July 2015
Transcription
July 2015
AGENCY FOCUS page 4 • EMPLOYEE FOCUS page 10 • SERVICE IS EVERYONE’S JOB page 12 TIMELY NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM ACUIT Y JULY 2015 GET SMART! A BETTER WAY TO PAY WORK COMP PREMIUMS page 2 w w w.acuity.com ACUITY SMARTPAY IS A SMARTER WAY TO PAY PREMIUMS What do landscape contractors, home builders, manufacturers, and many other classes of business have in common? All are subject to payroll fluctuations that can happen throughout the year. Payrolls change at businesses for many reasons. Seasonal operations adjust their workforces frequently, revenue growth at some firms leads to the hiring of more employees, and shifts in the economy can have a dramatic impact on a company’s staffing level—and on the workers’ comp premiums that they owe. Budget Better “Businesses with fluctuating payrolls should have a way to better plan and budget their expenses by paying more during busy times and less during slow times,” says Ben Salzmann, President and CEO. “Also, businesses that grow during a policy term can generate significant audit premium—and no agent likes explaining a large audit bill to an insured.” ACUITYSmartPay is a smarter way for businesses with changing payrolls to manage their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. With ACUITYSmartPay, workers’ compensation premiums are calculated monthly based on the payrolls reported by a policyholder. Other lines of business can be written on the same policy and billed monthly along with workers’ compensation on a single statement. “Unlike other carriers, we don’t require workers’ comp to be written monoline to use payroll reporting,” says Ed Warren, Vice President - Commercial Lines. How to Get Smart To qualify for ACUITYSmartPay, an account should have a total workers’ compensation premium of at least $10,000. Based on the reported payrolls, premium payments are withdrawn from the policyholder’s bank account via ACH. A 15 percent down payment, based on the total policy premium, is required for the first term of an ACUITYSmartPay policy. Reporting payroll is easy: ACUITYSmartPay is a paperless process where insureds simply go to the Customer Care site at acuity.com and enter their payroll information each month. There is no need to mail monthly reports as other carriers require. To enroll in ACUITYSmartPay, agents should contact their underwriter on behalf of policyholders who are interested in the program. “Having a web-based system that’s available for businesses to use 24/7 is important to make a payroll reporting process easy, convenient, and efficient,” says Sheri Murphy, Vice President - Services and Administration. “ACUITY calculates premium automatically, with payment withdrawn from the policyholder’s bank account, and notifies insureds via email when payments are made.” “For businesses to excel today, focusing on the customer experience has taken center stage,” says Salzmann. “Offering payroll reporting with ACUITYSmartPay helps insureds improve cash flow and budget their workers’ comp premium. Thus ACUITYSmartPay enhances the customer experience agents provide.” • nfocus BENEFITS Benefits to Your Customers: •Improves cash flow by allowing insureds to pay more premium during busy times and less during slow times. •Reduces the likelihood of big surprises at audit. •Enables seasonal business, such as contractors, to better plan and budget insurance expenses. •Provides a web-based system to make monthly payroll reporting easy. Benefits to You: •Lessens the chance of large additional premium audits that can frustrate customers. •Minimizes the need for agents to explain why additional premium is due. •Reduces the likelihood of premium due going to a collections attorney. Keep in mind—agents don’t get paid on premiums collected by attorneys. • Provides a competitive advantage because few carriers offer pay-as-you-go plans. • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 3 B U S I N E S S I N T E G R I T Y, S T A F F L O N G E V I T Y DEFINE MICHIGAN’S HOWEY & ASSOCIATES Since opening its doors for business in 1953, Howey & Associates has always followed the philosophy of its founder, Charles O. Howey, Sr., to bring out the best in each of its employees. “Mr. Howey challenged me to learn one new thing every day,” says Reba Wilkins, Vice President, who began working at the agency as a co-op student in high school. “If he asked what I had learned on any day and I said nothing, he would take a few minutes and teach me something new about insurance. His attitude, nurturing, and progressive thinking really attracted me to the agency.” Reba joined the agency full-time after high school. This year, she celebrated her 50th year with Howey & Associates, headquartered in Woodhaven, Michigan. “Lots of people with 50 years experience at