Kansas City insurance agency with 70-year history gets ready for the future. 

Flury-Hinderks Insurance Agency is a third-generation independent with a longstanding reputation for first-rate customer service. Located in Overland Park, Kansas, the company boasts an experienced staff that has nurtured and grown lasting, valuable client relationships. 

Bill Rowlen started at Flury-Hinderks Insurance Agency eight years ago, leaving a career in medical software and making the foray into the business of insurance. Today, he is the agency president as his father-in-law, CEO Scott Hinderks, transitions into retirement.  

After his years spent working in software and the healthcare space, Rowlen was more than a little surprised by the general reluctance of the insurance industry to embrace technology. In fact, he describes most of the processes in the business as, “...pretty prehistoric.” 

Rowlen decided to lean on his own tech background to improve the efficiency and productivity at his agency, and began to update the legacy systems. A new VOIP was introduced, along with a new AMS. The final piece of the technology puzzle? Streamlining and automating the application and renewal process. 

Choosing the best software for insurance applications and renewals.

After reviewing the available software options, Rowlen chose Broker Buddha because, “...it seemed like the most straightforward solution and I really liked the functionality, especially when compared to my other options.” The intuitive nature of the platform was a real benefit for an agency with a 70-year history—the transition to using it has been easy and seamless. 

The flexibility of the platform is also an advantage. Flury-Hinderks has shifted its focus in recent years—today, the agency book is 95% personal lines. Rowlen worked closely with the Customer Success team at Broker Buddha to devise solutions that matched the way his team operates. 

"The Customer Success team has been great—they really understand the product, they’re always very responsive, and they’re super smart.”  

Today, on the agency landing page, potential customers can start the quote process by clicking on a link—more than a few Broker Buddha users call it The Magic Link— taking them to the agency-branded online smart forms that collect the necessary information. Not is it a seamless experience for potential customers, it generates high-quality leads, often outside of traditional business hours. 

“It’s pretty nice when an agent logs on at 8 am on Monday morning and there are two or three quote requests already in the system.”

What’s more, Rowlen and his team know these are qualified leads, because the prospect has made the effort to provide the necessary information. He notes that, “If a customer isn’t interested in filling out a basic lead form, we probably don’t want to write that kind of business. We're not looking for everyone under the sun—we want to qualify our leads and make sure it’s the right fit for both sides. And our team members can also send out the link proactively to start the process and be more informed about the prospect’s needs.”

A more efficient insurance renewal and application process.

Most importantly, the agency has standardized the process of both generating quotes and gathering information. Rowlen is looking forward to an even more efficient renewal process once his agency has been on the platform for a full year, as agents will be able to request renewal and retention information with forms that are pre-filled. 

“Now our renewal and retention process will start with sending the customer a form in advance—having that information in front of both the agent and the customer will help guide the conversation,” Rowlen added. 

With his team working remotely during the COVID pandemic, agency's investments in technology have proven vital. And so far, customer feedback about the new online application and renewal process has been overwhelmingly positive.

Looking ahead, Rowlen is convinced that future customers, “...won't simply expect providing the necessary information for insurance to be this easy. They’ll demand it.”