesitant at first but are increasingly switching to digital payments. And overall, customer feedback has been very positive.

And the timing could not have been better. Brown & Brown Ft. Lauderdale began offering digital payments in July 2019, which meant that customers could get used to it well before COVID-19 hit in spring 2020. 

Accounting Gets a Boost

Kelton views ePayPolicy as a big win for his team. “We are used to the sales team getting all the fancy gadgets. This was for us, to help us out on the accounting side. Right away it paid dividends.” He specifically called out the speed of managing transactions, the visibility to track the transactions, and the ability to be notified as soon as a customer pays—all of which speed up the time to bind a policy.

Advice to Other Agencies

Kelton suggests that agencies on the fence about digital payments should think first about their customers, who deserve the freedom to pay how they want to pay. 

He further suggests agencies avail themselves of ePayPolicy’s “low entry and high opportunity.” Low entry costs and no contract were major selling points for him. It’s a very low-risk investment that agencies can try out and “adopt as they see fit.”

In summary, Kelton offers his experience as a guide to success: “The product has been so great, the adoption has been steady, and benefits seen immediately.”

How Hummel Group Became the First ePayPolicy – AMS360 Integration

by Client Spotlight Series

Hummel Group, Inc. is a regional insurance agency with six offices in Ohio and one in Indiana. The agency offers commercial and personal lines of insurance, health and employee benefits and financial planning and wealth management services. In the commercial insurance sector, the agency writes many lines of business, with specialties in niche markets.

The agency has made a systematic investment in InsurTech for the last 10+ years — always looking for ways to improve processes and efficiency, obtain better reporting and analysis and lead the way on technological innovations in the insurance industry. 

The Demand for Electronic Payments

“Our original goal was to speed up receivables collection,” says Kevin Weaver, Accounting and Bonds manager. “As more insureds started asking about paying electronically or with a credit card, Hummel Group wanted to offer this payment method in a cost-effective and secure way.”

Finding the Right Partner

Kevin and his team started looking for a vendor that could handle the specific needs of agencies, brokers, MGAs and premium finance companies. “We were heavily invested in Vertafore, so we asked them for a recommendation. What stood out about ePayPolicy is that they were one of the first Vertafore “Orange Partners” for electronic payments,” says Kevin.

Integration as Catalyst

At a Vertafore conference, Kevin heard ePayPolicy co-founder Milan Malkani mention that the company was getting “very close” to an integration with Vertafore.

Hummel Group was sold on ePayPolicy, but decided to hold off until the integration with AMS360 was ready for implementation. “We wanted the payment process streamlined and efficient from day one,” Kevin says.

In July 2019 Hummel Group became the first independent agency to integrate ePayPolicy into their AMS360 management system.

How it’s Going

Kevin reports: “For being the first AMS360 integration customer, the integration—for both divisions—went really well. Milan and his team made sure our questions were answered and everything worked to our satisfaction.”

Hummel Group has seen: 

  • Time savings for the agency. “Having our systems tied together saves hours of emails and phone calls from customers and brokers inquiring about their balance due. With a few inputs on the payment screen, all of a customer’s open invoices are populated.”
  • Convenience for their insureds. Kevin says: “We’re constantly asking what we can do to make it easier to do business with us. Electronic payment helps us accomplish that, especially with some of the current challenges accepting cash or checks. Hummel Group promotes digital payment (with payment links) on their website, in email signature blocks, on invoices and email reminders, and also during phone conversations.

Favorite Feature

Along with the Import Deposit feature, Kevin likes Invoice Notifications. The system sends out a reminder email to the insured, clearly branded to the appropriate division (Hummel Group or Energy Risk Advisors), and it includes a payment link. “Invoice Notification is a huge value-added feature,” he says.

Advice to Vertafore Users

Kevin views electronic payment as the way of the future. Many insurance carriers, brokers and MGAs already offer it, and insureds increasingly expect it.