other companies are looking toward retirement, if they haven’t retired already. I continue working here because I enjoy what I do and the people I work with,” Reba says. “I’m this agency’s biggest fan.” Charles O. (Skip) Howey, Jr., the agency’s President, readily says that their employees are the agency’s greatest asset. Collectively, the staff has over 800 years of insurance experience, and about half of the 31 members have over 20 years of experience with the agency. That longevity is a tribute to the way the agency values its employees. “My dad was always ahead of the times,” says Skip. “Back when the insurance business was a ‘men’s club,’ he made sure everyone had equal opportunity for career advancement, including naming Reba as Vice President in the 1970s. All of our CSRs were licensed agents well before other agencies considered doing the same.” A Complete Solution Howey & Associates’ mission is to be a complete solution for customers. “It’s not just about providing the right products. We make it a priority to provide complete, competent, and caring service. nfocus We also care about the community just as we care about our clients and staff,” says Reba. “When it comes to people OF THE facing difficulty, that’s where our staff really shines, whether it’s a coworker with health issues, a customer concern, or a community need.” “Our customers tell us that our knowledge, experience, and commitment to service set us apart,” Skip says. The agency is also known for maintaining the highest level of integrity. “We work every day at earning the trust of our clients and company partners,” Reba says. “We want our clients to trust that we’re the best advocate for them, and we go well out of our way to be an exceptional partner to the companies we represent.” AGENCY MONTH Getting the Job Done Stable, steady growth has defined the agency’s progress over the past 60-plus years. In order to maintain that growth, Howey & Associates is addressing perpetuation needs as the inevitable retirement of its long-tenured staff approaches. Skip, a high school hockey coach, is introducing student-athletes to the agency and the insurance business. Skip’s son, Mac, is currently interning at the agency on his summer break from college and hockey. “We will continue Dad’s philosophy that the best person gets the job, regardless of whether that person is younger or experienced, male or female, family or not,” Skip says. “Everyone here knows that they have an equal shot at opportunity.” • Charles (Skip) Howey, Jr., Charles Howey, Sr., and Reba Wilkins. Photo by Merideth C. Gillhespy. nfocus THUNDERBALL The blockbuster educational videos available online through ACUITY U feature all the excitement of a spy movie—but without a nefarious plot to blow up the world. However, videos aren’t all that we offer when it comes to agent education. ACUITY ’s traditional, in-office CE courses are also a great way for agents to earn credits. Like our online courses, they’re filled with valuable content, delivered in-person by one of our many experienced territory directors. Typically, our in-person classes are two-hour, two-credit courses. Commercial Property and Ethics have three-credit options as well. ACUITY offers basic courses, including: • Personal Lines • Commercial Lines • Commercial Auto • Commercial Property • Workers’ Compensation B Y J O H N K AU T Z E R – G E N E R A L M A N AG E R - S A L E S Additionally, we provide a number of specialty courses that help agents build in-depth experience in specific topics. Currently, our advanced course catalog includes: • Advanced Personal Lines, covering auto, homeowners, package policies, recreational vehicles, and umbrella exposures and coverages • Advanced Workers’ Compensation, covering the true cost of a workers’ compensation claim and analysis of a selection of advanced topics NUMBER OF AGENTS WHO ATTENDED IN-AGENCY CE SEMINARS • Additional Insureds, analyzing contractual liability and additional insured endorsements • Ethics, focusing on ethical dilemmas and situations agents may experience 20148,844 20124,859 20134,598 20115,027 20104,516 20094,579 20083,700 20073,613 20063,618 20054,180 2004 3,281 20032,200 20021,945 All these courses are extremely valuable, not just because of their important content, but also because our territory directors deliver them in the agents’ offices, eliminating the need for staff to travel. Our underwriters may also participate if a scheduled class coincides with their agency visits. Word has definitely gotten out, and the number of agents taking advantage of our in-office classes exploded in 2014! (See graph.) Our philosophy behind ACUITY U is that education plays a major role in helping agents provide the best service to our mutual customers. In fact, agents can meet nearly all of their CE requirements just by taking advantage of the opportunities ACUITY has to offer! Also, each and every one of our CE courses, including videos and in-office sessions, are free to agents. In fact, we even pay agents $20 to watch the ACUITY U video productions! For more information on our CE courses or to schedule a class, contact your territory director. 