Simplicity

The Enlightened Agent Podcast, Cathy Kosin, Mom & Managing Director of Property & Casualty at Oswald

On this week's episode of The Enlightend Agent, Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck is joined by Cathy Kosin, Mom & Managing Director of Property & Casualty at Oswald. In addition to her role in P&C, Cathy is one of the founding members of the Women's Leadership Council at the agency. Jason and Cathy discuss the movement and development of female leadership within the insurance industry.

The Best Broker Buddha Offsite Yet

This past week was super special. On Wednesday and Thursday last week, the entire Broker Buddha team participated in a company offsite. There was a lot to celebrate.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast

On this week's episode of The Enlightened Agent Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck is joined by Michael Freilich, Chief Product Officer at Renaissance Alliance. Jason and Michael have similar passions for technology, product and insurance. As a listener of The Enlightened Agent, Michael was inspired by the DE&I series and wanted to share his journey as a leader in the insurance industry.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast, Jelani Fenton, Founder & CEO of Safari

On this week's episode of The Enlightened Agent, Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Jelani Fenton, Founder & CEO of Safari. Safari is an insurance technology company that provides job placement and career development services to help a diverse pool of job seekers build and grow a career in the insurance industry. Jason and Jelani discuss why diversity, equity and inclusion matter and why people should care.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast, Tim Moriarity, Chief Information Officer at Cross Insurance

On this week's episode of The Enlightened Agent, Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck is joined by Tim Moriarity, Chief Information Officer at Cross Insurance. Tim is newly inducted into the insurance industry, coming from a vastly different career in science and genomic research. Coming from such a diverse background, Tim saw opportunity in the insurance industry because he knew he could make an impact in technology, process and modernization.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast, Preeti Asthana, Global Strategy and Business Transformation Executive at Aon

On this weeks episode of The Enlightened Agent, Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Preeti Asthana, Global Strategy and Business Transformative Executive at Aon. Preeti shares some of the initiatives that Aon is doing around partner inspired diversity and using data to drive change. Jason and Preeti discuss her perspective and experiences as an immigrant, a women of color and global leader.

Proud Moment: SOC II, Type II

Data security has been a core value to us from day one, especially in our industry where the impact of a cyber breach can be catastrophic. That’s why I am extremely proud to announce that Broker Buddha is now SOC 2 Type II compliant!

The Enlightened Agent Podcast, Derek Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer at Galway Holdings

On this weeks episode of The Enlightened Agent, Broker Buddha's CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Derek Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer at Galway Holdings. Over the past 10 years at Galway, Derek has been focused on data and digital strategy as well as implementing insuretech like Broker Buddha. As an African American leader, Derek has always championed diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of an organization. Jason and Derek dive into Derek's perspective and experience as an African American leader in a predominately White male dominated industry.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Tina Semotan, President at HNI Risk Services

On this weeks episode of the Enlightened Agent, Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined Tina Semotan, President at HNI Risk Services. This is the first episode of the Enlightened Agent with an industry executive that is focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Tina's level of support towards females, people of color and general diversity in the insurance industry is exceptional. Jason and Tina discuss the challenge of being a female in a male dominated industry, facilitating conversations around diversity and inclusion, and mentorship in the workplace.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Charlene Wheeless, Speaker, Executive Coach, Author, Trailblazer CEO, Charlene Wheeless LLC

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Charlene Wheeless, Speaker, Executive Coach, Author, Trailblazer CEO, Charlene Wheeless LLC. In this episode, Charlene takes Jason through a coaching session focused on helping him become a better leader with tools to drive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

DE&I Series Intro

I’m excited today to announce our upcoming series of The Enlightened Agent Podcast, focused entirely on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the insurance industry. I’ve always known that change starts from within, so in my first episode I’ve invited executive advisor Charlene Wheeless to record a live coaching session, my first, focused on DE&I. 