Why ePayPolicy? “They were quick to partner with Vertafore. And they’re always adding new technologies and features—with input from users. Schedule a free demonstration. You will find their system very user-friendly. 

He concludes: “I cannot stress enough how pleasant it is to work with ePayPolicy. Their customer service is friendly, knowledgeable, and has a “can-do” attitude. They stay in close communication with us and provide occasional tips and tricks to make sure we are getting the maximum benefit from their system.

How Digitalization Can Reduce Costs for Agencies

by Business Strategy

The world of insurance is incredibly traditional. At times, this is a good thing. Independent agencies believe in the personal touch, forging deep, lasting relationships with clients. But, in other ways, relying on what’s tried and true is a hindrance, especially when it involves a lack of digitalization.

Many independent agencies are slow to incorporate new technologies. While you don’t necessarily need to embrace every emerging solution that arrives, a lack of digitalization can hold you back. Not only can it cause you to spend more than you need to; it can also mean missing out on revenue-boosting opportunities.

If you are wondering how digitalization can reduce costs and increase revenue, here’s what you need to know.

What Is Digitalization?

Digitalization – also known as digital transformation – is the process of introducing technologies into your business that provide you with new opportunities. This includes capturing cost savings, increasing revenue, or boosting value, all through the use of technology solutions.

While the most obvious incarnation is digitizing paperwork, that only scratches the surface. Digital transformation includes implementations that boost efficiency, accuracy, and profitability through technology.

How Digitalization Reduces Costs and Increases Revenue

Better Customer Experience

Today’s customers don’t just want excellent service; they want convenient solutions. The population gets more tech-savvy by the minute. They rely on technology tools to make their life easier. Whether it’s communicating via chatbot, setting up automatic payments, or gathering information, being able to handle their lives online is a priority.

By embracing digitalization, your independent agency can offer more of what customers are after. It’s a quick way to improve the customer experience. With technology, you can make it easy for them to review their policies, track payment due dates, and pay on time, simplifying their lives as well as yours. That’s all good stuff, and it can help cement your reputation as a tech-savvy provider.

Less Paperwork and Manual Input

Let’s face facts; manual data entry and physical paperwork are tedious to handle. Re-entering information into computer systems takes time – time you could otherwise spend on other activities.

With digitalization, you can reduce the need for cumbersome data entry, relying more on digital forms that customers can complete themselves or scanning technologies that automatically upload the data. Time saved is money saved (or earned), making it worth exploring.

Increased Accessibility

When you embrace digitalization, you have the opportunity to increase your accessibility to critical information. By using cloud technology, you can access your data at any time from nearly anywhere. As long as you have an internet-ready device, you can handle everyday tasks while in the office, on the road, or from home.

Plus, it keeps your data centralized. You’re using one platform no matter where you are, keeping everything consolidated at all times.

Lower E&O Risk

Errors and omissions (E&O) can spell trouble for independent agents. Not only can it mean working with inaccurate information, but it may also lead to E&O claims. Claims of negligence, breach of duty, or similar issues hurt your reputation and bottom line; it’s a double-whammy.

With digitalization, you can reduce E&O risk. You don’t need to enter data from paper records or transcribe conversations. Instead, the tech can do the bulk of the work. All you’ll need to do is a quick review, allowing you to ensure important details are captured, and the highest level of accuracy is achieved in less time.

Independent Agencies: Looking for More Great Tips?

At ePayPolicy, we understand the importance of reaching your peak potential as an independent agency. If you’d like to see more tips about how independent agents can reduce costs and increase revenue with digitalization, we’ve got you covered. Follow us on Facebook for more tidbits, tricks, and insights.

Life in the Fast Lane with Patriotic Insurance Group

by Client Spotlight Series

Rob Bowen likes to get things done right — and done fast. A veteran of the Navy and Fortune 500 financial services companies, Rob founded Patriotic Insurance Group in 2014. By emphasizing service, integrity, accuracy and efficiency, he’s built Patriotic Insurance Group into a beautiful (his term) company in a relatively short time. The agency helps clients in NY, NJ, CT, PA and VA manage their personal and business risks and insurance costs.

