Mavon Insurance is a managing general agent (MGA) based in Hinsdale, a suburb of Chicago. Mavon serves agents across the country, offering an eclectic mix of standard and specialty lines and insurance programs through esteemed carrier partners.
Accounting Manager Jennifer Riter talked candidly about the firm’s technology journey. She says that Mavon likes to stay up-to-date on technology, but finding solutions that accommodate their needs has been a challenge because most InsurTech solutions cater to agencies rather than MGAs.
For example, Mavon had been using Applied TAM® for some time, but briefly switched to another system that offered a specific MGA customization they wanted. Ultimately, they went back to Applied, using Epic® since 2017. Since returning, she’s found the system has evolved and is increasingly accommodating of insurers and MGAs.
Paper Checks Became a Burden
A pressing InsurTech issue for Jennifer was digital payment processing. She says, “We need to cater to our policyholders and agents. They wanted it.” She also notes that mail was getting slower and slower, affecting both accounts receivable and accounts payable. Plus, as the payables processor for Mavon, Jennifer gets frustrated with payees who only take checks. She reasons, “If paying by check is a hurdle for me, it’s a hurdle for the people paying us.”
Mavon and Digital Payment Processing
The road to ePayPolicy started with a suggestion from Mavon’s office manager. Jennifer discovered that ePayPolicy is IIA of IL’s Payment Processor of Choice and an Applied Solution Partner. She attended Applied Net, met ePayPolicy representatives in person, and the rest is digital payment history.
ePayPolicy’s pay-as-you-go monthly pricing and ease of use definitely sold Mavon. Go-live was simple and straightforward. Another huge benefit has been expense reduction. Mavon had been absorbing credit card fees and maintenance fees on a few of their programs. With ePayPolicy, credit card fees are passed on to the payer, and the savings for the MGA have been substantial.
They customized their payment landing page with the Mavon logo, putting in customized fields they want the brokers to enter. Mavon’s brokers are happy that they can now pay online. Mavon also set up ePayPolicy for their in-house finance company, GAMCO Premium Finance. Currently, ePayPolicy integrates with the system used by GAMCO, and brokers can now have their insureds who choose to finance pay directly online as well. Once payment information is in the ePay system, it integrates with the finance system. Jennifer looks forward to using ePayPolicy as they further their Applied Epic integration.
She’s also a big fan of ePayPolicy’s “super-fast” response time. She mentions their help pinning down specifics on rejected payments. In all instances, CSRs diagnosed the problem and found the cause to be user, not system error.
Overall, the biggest plus for Mavon is being able to offer more payment options. Jennifer is also happy to now be able to pay their carriers faster.
Advice to Other MGAs and Independent Insurance Agencies
Jennifer suggests anyone considering digital payments through ePayPolicy should “Just do it, like we did. There’s no long-term contract. You can try it and see how it works. ePay fees start at only $20 per month, $50 per month for customization—not much out of pocket to make these enhancements.” She concludes: “We were happy right from the start. After a couple of months, I bet you will be, too.
