An Arizona agency uses Broker Buddha to take command of renewals.

Automating the process keeps this team on top of their business.  

When Insurance Brokers of Arizona (IBOAZ) adopted the Broker Buddha platform, Emmylou Grubbs was excited to get started with it.

“I’m always trying to find ways to get the most of out of every minute of the day, whether it’s in the office or when I’m out enjoying the beautiful Arizona landscape,” the London-raised Grubbs noted. “I was looking forward to using a tool that would let me work more efficiently.”

The renewal process gets a much-needed overhaul. ‍

At IBOAZ, an agency that writes both commercial and personal policies—auto, home, business, specialty—Broker Buddha was implemented to make the renewal process less time-consuming. To Grubbs, the contrast between the old process and the new one is stark — maybe as different as the weather in her native England and her current home in Arizona.

“The amount of time we’re saving is remarkable,” Grubbs said. “It’s taking us one to two hours less to complete every renewal.”

At an agency that usually handles three to four renewals each week, all that time really adds up. Grubbs, whose primary responsibility at the firm is renewals, says that previously the process required finding last year’s application, downloading and printing a new application in PDF form, filling out the new application by manually copying the information from the last one, scanning it, attaching the document to an email, and then following up with the client to review and return it. (If you think that sentence took a long time to read, just imagine the number of days that passed before all of that was completed.)

With Broker Buddha, clients receive automated reminders when it’s time to renew and can simply click on the link to start the process. What’s more, it’s far easier than it was in the past—most of the necessary information is already filled in. Grubbs says that the agency once expected renewals to take about a month to wrap up. That time is now reduced to seven days or less.

Not only is IBOAZ operating more efficiently since introducing Broker Buddha, their customers appreciate the platform, too. It’s intuitive and doesn’t leave them frustrated. That translates into better client relationships.

“When I was sending out PDFs for renewals, clients would just end up ignoring them,” said Grubbs. “I can understand why — inputting information into a PDF isn’t exactly something anyone looks forward to doing.”

Record-keeping made easy and accurate.  ‍

Not only does Grubbs appreciate the time that she and her team save by using the application, she finds that it’s a terrific planning tool and a valuable activity log. Through the dashboard, she can quickly see which business is coming up for renewals and follow up if automated reminders have been ignored.

Since every action is logged, it’s also easy to see a history of the renewal process. She can see when something was completed and if a client has provided the necessary information. Having this kind of record not only keeps IBOAZ in control of their existing business, it protects them against liability caused by errors or omissions.

“It wasn’t the initial reason we started using Broker Buddha but it’s definitely been a nice added benefit,” Grubbs said. “I can see what’s currently happening with a renewal and we always have a log that shows exactly what the client has completed or opened.”

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A learning curve that wasn’t steep.

Change isn’t always easily embraced. At most companies, a new process can spark resistance.

“Whenever anyone starts working with different software, there’s concern about figuring out how to get things done,” said Grubbs. “But the Broker Buddha platform is super intuitive—I was totally comfortable on it after just a couple of days."

Feedback from customers is another key element of Broker Buddha. By constantly reaching out to users, upgrades are made and new features are introduced to make the application more functional and meet evolving client needs.   

Hey, it’s also kind of fun.

Deadlines, pricing issues, competition—a job at any agency can be stressful. Broker Buddha not only aims to create a more efficient work flow, the platform comes with some personality and offers a bit of levity. Emmylou likes the fact she can add a fun profile picture—hers is actually her canine companion—and appreciates the visually appealing interface.

“I also like the little dancing Buddha that shows up when I open it,” she added. “As much as I love the efficiency this software creates, I like knowing that interesting human beings are behind it.”