One thing Rob does not like is checks. He doesn’t like chasing down clients to get paid, or waiting for checks to arrive in the mail, or sending checks to the broker or carrier and waiting for them to clear.

Introduction to ePayPolicy

About two years ago, Rob was listening to “The Insurance Guys” podcast. Scott and Bradley had Todd Sorrel on, talking (as usual) about speeding up insurance payments. Rob was sold. He gave Todd a call and said, “Sign me up.”

 “I love that it does one thing and does it really well,” Rob says.  He’s a big fan of Insurtech in general, but insists his vendors have an insurance background. They need to “understand my daily pain and talk my language.” He’s wary of companies that try to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. “Stick to your knitting” is the phrase he used. Clearly, he’s happy with the lane we’ve chosen, and the fact that we stay in it!

How Patriotic Insurance Group and their clients benefit

Rob lives by the K.I.S.S. principle. “I send clients a link, they put in their info, and it’s done.” In two years he’s only had one client who struggled with using the payment portal. “I’m transparent that there’s a fee to use the service,” he says. “Some clients pay by credit card because they want the points. If it’s a large payment, I’ll encourage them to go with ACH, which is just $3 per transaction. Clients who use ePayPolicy love it.”

He remembers one client who mistakenly paid the net amount instead of the gross amount of their invoice. But ePayPolicy solves that problem with a customized link that prefills the amount due — no room for human error. It’s also seamless and fast. “I get an email when the money is there. Ninety percent of that money is the carrier’s, not mine. It’s easy to reconcile, and within 24-28 hours, I’m able to pull my commissions out.”

Rob is also big on APIs. His agency is in the process of switching their AMS to HawkSoft. “Once we get the basics and other integrations down, we’ll pull in ePayPolicy. It will make everyone’s life easier.”

Advice to other agencies

“I don’t know why this is a decision point for an agency in 2021,” Rob reasons. “Checks are a pain in the neck. It’s only $20 a month (for the basic subscription). Even if it was $20 per payment, the time you spend chasing down a slow-paying client or waiting for the Post Office these days is worth it. It’s very helpful and saves so much.”

He concludes: “If you do any agency pay, you need to do this. Just get ePayPolicy. I don’t know why you wouldn’t.”

Which ePayPolicy Payment Page is Right for You?

by Digital Payment Processing

Whether you’re new to ePayPolicy or already a client, you may not know that ePayPolicy offers three levels of subscription: basic, custom and integrated. Naturally, the payment page is a central feature (and benefit) of each subscription. The one that’s right for you depends on the level of convenience and functionality you desire.

Basic Payment Page

This subscription lets you accept payments by credit card or ACH. ePayPolicy makes each digital transaction simple and seamless for the payer and for you.

Payer benefits: Your unique URL links directly to your branded payment page. Your client knows immediately they’re in the right place to pay your invoice. And, of course, they appreciate the convenience and security of paying digitally instead of by check.

Team benefits: Manage your account through your own user-friendly dashboard. Not only can you track payments, you can also send funds across the country. Plus, funds get applied to the proper account (trust or operating), so you’re always in compliance. 

New to digital insurance payments and want to make your clients happy fast? Request a demo and sign up now!

Custom Payment Page

As the word implies, this payment page offers you multiple customization options, from color (branding) enhancements to added functionality. For example, you can include graphics to  point to important information on the payment page. You can also (among other things) include your agency’s custom disclaimer at the bottom of the page and write special instructions in the notes field. 

Payer benefits: Easily upload attachments (e.g., documentation) directly to the payment page. Plus, payers can set up recurring payments for policies that require multiple payments.

Team benefits: Add custom fields to collect additional information for your accounting team. 

More client convenience, streamlined receivables and a branding advantage. You get a lot of extras with a custom payment page. It’s a great option, whether you’re just starting out with ePayPolicy or ready for next-level performance. Talk to your Account Manager or email us today at support@epay3.com.