Vertafore Launches Commercial Submissions at NetVU - CEO Take

‍‍All they did right...and the one big thing it’s missing.

Broker Buddha Announces New Funding Round - $5M led by SiriusPoint

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Caribou Honig, Co-Founder of InsureTech Connect and Partner at SemperVirens

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Caribou Honig, Co-Founder of InsureTech Connect and Partner at SemperVirens

10,000 Carrier Applications Converted to Smart Forms

Thanks to overwhelming demand in 2021, Broker Buddha reached a major milestone with more than 10,000 carrier applications converted into online Smart Forms. These applications represent over 200 lines of business and over 500 carriers, and thanks to this massive library, submissions on our platform doubled in 2021.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Mike Volk, Sr. Manager of Cyber Security at Optiv

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck is joined by Mike Volk, Sr. Manager of Cyber Insurance at Optiv

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: John Darr, CEO at Darr Schackow Insurance

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by John Darr, CEO and Agent at Darr Schackow Insurance

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Andrew Krantz, Sr. Vice President & Principal at York International

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Sr. Vice President and Principal at York International, Andrew Krantz

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Tim Gaspar, Founder & CEO

Broker Buddha CEO, Jason Keck, is joined by Tim Gaspar, Founder and CEO of Gaspar Insurance Services

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Scott Henman, Commercial Insurance Agent

Broker Buddha CEO Jason Keck is joined by Scott Henman, commercial insurance agent at Michigan Insurance & Financial Services. Scott talks about his love for the trumpet and joy of being a dad in addition to his career in insurance that started 2 days after graduating from college. Scott talks about his longevity in the industry and the growth he has seen over the course of his career. His advice to other agents is to lead with authenticity when engaging with potential and existing clients.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Bill Pieroni, President & CEO of ACORD

Broker Buddha CEO Jason Keck is joined by Bill Pieroni, President & CEO of ACORD. In this episode, Bill talks about how ACORD, after 50 years, is more relevant than ever in the Insurance industry.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Toan Huynh, Investor, Growth Advisor. Partner, Baylane Capital

In this Podcast Episode, Toan Huynh talks about building and scaling companies

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Ed Page, President, Relation Insurance Services

Ed Page is an agency president who prioritized culture above all else.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Jeremy Perlman, Vice President, CBIZ Borden Perlman

Jeremy Perlman is a Vice President at CBIZ Borden Perlman and talks on this podcast about how he used a layup endorsement to help a transportation company stay in business during the pandemic.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Brad Hosket, Principal, Hosket Ulen

Brad Hosket of Columbus-based Hosket Ulen talks about entering the insurance industry after a career in real estate and why the pandemic offered an opportunity to upgrade agency operations.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Jason Angus, COO, The Hilb Group

Jason Angus of VA-based The Hilb Group believes that when people grow, companies grow. Providing the resources that help teams do great work leads to success, and using technology to reduce the administrative workload is essential.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Christina Kelley, COO, Gregory & Appel

Christina Kelley is a process improvement guru who unabashedly believes there is always a better way to do things. With a professional career that includes previous roles with the Indianapolis Museum of Art and KPMG, she wants to keep improving the customer experience for G&A clients.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Greg Gamble, Vice President, Alliant

Greg Gamble is the Vice President for Client, Brokerage & Data Operations at Alliant Insurance Services. During his time in the industry, he has worked across the entire spectrum—agency, underwriter, carrier—and gives us his candid New Yorker take on all of it.

Capstone Group

Technology can upgrade the customer experience without diminishing the value of expert consultation. That's why Capstone Group, one of our newest clients, is using our platform.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Mike Shanahan, Chairman, President and CEO, HM Risk

Mike Shanahan is the Chairman, President and CEO of St. Louis-based HM Risk. An industry veteran with an entrepreneurial streak, Mike shares his thoughts on how the business has changed and some of the critical moments in his career.

