What is an agency management system?

An agency management system, or AMS, is a SaaS (software as a service) technology that insurance agencies use to organize their book of business and more effectively run their operations. Usually, an AMS is built for specific niche markets within the insurance industry, like life and health or property and casualty. 

An Agency Management System is a CRM plus a whole lot more!

Agency Management System (AMS) vs. CRMWhen comparing an agency management system (AMS) and a CRM, the three major differences you'll find in favor of an AMS are:

  • Specificity 
  • Totality
  • Productivity

Generic CRMs can provide a foundation, but without the help of developer or a significant amount of time, the CRM will continue to stay a foundation and never fully function to the level you need. In contrast, a true AMS is built for the specificities of your specific industry niche. Generally, this is either the life and health side or the property and casualty side. 

Using an AMS over a CRM can help you have a more efficient, less stress Annual Election Period (AEP) and Open Enrollment (OE). This is due largely to the fact that an AMS is specifically built to handle the various needs of that specific insurance niche. This allows you to be better equipped for the demands and deluge that come with AEP and OE respectively. 

Another reason for this is due to how current the CRM software is. Not only is a generic CRM an impedance to productivity and growth, but using legacy software that's 1) not built for your industry and 2) not maintained can be just as much of a hindrance—if not more.

Learn more about the differences between an industry-specific AMS and generic CRM in our brief guide Agency Management System vs. CRM: What you need to know.

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Key Features to Consider in Your Agency Management System:

  • Industry-Specific CRM

    Track and manage your book of business smarter by using a system intuitively built for your specific industry.

  • Cloud-Based Access

    Access your book of business from anywhere with any device with the help of a cloud-based AMS. 

  • Contact-Based Organization

    Ensure your book of business is organized in a clean, efficient, and easy to understand manner with a contact-based AMS.

  • Whole-Office Solution

    Keep your entire office on-track and working cohesively by integrating the whole office into one specific AMS.

  • Commissions Processing

    When your AMS is paired with your commissions processing, the task is significantly easier to accomplish each month.

  • Workflow Automation

    Many tasks of your daily process can be automated to help you work smarter and achieve more in less time.

  • Dashboard Analytics

    Real-time analytics allow you to keep a pulse on your agency to help you address situations before they become problems.

  • Custom Reporting

    Reporting directly from your AMS helps you understand the overall trends of your agency and make more informed decisions.

  • Email Marketing

    Keep in contact with your clients, prospects, and leads with an email marketing platform built directly into your AMS.

  • Policy Management

    Policies are the core of your business. Keep them orderly and organized within an AMS built to understand them.

  • Lead Management

    Stay on top of your leads and incoming prospects by seamlessly tracking them in your AMS.

  • Cross-Selling

    Grow your book of business from within by utilizing your AMS to help you identify ideal cross-sell opportunities.

The 5 steps to selecting the right agency management system for your agency.

You want to ensure you're making the right decision for your agency when it comes to choosing a new agency management system (AMS) for your agency. This is an important decision and can take some time, but here are the 5 steps we've fleshed out that we urge you to follow while you make your decision. 

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What to ask during your search.

Adopting a new agency management system (AMS) is an exciting and slightly scary adventure, especially when you're trying to find the right one for your agency. One of the first steps to take is to define your needs, wants, and goals. A need is what you must have in order to function at your current level and a want is something that you would like to have to help propel your agency into the future. However, you must have your goals identified and fleshed out beforehand to help you determine what tools will be necessary with your new AMS. Download this checklist to help you define what your needs and wants will be.

The next step is knowing what to ask. This is a hard step, but here are three areas we've defined to help you understand what you need to ask, what you should expect for answers, and what you should be wary of. 

  • Data Migration

    Data migration is the act of bringing all of your data point (client, prospect, lead, and agent information) over from your current system to your new AMS. The migration itself can vary widely from being rather easy to being an absolute headache. This mainly stems from one specific question: is your data still 100% yours? 

  • Security

    Security is a hot button topic and for good reason. No matter which AMS you choose, the fact of the matter is they'll be housing all of your data, your clients' sensitive information, everything. They will be housing your livelihood. For that reason, you want to ensure you're partnering with the right AMS to ensure your data and your clients' information remain safe and secure. 

  • Who The Vendor Is

    You want to make sure your new AMS will help promote your day-to-day processes and productivity. Ask questions to get the full scope of what the software offers and who you are partnering with to ensure you're making the right decision. Remember, you're investing in a partner, not just purchasing a product. 

AgencyBloc, The #1 Agency Recommended Management System

  • AgencyBloc is a life and health insurance-specific CRM

    Life & Health Insurance-Specific CRM

  • AgencyBloc provides industry-leading commissions processing tools

    Commissions Processing

  • AgencyBloc provides automated workflows to help automated tasks so agents work smarter, not harder

    Workflow & Marketing Automation

AgencyBloc is an agency management system that helps life and health insurance agencies grow their business with an industry-specific CRM, commissions processing, and integrated business and marketing automation.

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  • Leslye G.

    "We've been able to cut our time processing commissions by 75%, saved nearly $33,000 every year in employee time, and have gained 90 hours back every month. Switching to AgencyBloc was the best decision I made as a commissions manager."
    —LESLYE G., JTS FINANCIAL

  • Brian K.

    "AgencyBloc is the most functional and advantageous at one of the most economical prices. We now pay over 200 brokers and agents on a monthly basis and our volume has increased 10 times."
    —BRIAN K., BOST WORKPLACE BENEFITS

  • Jeannette T.

    "We’ve saved $30,000 annually on generating reports and are retaining 90% of our business since moving. It’s the best software decision this company has ever made."
    —JEANNETTE T., HEALTH INSURANCE STORE

Ready for an agency management system in your agency?

AgencyBloc is an agency management system (AMS) that helps life and health insurance agencies grow their business by organizing and automating their operations using a combination of an industry-specific CRM, commissions processing, and integrated business and marketing automation.

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