ICI Insurance has been serving Kansas families and businesses since 1885. Licensed in 48 states, ICI has 48 employees in six locations. The agency started accepting digital payments in May 2019. Director of finance, Megan McNary, explains: “We wanted to offer clients ease and convenience. We didn’t have a lot of folks asking for it, but it was hard having to say, ‘Sorry, we don’t accept credit cards.’”
How ICI Selected ePayPolicy
Megan set out to find a payment portal that’s easy to use and integrates with their management system. ICI uses Applied Epic, and Megan got to know prospective vendors through Applied Net conferences. ICI interviewed a few others, but ePayPolicy blew the competition away—with its simplicity. “Anyone can use ePayPolicy, whether you’re tech savvy or not,” Megan says.
Client Adoption of ePayPolicy
ICI has two payment-related goals: 1) to get more direct bill clients and, 2) to convert more agency bill clients to digital payment. Digital payers are still a minority at ICI. Most choose ACH over credit card payment, “likely because it has a lower transaction fee”.
Favorite Feature
“I can’t pick just one favorite,” Megan laughs. “I like so many things about ePayPolicy!”
She says clients find it extremely user-friendly. “We have the ‘pay online’ button on our website. There’s a direct link from invoice straight to payment.”
Megan’s finance team also likes the simplicity and the friendly and knowledgeable customer service. “We haven’t had many challenges, but you always have questions with a new vendor. We’ve always received a response from ePayPolicy the same day.”
ePayPolicy Benefits
“Technology is evolving. Offering payment convenience through technology is crucial to growing the agency,” says Megan.
For her team, digital payments are more efficient than checks. She explains, “When a check comes in, it has to go through so many hands in our agency. Checks require a lot of extra steps and work.”
With ePayPolicy, it’s “great to just be notified when a transaction has gone through.”
On the Horizon at ICI
Megan is excited about the new ICI Connect app. The app will be a link between ICI clients, ePayPolicy and Epic. “Everyone uses apps, right?” She reasons that as clients use the app, they’ll happily use it to pay their invoices.
Of course there will always be clients who want to mail or drop by with a check. ICI will always take checks. Meanwhile, Megan expects to see more ACH and credit card payments once ICI Connect is up and running.
Advice to Other Agencies
If you’re skeptical about offering digital payments, “I would challenge you to schedule a demo or talk to someone who’s using ePayPolicy—including me.”
