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.”