2001717 • Specialty courses that cover unique exposures and coverages for: - Contractors - Manufacturers - Truckers • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 5 ACUITY NAMES FIVE NEW MANAGERS Katie Baeckman is promoted to Manager - Services. A graduate of Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Katie joined ACUITY in 2010 as a Commercial Processor. Katie Baeckman Josh Davidson is promoted to Manager - Premium Audit. Josh joined ACUITY in June 2013 as Premium Auditor for Colorado and New Mexico. He graduated in 2003 from the University of Louisville with a bachelor of science degree in business management. Josh Davidson Melissa Meyer is promoted to Manager - Commercial Underwriting. Melissa started at ACUITY in June 2005 as a Commercial Underwriter and was promoted in 2012 to Senior Commercial Underwriter. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Melissa earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing. She has also earned her AU and CPCU designations as well as a master’s degree in business administration. Melissa Meyer Carissa Olson is promoted to Manager - Commercial Lines. She will lead a team handling commercial business in Kansas and Western Missouri. In 2006, Carissa began her career at ACUITY as a Commercial Underwriter. In 2013, she completed her CPCU designation and was promoted to Senior Commercial Underwriter. Carissa graduated from UW-La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, with an emphasis in public relations and organizational communication. Carissa Olson Stephanie Walter is promoted to Manager - Services. A graduate of Kiel High School, Stephanie joined ACUITY in July 2008 as a Commercial Processor and was promoted in June 2014 to Senior Commercial Processor. Stephanie Walter • nfocus MARKET FOCUS Manufacturing When an injury occurs at work, it isn’t always clear whether the injured employee needs to see a doctor. ACUITY’s M.A.S.H. (Maximum ACUITY Service for Healthcare) program takes the guesswork out of the initial claims process. M.A.S.H. is a 24/7 nurse triage service for nonemergency, work-related injuries. A nurse counsels the injured worker on appropriate initial care and continues to monitor the injury to determine if further care is needed. The service can reduce reported claims by up to 30 percent, provide claims cost savings of up to 45 percent, prevent minor incidents from becoming major claims, and help employees return to work earlier—all at no cost to the customer. Employers are notified by mail when an employee calls M.A.S.H. When a worker chooses not to seek medical treatment because the M.A.S.H. service addressed the injury, the claim will not count against the experience mod. Learn more about Pictured with Dallin is Sonja DeVore, ACUITY Territory Director for Utah. M.A.S.H. at www.acuity.com/mash. Trucking Small-business truckers rallied and members of the U.S. House of Representatives responded on June 4. House lawmakers voted 175-248 on a proposed amendment to a Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development bill that would have cleared involvement, hardware industry education, and extracurricular activities, Dallin was named 2015 Young Retailer of the Year at the recent National Hardware Show. ACUITY is a proud vendor partner of the North American Retail Hardware Association. the way for increases in insurance requirements for trucking and Construction bus companies. With summer comes an increase in construction activity in The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association many parts of the country. Keep in mind that financial results that (OOIDA) and other industry groups told Congress that FMCSA’s exceed expectations can bring surprises when policies are audited. proposal to raise insurance limit requirements—an initiative Please reach out to your construction clients and review their based on increases in medical inflation—would not make original payroll estimates and compare with current payments highways safer. and projections. If the difference is significant, work with your OOIDA further stated that FMCSA’s own data shows that more underwriter to submit a revised payroll estimate. than 99 percent of crash damages are covered under the current Small customer service efforts like this go a long way toward requirements. gaining your clients’ loyalty. For new business submissions Mercantile with workers’ compensation coverage, consider utilizing Congratulations to ACUITY insured