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How clean is your data? (and why does it matter?)

Our first clue:  When HawkSoft released the Agency Intelligence (AI) tool a few years ago, the reports revealed that Select Insurance’s line-of- business, production and premium volume numbers were way off.  So we did what you might expect – we ignored it!  Surely it was a problem with the program itself, not us or our data.  After all, we could find everything we needed in the system.

Our second clue:  Around the same time, we hired an integrated partner to send marketing emails to our clients.  Emails kept going to the wrong people, and we blamed the vendor.

Aha Moment:  Shortly after, I attended a HUG event and while in a breakout session learning about the AI tool, the light bulb went on.  Our data was all messed up and it was triggering the AI tool to spit out bad reports and the vendor to send emails to the wrong people.  We were at fault!

“Dirty data” – a recently popular buzzword – means your data is not configured properly, so tools like Agency Intelligence won’t work to their full potential and integrated partners won’t receive the right inputs.

So, what was wrong with our data?

With the AI tool, for example, we realized that the Acord Standard update gave us defaults for the policy titles that matched the Acord line of business code.  Because we didn’t tweak anything, the AI tool revealed that we were showing a personal auto policy three ways:  AUTOP, AUTO, AUTOPL.  We needed to condense this down to just one code for the tool to be effective.

With the outside vendor example, we realized that the insured’s email and phone number needed to be linked properly.  Ours weren’t, so our integrated partner was sending emails to the wrong person.

How can you avoid dirty data? 

  • Keep your eye on the HawkSoft updates. We didn’t change our processes or update areas that needed tweaked inside of HawkSoft to account for or allow for the way data was being interpreted.  Not every update needs a system tweak, but it is worth paying attention to!  Watch the videos included with the updates.  And, if you aren’t sure, call customer support or use the HawkSoft User Group (HUG) Facebook page to ask fellow users.
  • Attend the regional meetings, starting in September (see yellow box below for links). HUG will be teaching a step-by-step process to clean up your data.  Speakers will show, in a live database, the difference between clean and dirty data –no taping or snapshots of any kind will be permitted.

At Select Insurance, we are happy to report, we now understand the value to having ‘clean data’ and how to keep it clean.  So that it delivers a power pack of functions back to the agency including the ability to retrieve accurate reports and integrate with partners.

Hope the same comes true for your agency too. 

Integrated partners we are currently using include:

Insurance Agent App, Agency Revolution, Rocket Referrals, Citrix (Right Signature)

We hope to add these in the future:

Hub Spot, ABC Voice/Happy Birthday

Resources: 

GUIDEBOOK:  After the regional meetings are held this Fall, HUG will post the guidebook on the members-only page of the HUG website.  Look under tips and tricks.

Member’s only:  Not a HUG member?  Join Now!

 

By:  Patricia A. Lamb (Agency owner of Select Insurance Services Agency, North Royalton OH), HUG Board Member

There is still SOME space in SOME cities…go to: 

West Bend, WI – Sep 12, 2019 (@ West Bend Insurance Offices) – SOLD OUT

Cincinnati, OH – Sep 25, 2019 (@ Cincinnati Marriott North) – 2 SPOTS LEFT

Cleveland, OH – Sep 27, 2019 (@ Middleburg Heights Com. Ctr) – 6 SPOTS LEFT

Seattle, WA – Oct 3, 2019 (@ Safeco) – SOLD OUT

Orange County, CA – Oct 16, 2019 (@ Hilton OC Costa Mesa) – SOLD OUT

San Ramon, CA – Oct 18, 2019 (@ Social Survey Offices)

Dallas, TX – Oct 25, 2019 (@ NYLO Las Colinas Hotel – Hilton)

Salt Lake City/Lehi, UT – Nov 8, 2019 (@ Podium Offices)