BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - August 31, 2009) - SMA Strategy Meets Action (SMA), a leading
insurance industry analyst firm, is pleased to announce the release of a
new report, "Agency Management Systems: Marketplace & Vendor Analysis -
Satisfying Today's Needs, Positioning for Tomorrow's Opportunities."
"This release marks the first SMA-branded research published since
launching the company," said Deb Smallwood, founder of SMA and co-author of
the report. "I believe this report, the first of many in the queue, is a
landmark first effort that will differentiate SMA from other analyst firms
in terms of its in-depth nature, breadth of survey respondents, interview
subjects and insightful analysis."
This research report focuses on the business environment in the insurance
agency marketplace and specifically explores the current and potential or
future use of agency management systems. Additionally, insurance carriers,
MGAs and agencies alike will benefit from detailed information the report
contains about systems that are available today, what agency needs are not
being met by current system offerings, what the business drivers are for a
technology spend in this area, and analysis of how agencies are making
purchasing decisions. The report also includes a detailed vendor analysis
on six agency management software solutions. The details will also be
beneficial to any solution provider that sells solutions in the agent
market and agent-insurer connectivity marketplace as well.
"We are pleased that this research effort includes information about
functionality for many of the industry's leading agency management
systems," said Karen Furtado, partner at SMA and co-author of the report.
"During the course of researching and writing this 38-page report, we
interviewed not only agency users, but systems vendors as well. It was
important to examine the issues relating to agency management system
availability and functionality from all perspectives."
Some of the most significant findings and insights in the report include:
-- Over 80 percent of agencies have some level of agency management
automation;
-- Further analysis reveals almost half of these agencies use dated, old
technologies which are not fully integrated and, furthermore, may be quite
difficult to integrate and connect with insurance companies;
-- The market leaders view technology spend and investments as a way to
take control of their environment, including policyholder and carrier
connectivity, in order to execute their aggressive growth and expense
reduction strategies; and
-- This enables these agencies to "leap forward" in the competitive
landscape rather than be driven by carriers. Moving forward, as the market
leaders develop a comprehensive plan for automation, it becomes apparent
that it is beyond a traditional agency management system.
The report is available for purchase immediately at a cost of $1500.
Copies of the report are available through Karen Furtado. She can be
reached via email at
kfurtado@strategymeetsaction.com or at 978.239.2741.
For more information about SMA's research or services, please visit the
company website,
www.strategymeetsaction.com.
About SMA Strategy Meets Action
Exclusively serving the insurance industry, SMA is a new breed of strategic
advisory firm offering a unique blend of research, advisory and consulting
services to both insurance companies and solution providers. By leveraging
best practices from both the management consulting and research advisory
disciplines, SMA's advisory service offerings are actionable
business-driven and research-based. For companies eager and ready to
embrace change and achieve business success taking strategies to meet
action is critical. Their suite of advisory offerings include: advice,
consulting, research, and education. Additional information on SMA can be
found at
www.strategymeetsaction.com.
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Jennifer Overhulse-King
St. Nick Media Services
(859) 803-6597