Integrated Payment Page

Chances are you’re using an agency management system that integrates with ePayPolicy (or one that soon will). We partner with today’s most popular AMS providers and are constantly adding new providers to our list of integrations. Why? To make digital payment seamless for everyone involved. An integrated payment page is the ultimate in InsurTech power and efficiency.

Payer benefits: Auto-synched invoices let clients select and pay invoices pulled directly from the management system.

Team benefits: No more duplicate data entry for your accounting team!

Additional, exclusive features are available on an integration-specific basis. Depending on your AMS, these can include automated invoice notifications and auto-payment of multiple due invoices. You can even send commissions and refunds directly through your ePayPolicy dashboard. 

Talk to your Account Manager about integrating ePayPolicy with your AMS, or contact us at support@epay3.com with questions. And if you’re shopping for a new management system, be sure to ask about integration with ePayPolicy!

Service-Driven Agency Takes on Digital Payments

by Uncategorized

Specialty Risk Insurance is a customer service-driven agency with three offices in Missouri, as well as an office in Oklahoma and Texas. They are proud to live in the industries they serve which gives them a unique edge when understanding specific policies and products. Specialty Risk is a full-service agency—insuring everything from agribusiness, construction, livestock, energy/oil, trucking, farm and ranch, and personal lines. Since 2012, they have felt a personal responsibility to make insurance as easy as possible for their customers. 

Decision to Offer Digital Payments 

Kevin Charleston (founder/principal), Robin Smith (account manager), and Denise Kinman (accounting) researched multiple options for digital payments but ultimately decided ePayPolicy was best for their customers. Denise says, “When I realized how easy it was from the customer stand-point, and the fact that ePayPolicy has the strictest data security protocols among payment processors, it was a no-brainer for our agency.” 

For Specialty Risk, customer service is the foundation of the business—their agents are on the road meeting with current and potential clients at their place of business. They are taking payments on the spot, which is where the convenience of digital payments comes in.

When opening their Texas office Kevin says, “We really wanted to streamline and speed up the payment process for them right out of the gate.”  ePayPolicy allowed this to happen with peace of mind from a security standpoint. 

Research and Vendor Selection 

Specialty Risk looked into multiple options for online payment systems, but most fees were “ridiculous.” What sold them on ePayPolicy? Denise shared “Part of our research was looking closely at cybersecurity. We never want to put our customers’ financial integrity at risk. ePayPolicy is PCI level 1 compliant. They purge everything. That was a major deciding factor.” 

The agency has been using the basic payment page from ePayPolicy since 2018 and with the recent implementation of CSR24, they’re excited to set up the integration between the two systems and activate bill pay pay (at no extra costs). 

Experience with ePayPolicy 

The ePayPolicy payment page was set up and Specialty Risk was accepting digital payments from customers in just a few days. Agents and customers all agree “It was way too easy!” 

Specialty Risk Insurance doesn’t push digital payment but rather “gives their customers the option as an alternative to cash or checks. Right now, $1 out of every $7 of customer deposits are digital. Most are ACH, with some debit/credit card usage.” 

Kevin mentioned “With COVID, it’s been invaluable. We have a wide age range of customers, some 70+, and ePayPolicy allows us to serve them without making physical contact. After customers experience the ease of instant payment, they don’t go back.” 

Benefits to the Agency

The Accounting department benefits the most from ePayPolicy, Denise mentions. 

  1. It streamlines the deposit process. “Not having to physically touch every check is helpful. Now we are able to just upload and record the batch on the back side.” 
  2. It speeds up our aged receivable dates. “It is nice to get paid faster, not having to wait days or weeks for payments to arrive by mail.” 
  3. It has decreased expenses for the agency and for customers. “Some customers want to pay by phone, but a wire or ACH transfer can cost anywhere from $30-$40 to send and receive. ePayPolicy has a $3 ACH fee or flat rate for credit card transactions, that is passed along to the customer at the point of payment.”