Dallin Redd. Dallin is the fourth-generation owner of Redd’s Ace Hardware in Blanding, ACUITYSmartPay, which enables your customers to pay the appropriate premium each month based on actual payrolls. • Utah. Based on his career accomplishments, community J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 7 KERI HERLONG HONORED BY LAS VEGAS INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION The Las Vegas Insurance Professionals (LVIP) presented Keri Herlong, Commercial Field Underwriter for Nevada, with its 20142015 Member of the Year award. LVIP is a chapter of the International Association of Insurance Professionals (IAIP). “Keri has an excellent reputation as a role model for young professionals and is always a willing volunteer when needed. She is an advocate for the international and local associations, promoting attendance and participation in events,” says Pamela Mackay, LVIP board member and past President of both the Las Vegas chapter and Nevada state association of the IAIP. “Keri has always taken advantage of all opportunities for professional growth,” Mackay adds. “She has achieved distinction through insurance education both personally and in the encouragement of all our members to acquire insurance-related knowledge and accompanying designations.” Keri holds the CPCU, CIC, CISR, ACSR, and AIM designations. • Pamela Mackay (right) presents the Las Vegas Insurance Professionals Member of the Year Award to Keri Herlong. JOHN R. HOLDEN, 1921-2015 John R. Holden, former president and CEO of ACUITY (then known as Heritage Mutual Insurance Company), passed away June 24 at the age of 94. Holden first became associated with ACUITY (Mutual Automobile Insurance Company of Wisconsin) in 1948 as a trial attorney. He held numerous positions before becoming Secretary & General Counsel in 1960. In 1969, he became CEO and Chairman of the Board. In January 1999, thenpresident Ben Salzmann assumed the additional title of CEO upon Holden’s retirement. During John Holden’s tenure as CEO, the company’s written premium grew from just over $7 million to $249 million and set the stage for new leadership, which would take ACUITY to over $1.243 billion today. John Holden was born in La Valle, Wisconsin, in 1921. He received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He held numerous offices with the State Bar of Wisconsin and also served on several bank boards. • nfocus WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ACUITY? Pat Schultz is an agent at Langan, Haeger, Vincent & Born in Wheaton, Illinois, a division of WilliamsManny Insurance Group. Pat traveled to Maui with her husband, Art, to visit family who live there. Pictured from left to right are Jon, Pat, Melanie, Hudson, and Daniel, who is holding baby Ella. Jill Bodmer, Personal Lines Agent at the Sholley Agency in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, vacationed in St. Thomas and St. John with her husband, Dave. She took along some great reading material for the trip to Dreams Sugar Bay resort! Corine Cowles from Gannon Associates in Athens, Pennsylvania, traveled to Walt Disney World in Orlando for Thanksgiving and took her ACUITY mittens along. Would you like to win $100? Email a picture of you or your family with ACUITY logo gear visiting an interesting location to infocus@acuity.com and include a brief description of Where in the World ACUITY has been. If we use your picture, we’ll send you $100! This offer is open to all employees of ACUITY and our independent agencies. • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 9 BRANDON NOVACK BRANDON NOVACK GIVES AN ASSIST TO THOSE WHO KEPT HIM IN THE GAME By the time he was in middle school in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, Brandon Novack was playing just about every sport the community offered. However, a doctor’s appointment when he was 12 would change that. Brandon was diagnosed with childhood leukemia, and his intramural playing days were over. “Getting a diagnosis like that makes you grow up very fast,” Brandon recalls. “One week, I was playing in a basketball game and feeling fine, and the next week, my life was flipped completely around.” Team Recovery During Brandon’s treatment, his parents, Len and Joanie, and brother, Connor, provided comfort and support. Brandon also relied heavily on resources provided by the MACC Fund. Founded in 1976, the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund is dedicated to funding childhood cancer and related blood disorder research. “When I was battling cancer, I was first introduced to the MACC Fund when I was given the opportunity to attend a Bucks game. It gave me a chance to just be a kid and forget about being sick, which was some of the best medicine I could have got at that point in time,” Brandon says. The MACC Fund gives hope