PSA

Forward-thinking agencies like PSA realize that spending less time on administrative work means more time to serve as expert advisors. That's one reason they recently started using our platform.

CARE Risk Retention Group

Our client roster continues to expand. CARE, a medical malpractice insurance specialist founded by doctors, recently started using the Broker Buddha platform.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Patrick Kinney, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Distribution Management, Travelers

Patrick Kinney is the Executive Vice President, Enterprise Distribution Management, at Travelers. He combines decades of experience with a passion for finding ways to make the insurance process seamless for agents, customers, and carriers.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Jeffrey Gallimore, COO, Zurich North America

Jeff Gallimore is the Chief Operating Officer, US National Accounts, at Zurich North America. He has a track record of building successful teams by empowering people and providing the tools that help them succeed. He shares his thoughts on how the industry has changed, and what changes still need to happen.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: David Carpentier, CEO, Assurely

Enlightened agents are innovative. In this episode, we talk to David Carpentier of Assurely. His company is introducing new insurance products to meet the challenges of emerging and next-gen business models.

The Enlightened Agent Podcast: Benji Markoff, Founder Shield CEO

In the debut episode of The Enlightened Agent podcast, Broker Buddha CEO Jason Keck is joined by the CEO of Founder Shield, Benji Markoff. Listen to find out why Markoff and his company try to make insurance fun—seriously—and how they leverage technology to improve the customer experience.

Our new podcast has launched.

Did the world need another podcast? Maybe not. But we think the world of insurance did, especially when it's a podcast that focuses on the work great agents do. Hear conversations with some of best in the business and the people who work with them on The Enlightened Agent—the first three episodes are available now.

Agile Insurance Services

Our client roster is expanding, as agencies seek insurtech solutions that deliver ROI. Here's why Agile Insurance Services has begun using our software.

Advantage Partners Network

Advantage Partners Network is one of our newest customers. They introduced our software so the independent agencies they work with can spend less time on tedious administrative work—and more time on growth.

MPL Risk

Our user numbers continue to grow. One of our newest customers is MPL Risk, a PA-based agency that is focused on delivering coverage in the complex healthcare category.

Gaspar Insurance Services

Struggling to work with a new Agency Management System, not everyone at Gaspar Insurance Services was thrilled to start using Broker Buddha. But our intuitive platform and experts in Customer Support won them over.

Applied Systems Acquires EZLynx.

Broker Buddha CEO Jason Keck shares his thoughts on the Applied/EZLynx news and what it means for independent agencies.

Where does your Agency Management System fall short?

Nearly every agency owner asks me, “Which management system do you recommend? Because mine sucks.” Let's break down the reasons why.

Four ways being a dinosaur will cost your insurance agency.

Not only do dinosaurs become extinct, they're expensive. Here are four ways dinosaur tendencies cost money at commercial lines insurance agencies.

Top 100 Agency - Insurance Office of America-Innovation Group

Based in northern California, Steve Miller of IOA wants to transform the insurance process and is leveraging technology to make it happen.

Worthy Insurance

Another innovative agency has joined our roster of users. We're pleased to announce that our software is worthy of Worthy.

Insurance, software, change, surprises, shock, comedy.

Surprising your customers, even when it's positive and transformational change, is no laughing matter.

Top 100 Agency - Holmes Murphy

With its commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture and outstanding service, Holmes Murphy knew our software would provide valuable benefits to staff and clients.

Davidson & Associates

A four-time winner of the IIABA Best Practices Award, this WA-based agency has national reach. We're proud to add them to our roster of users.

TECHASSURE Virtual Summit 2020

It's not easy to pull off conferences in 2020, but last week's TechAssure Virtual Summit was immersive and engaging. When it comes to meeting virtually, TechAssure raised the bar.

We've got news.

We get tons of positive feedback about our software, but that doesn't mean we ever stop trying to make it better. Here's the latest on some of our recent efforts.

Is your agency like a doctor's office?

