Welcome back: Part I of this article appeared in last month's issue. To recap, the first five technology trends were going "green" (some clients are highly motivated by "green" ways of doing business); telepresence (webinars, live chat, webcams,
Agents and brokers are faced with the challenge of deciding whether and how much to invest in new technology. Another big issue is timing: Just because technology can benefit your agency doesn't mean that your agency is ready for it.Regardless of the
Web sites are a permanent fact of life. The question is no longer whether you should have one, but how to best use it to grow your agency and increase revenue. One thing's for sure: Just letting it sit there like an electronic billboard isn't going
It has finally happened. Agency owners are accepting the reality that doing business over the Internet is something many customers actually want to do. Some are having a tough time with this transition because they're still focused on baby boomers,
Although many agencies have accepted the Internet as part of their business model, not that many are using an intranet, an internal Web site that employees access with their browsers. One reason is that agency management tends not to see intranets as
A new technology issue is rapidly becoming a key topic of agency risk management: communication management. While working electronically potentially increases productivity and reduces expenses, the benefits come with a price. The trade-off is that
(This article was adapted from Mr. Baker's presentation at the AMS Users' Group's National Conference, which was held in March in Orlando, Fla.) Before we get started, I'll make a confessionI am a recovering
In the ever-changing world of technology, electronic gadgets are everywhere. Cell phones, faxes and other paraphernalia are constant reminders that our wired society is connected 24/7. All this technology has implications for how well agencies
While most agency employees welcome the benefits of modern technology, the passwords needed to gain access to it are reflexively viewed as a nuisance, the workplace equivalent of tossing a quarter into a toll booth. We're accustomed to
Technology now makes it possible for agencies and other employers to monitor virtually all workplace communications by any employeeon the phone or in cyberspace. But they still have to determine what amount of oversight is appropriate.An