to kids fighting cancer and their families, providing valuable research dollars. Since its founding, the MACC Fund has helped improve the childhood cancer cure rate from 20 to 80 percent, with an ultimate goal of reaching 100 percent. Fortunately, Brandon is among the 80 percent. Just over two years after he started treatment—108 weeks, to be exact—doctors declared his cancer to be in complete remission. After graduating high school, Brandon enrolled at UW-Sheboygan, utilizing a scholarship he won in the 2007 Junior Achievement Business Challenge held at ACUITY. After earning his associate’s degree, he enrolled at UW-Green Bay, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Brandon joined ACUITY in January 2015 as a Business Analyst. Back in the Game Brandon volunteers with the MACC Fund to encourage and support children battling cancer. Last year at a bowling event, he met Lily and found that they shared a common bond in addition to their fight against leukemia. “Lily created the 2014 TMJ4 MACC*Star Christmas ornament. I created the star in 2005, the year that she was born,” Brandon says. “That was a great connection between us and really puts a lot of things into perspective.” Although leukemia treatment took Brandon off the playing field, he has found ways to get back in the game. He works on the Milwaukee Bucks’ public relations game night staff and also volunteers with the MACC Fund, speaking at events and running the organization’s Twitter account. “When I go to events now and see what kids with cancer are going through, it reminds me of how much the MACC Fund meant in my recovery,” Brandon says. “It’s a passion of mine to help the organization reach its 100 percent goal.” Brandon also brings the lessons learned through his long road to recovery to high school athletes. He took coaching classes while at UW-Green Bay and now coaches special teams for the varsity football team at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School. “Going through treatment taught me the importance of teamwork by seeing the medical staff, my family, and the MACC Fund all work together. I learned about the importance of always moving forward to the next play,” Brandon says. “I also learned that, whether in sports or in life, when you’re given a second chance, you need to make the most of it.” • Brandon and Lily, who is holding the 2014 TMJ4 MACC*Star Christmas ornament nfocus NEW AGENT TRAINING SEMINARS TARGET COMMERCIAL LINES ACUITY’s Commercial Lines feature overviews of commercial lines underwriting, loss New Agent Training Seminars help agents grow their control, premium audit, claims, sales, and more. ACUITY commercial book quickly and profitably by providing fast- provides two nights’ accommodation at a local hotel for start training on all the advantages ACUITY offers in agents attending and also includes a special dinner with key commercial lines. ACUITY staff. Designed for agents new to ACUITY (but not new to Our next Commercial Lines New Agent Training Seminar insurance), the two-day seminars let agents experience will be held October 6-7, 2015. Contact your territory ACUITY’s world-class training in our unique home-office director with any questions or to sign up for the next class! atmosphere. Held twice each year in spring and fall, seminars • LAUNCH O T T E S Y E S S Y D O ED’S INSURANCE J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 1 1 AREA inSIGHT SERVICE IS EVERYONE’S JOB AT ACUITY ACUITY is known in the cross-training our staff to insurance industry as a leader in technology and handle a wide variety automation. Our agents and policyholders also of tasks. For instance, know ACUITY as a company that combines high- many units, including tech processing with a high-touch approach, and Imaging, Services where people throughout the company understand Claims, Document that service is everyone’s job. Transcription Processing, Our service difference is clear from the minute you call ACUITY. You can use our efficient phone Receptionist, and system if you know who you need to talk to, or Switchboard, are easily speak to a live operator for guidance if you trained to accurately don’t. Whether you connect with one of our call and efficiently index centers (Billing, Commercial Processing, Personal customer documents. Lines Processing, or Services Claims) or an Our Services units ACUITY staff member anywhere in our operation, provide internal service to we don’t hide behind voice mail. We listen to you, all areas of the company to help them do take responsibility, and help accomplish what needs to get done. their jobs as efficiently as possible. Cross training allows us to share resources to address peak volumes and fluctuations in In our Services department, we also follow the philosophy of “service is everyone’s job” by BY ANN SCHERMETZLER , CPCU - GENERAL MANAGER SERVICES workloads. It also increases job satisfaction and creates a culture of teamwork, where people are willing to chip in to help their colleagues for the benefit of customers and agents. If you’re dealing with a company that can’t deliver consistent service during peak volumes, where you get stuck in a call-answering system, or where no one can help you when your regular contact is out sick, you’re dealing with a company that doesn’t believe service is a shared responsibility. We promise that won’t happen at ACUITY, and we have the track record to prove it! • nfocus It’s easy to see what Safeguard Insurance thinks of their ACUITY commercial underwriter! The Las Vegas-based agency presented Senior Commercial Underwriter Melissa Munger with a shirt proclaiming her the World’s Best! • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 1 3 Searching for a Job? Claims Represe ntatives Illinois/Missour i Minnesota (Tw in Cities) Missouri (Jeffe rson City) Ohio (Canton) Ohio (Columbu s) Wisconsin (Gre en Bay/Fox Valle y) Field Premium Auditor Utah (Salt Lake City) Loss Control R epresentative Maine (Portland ) Territory Direc tor Michigan • FIND THE FLAGPOLE Every sports stadium flies an actual American flag. The picture of the Utah Utes’ stadium on page 9 of the June !nfocus also featured ACUITY’s flag. Winners selected from among readers who spotted the icon are: Kim Zirges Absolute Advantage Ins Svcs Jenna Werner The Loomis Company Pat Rath The Buckner Company Inc Lake Havasu, AZ Wyomissing, PA Idaho Falls, ID To enter this month’s contest, find the hidden elsewhere in this issue, then send an email with its location to contest@acuity.com by August 7, 2015. This contest is open to agency staff only. • nfocus Q. I read in a recent !nfocus that strains are the most common work comp injury at manufacturers. What is the most common injury across all industries? A. Actually, strains are the most prevalent work comp injury for all commercial lines, regardless of account size. Q&ACUITY Q. What are some of the common causes of strains that businesses can target? A. Employees often try to “muscle” a load, causing them to over-reach, twist, yank, slip, or do other things that cause strain injuries. Help them work smarter by providing the right equipment, storage space, and tools to limit the muscle-power required for tasks. Q. What can I do to help my customers reduce strain injuries? A. Our loss control reps know what factors contribute to strains and can help reduce those factors. Talk to them and your underwriter. Visit the ACUITY Agent Center as well to access webinars, safety talks, and safety videos. • IMPOSSIBLE inSURABLES WORLD’S WORST HANDYMAN? Spotted recently on the streets was this enterprising handyman. In addition to having a ladder bungeed to the back of his scooter—sideways—he also managed to wedge a toolbox where his feet are supposed to rest. We gladly insure contractors’ vehicles—just not this contractor, or his vehicle. However, it is our Risk of the Month. • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 PAG E 1 5 QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE DISTINGUISHES SANDY FALCO’S CUSTOMER SERVICE Customers of The Daniel and Henry Co. can be confident in the service they receive from Sandy Falco. “Sandy is a true insurance technician,” says Michael Blumberg, Assistant Vice President in the agency’s Chicago office. “We know that our clients are getting the right information about how to protect their businesses. She also has a wonderful, friendly demeanor that helps her connect with customers.” Sandy has been with The Daniel and Henry Company since 2014 and has a career in the insurance industry that spans 25 years. In her experience, she has found that knowledge is the most important component of providing outstanding customer service. “You have to know the products of the companies you represent. I treat every day as a learning experience, making it a point to read every policy form of our companies so I can answer questions accurately and put together the best program for our clients,” says Sandy, who is a Commercial Account Manager and holds the CIC, CRIS, and CISR designations. Sandy likes the diversity of commercial lines and enjoys working with her agency colleagues. “We have an excellent office,” she says. “Our culture is great. Everybody gets along and is very supportive of their coworkers. This is a great place to come to work.” Congratulations to Sandy Falco, Outstanding Service Professional! • WORD OF MOUTH ACUITY’s Independence Day post thanking our country and those who defend it garnered 37,000 views, along with over 600 likes and nearly 150 shares and counting! To join in the discussion, visit facebook.com/acuitywow. •
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