Bridging the Gap Between Operating Software and User Knowledge

There are many different software programs and apps, including InsurTech platforms, available for the insurance industry and its professionals to utilize. Unfortunately, a gap exists between what these programs are capable of doing and the extent to which they are being used by employees. As an example, according to HubSpot, 22% of salespeople still don’t know the use of a CRM – a customer relationship management system – in case you are in that 22%.

One of the principal reasons employees aren’t getting the most out of their software is simple: On average, workers use at least eight apps, according to Blissfully’s Annual Saas Trends Report, and aren’t taking the time to dig deeply into each program’s capabilities. Some call it “app-athy,” where you have too many apps in your arsenal with the same or similar purpose. Just think about what happened when the pandemic first hit, and we all went remote. We began using Zoom, Microsoft Meetings, Google Meet, Webex by Cisco, and Go to Meeting – and have continued to do so. Take a look at all the project management and collaboration tools workers are using, like Slack, Asana, Basecamp, Workzone, Hive, Google Hangouts, etc.

Add complex interfaces and a significant number of features, and you get workers barely scratching the surface of what an application can do.

How do you get employees to leverage the benefits of the systems and applications you’ve made available – from Excel to collaboration tools, CRM systems, email marketing software, and insurance submission/quoting/bind platforms? To begin with, evaluate all the apps and software your employees are using, and then determine those that are best aligned with your business goals and existing IT environment. Then train your employees on those that fit with your objectives and needs to achieve true software adoption.

Offer Practical Software Training

Software training should be as easy as possible. Employees don’t want to sift through a 50-page guide to learn how to use a software program. Provide a video tutorial that trains while they are actually using the software. Many vendors offer online tutorials that enable employees to handle various features using an interactive training guide.

Provide personalized training, as well. Not everyone in the insurance agency is using the same software features, so be sure your staff gets in-depth training on the program’s functionalities they will use most often. Then open them up to additional software features, so they can get a good idea of what else is available to them.

Make sure software support is available in real-time. Too often, people get frustrated when they can’t figure out how to do something and are unable to reach out to someone for help. They either abandon what they are doing or figure out a workaround that is not always the most efficient use of the software’s capabilities.