Fraternal Corner: Empowering the Distribution Channel

Generating new business is absolutely essential for the long-term viability of any fraternal.

In today’s crowded life insurance market, however, doing so requires having a talented, motivated distribution force. A lot goes into attracting talented individuals, but one key piece is technology.

Consider an agent who needs policy information. If the fraternal for which he or she works is using a legacy policy administration system, there’s probably no way to securely access core systems while offsite; getting necessary data likely involves a phone call to the home office. That’s inefficient, annoying and antiquated – and definitely not a great sales pitch for retaining or acquiring talent.

Contrast that with an agent working with a fraternal using a cloud-based policy admin solution. When policy data is securely available “anytime, anywhere,” he or she can pull up what they need, when they need it. No extra phone calls, no ad hoc file transfers, no unsecure emailing of sensitive information – just the same access to the system, whether working in the home office or remotely.

Of course, a lot more goes into building an effective distribution team than just efficient technology. But when you’re up against the giants of the life insurance world, every little bit helps.

– Jerry Pennella