The most painful part of a visit to the doctor is often the paperwork and administrative details. Is your renewal and application process as tedious and redundant?

It took a pandemic to make insurance go digital?

The changed nature of business during the pandemic has forced many insurance agencies to embrace technology. In the end, that's going to serve the industry well.

Is your commercial insurance agency more T-Rex than tech?

Whether you're hoping to sell to a family member, a longtime employee, or an outside buyer, make sure the agency you leave is positioned for the future.

The NPS in commercial insurance: clients love Broker Buddha agencies.

The NPS has become the dominant tool when companies are analyzing vendors. Agencies that use the Broker Buddha platform get higher scores because they care about constantly improving the customer experience.

Labor Day: good. Paper forms for commercial insurance: bad.

As you power down for the long weekend, a quick reminder that paper forms—or clunky PDFs—are appreciated by, well, no one.

Do you like paper forms?

Back when these things happened, we went out on the streets to ask for some opinions on the ACORD 125.

Vertafore was acquired for how much?

Roper Technologies acquired Vertafore this past month. Our CEO, Jason Keck, weighs in on this news and the future of broker software.

Four Ways Insurance Agencies are Managing Through the Pandemic

In this unprecedented era, find out some of the ways smart commercial insurance agencies are working to serve clients now and position themselves for the future.

Patriotic

Rob Bowen wanted to make ACORD forms easier for his customers. Transforming complex paper forms and clunky PDFs into online smart forms makes clients happy and saves him time.

Make commercial insurance faster with new Dynamic Forms.

Our latest feature that makes the process of insurance faster: Dynamic Forms. No other platform has them.

Atlantic Shield

Erik Loesch of Atlantic Shield wants to grow his book without feeling pressure to recruit more people. Our software saves his producers and account managers so much time that he can scale up without needing to constantly hire.

What's in a name?

Not everyone loved our name at first, but it definitely helps people remember us. Leader's Edge says that puts us in good company.

FinTech Innovation Lab pays dividends.

The 12-week FinTech Innovation Lab program finished last week with Virtual Demo Day. We're excited to take what we learned from the experience to continue building and improving our platform.

For every insurance agent with kids who ask, "So what do you do all day?"

The pandemic has forced many agents to work from home. If your office colleagues now include young children, you're probably getting lots of questions. Our ebook for kids has answers.

Listening. Learning. Changing.

CEO Jason Keck shares his thoughts on social justice in this country, the discussions inside our company, and how he plans to be a part of positive change.

New dashboard. More speed for commercial insurance agents.

We've updated our dashboard. Simpler and more intuitive, it lets users can get more done in even less time.

Borden Perlman

New Jersey-based Borden Perlman uses Broker Buddha to reduce the hours agents spend on administrative tasks, creating more time for high-level advisory work.

Business insurance agencies: the time to go fully digital is now.

Nobody can predict the future exactly, but there's no doubt we're in for some dramatic change. Smart agencies are preparing for it now by embracing technology.

Usage is up and our team is growing.

Activity on our platform is increasing and we're adding experienced insurance professionals in Customer Success.

Flury-Hinderks Insurance Agency

Bill Rowlen of Flury-Hinderks Insurance Agency chose Broker Buddha over other options for its superior functionality and intuitive nature, making the transition to using it seamless.

Usage has tripled.

Even in uncertain times, our platform is gaining traction—usage has tripled in recent months.

What's our sales process?

Chief Revenue Officer Sean Harvey offers his thoughts on the sales process during this current time, and why the most tech-enabled agencies are positioned for success.

A virtual conversation with BrokerTech Ventures.

In February, we were selected for the Accelerator program at BrokerTech Ventures (BTV). We caught up with Susan Hatten, COO at BTV, and John Jackovin, Executive Director of the BTV Accelerator.