With customer service at the forefront of what Specialty Risk believes in, they “were worried about losing the personal touch of picking up checks in person. As it turns out, this is simpler for them. Customers appreciate the ease and speed of doing business with us,” says Robin. 

Specialty Risk also serves as a brokerage. “With Livestock Insurance Exchange, ePayPolicy makes payments easier for our brokers too.” 

Advice to Other Agencies 

Kevin, Robin, and Denise agree that offering credit card and ACH payments is a competitive “must,” especially in the age of COVID. “We’re happy to talk to other agencies about the technology we’re using” offers Kevin. “ePayPolicy is perfect for independent insurance agencies because it’s designed for our needs. MAIA recommends them. And we do, too.”

6 Reasons Why Independent Agencies Need a Strong Website

by Business Strategy

Standing out as an independent agency can be surprisingly challenging. While you may not think that your website is a crucial part of that equation, that genuinely isn’t the case.

To put it simply, without a strong website for your independent agency, you are missing out on opportunities. If you are wondering why having an exceptional site matters, here’s what you need to know.

1. First Impressions Matter

In many cases, your website is the first interaction a client has with your independent agency online. It acts as a digital handshake, introducing the visitor to what you have to offer. If your messaging, aesthetic, and information fall short of expectations, you may miss out on a new client.

Similarly, if you don’t have a website at all, today’s digital-savvy consumers won’t even know you exist. That leads to more missed opportunities.

But if you have a well-presented, highly informative website, you create opportunities. You draw visitors in through this exceptional first impression, keeping them engaged longer and increasing the odds that they’ll reach out or move forward as a client.

2. Bolster Your Brand Credibility

If you don’t have a website, you’re hurting your brand credibility. Without a site, your independent agency doesn’t seem as legitimate in the eyes of prospective clients.

Similarly, a poor-quality website harms your reputation. It makes it seem like you don’t care about the details or take your online presence seriously, both of which work against you.

Even a simple but well-crafted website makes your independent agency seem more credible. It creates a sense of longevity while also showing that you care about quality.

3. Showcase Your Company and Products

A website is, first and foremost, a resource brimming with information. When you spend time creating a standout site, you can highlight the best of what you have to offer, both as a company and in the way of the products.

Without a website, clients may not know where to turn for helpful information. If your site is poor, they may struggle to navigate it or otherwise finding the details they are after.

By focusing on the quality of your website, you can showcase your company and products with ease. The information they are after will be right at their fingertips, whenever they want it.

4. Increase Brand Visibility

Without a website, many prospective clients won’t know you exist. It’s akin to not having a sign on your company’s office, something that an independent agency would never dream of skipping.

Since so many people head online to find out about businesses, you need to make sure you’re represented. Your website makes you visible to those clients, ensuring they know you’re there and ready to meet their needs.

5. Boost Your Online Marketing

If you aren’t marketing online, you’re missing out. A great website opens this door wider. You won’t just have an online presence, but you can also embrace SEO to place your site higher in results lists. This can increase traffic levels to your site, making it more likely that anyone looking for an independent agency finds you before your competitors.

Plus, if you decide to pursue other online marketing options, such as using Google Ads or a similar network, having a website is crucial. It gives you a place to direct people who see your advertisement that offers more than you can get those a social media profile alone.

6. Increase Accessibility

Today, shopping online is the go-to approach for many consumers. They can tackle research, make purchases, and more at any time, day or night. Plus, they can do it all while on the go, thanks to mobile devices.

If you don’t have a reliable, well-put-together website, you’re missing out on these digital-first prospective clients. By having a fantastic site, you’re essentially increasing accessibility, making it easier to do business with you.

Independent Agencies: Looking for More Great Tips?

At ePayPolicy, we understand the importance of standing out from the crowd as an independent agency. If you’d like more tips about how independent agents can boost their online presence, we’ve got you covered. Follow us on Facebook for more tidbits, tricks, and insights.