Broker Buddha Selected for FinTech Innovation Lab

After a rigorous selection process, we were invited to participate in FinTech Innovation Lab New York, Class of 2020. We're looking forward to working with this organization and finding new ways to refine our platform to make it even more valuable for our users.

Weaver & Associates

California-based Weaver & Associates is using pre-filled forms to speed the insurance process and the vastly improved customer experience sets the agency apart.

Going digital more important than ever for commercial insurance agencies.

We're not the only ones touting the importance of building a digital agency.

Introducing Custom Form Bundles for commercial insurance.

Learn more about Form Bundles, the newest feature on our platform, and how you can customize them for your agency.

Top 100 Agency - HILB Group

Senior Account Manager Kim Moles can be intimidated by new technology but our intuitive software and expert Customer Success team made things easy.

Top 100 Agency - HUB International

Hub International agent Parker Christian uses the Broker Buddha platform to speed through detail-heavy work and get more time to grow his book.

Find out what these commercial insurance professionals said.

CEO Jason Keck hosted a free webinar last week with some top commercial insurance professionals. Watch it to find out how your colleagues are managing during these challenging times.

Our COVID-19 update.

It's an unprecedented situation. Here's what we're doing to ensure that Broker Buddha continues to serve its customers and its community.

Helping commercial insurance agencies help clients during COVID-19.

We developed an online smart form to make the PPP Loan application process easier, and it's free for any agency to use.

Web Links for First Notice of Loss

Our Web Links feature can help agents get the ACORD 1—First Notice of Loss—done in less time.

Build strong broker-client relationships. Even now.

As commercial insurance agencies work to serve clients during the coronavirus crisis, the brokers with the right tools are building better relationships by handling more requests efficiently.

Commercial Insurance and Coronavirus: Agents Talk

On Friday, March 27th, we're hosting a webinar with three agency leaders to share information that will help others navigate through the coronavirus pandemic.

I have coronavirus

Some thoughts about what it means to get sick or be around people who are...and what Broker Buddha is doing in the meantime.

Helping commercial insurance go faster.

Broker Buddha for Carriers is our newest feature—a secure portal that speeds the exchange of information between agents and underwriters.

Commercial Insurance and Tech Not So Different After All

I came to Broker Buddha from the tech world and had lots of preconceived notions about the world of insurance. Turns out most of them were wrong.

BrokerTech Ventures Made Us a First-Round Draft Pick

BrokerTech Ventures, backed by some of the leading independent agencies in the United States, chose us for their InsurTech 2020 Accelerator following our presentation during their Selection Series program. Things are moving fast—it starts on March 2nd.

Travelers Quarter and Rising Commercial Insurance Prices

Our take on Travelers latest quarter and how price pressure could help commercial insurance agencies in the year ahead.

For every commercial insurance agency manager who wonders, “What's really going on around here?”

Learn about our Weekly Report, an automated summary of all renewal and application actions that provides commercial insurance agency owners and managers a snapshot of the state of their business.

Commercial Insurance Schedules Painful?

Revising Schedules is tedious and time-consuming. Our Schedules Editor makes the process a lot less painful.

Team Grows at Broker Buddha.

We're adding new users and features every day—and growing our development team to continue making our platform as powerful as possible.

That's smooth! Eliminating friction between commercial insurance agents and carriers.

We're out to make the exchange of data between carriers and brokers seamless—it's a win-win.

Sage Underwriters

Chuck Holdren wanted his new firm to streamline the slow, painful insurance process, and embraced our platform to transform renewals and applications.

Commercial insurance and the pace of change.

Commercial insurance agencies can be slow to change. The renewal and application process is one example. My question: why?

White Glove Service for Commercial Insurance

Introducing White Glove Service, a feature that lets commercial insurance agencies get even more out of our platform.

A BIG day for InsureTech

A brief summary of what the Indio acquisition means for the insurance industry.

Happy Thanksgiving.

We'll tell you about our online smart forms for commercial insurance agencies later. Today, let's talk about Thanksgiving.