Is There a Difference? CRM Vs AMS

[antek227]

I've been looking at several AMS and CRM platforms. I really like EzLynx AMS. However, I love salesforce. I am wondering if having EzLynx and Salesforce is an unnecessary redundancy. And and all thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[EugeneM]

The ams should be taking care of ALL data storage & crm needs or what is the point of buying it.

So yes it would be a little redundant IMO - its not cheep either paying for both

 

[pageins]

Depends what you are looking to do. We use a combination of products to get our job done.

 

[antek227]

You mentioned EzLynx, I wonder, how it compares with Vertafore Agency Platform.

 

[ivorym]

To answer the thread: yes, there is a difference. This biggest differences are around the available fields (industry specific vs generic fields) and the reports (reports that make sense for the insurance industry vs generic data reports).

I wrote an article on this subject called "Industry Specific Agency Management System or Generic CRM?"

In the blog post I outlined 8 things I’ve consistently heard from our users @ AgencyBloc about the benefits of using an AMS vs a generic CRM:

"It's easier to track the things that I need to track."
"The support team knows my needs."
"I can run reports that make sense for my agency."
"I don't have to spend time customizing the system to work for my agency."
"It's easier to stay organized without custom fields all over."
"The available features are specific to what I need."
"Commissions processing saves us hours of time each month."
"I don't have to work around all of the features that I don't need."

One example from AgencyBloc:
When tracking policies in AgencyBloc you can tell the system what type of policy it is and the available fields will be custom to that particular coverage type.

You can check it out at agencybloc.com or let me know if you have questions: 866-338-7075 or [email protected]

Thanks!

 

[pageins]

I do not belive it is an either / or proposition.

There a place in the insurance world (and in many other industries) for software that does something different than a traditional agency management system, which should handle all the nitty gritty of existing business.

 

[Cameron Lane]

The prominence of CRM, customer or constituent relationship management, has increased greatly over the past few years as an approach for associations to expand and deepen relationships with members. Nearly all associations in the 2013 annual Lehman Reports study of association management software say CRM is an important consideration in their selection of AMS products, including one-quarter who say the strength of these capabilities is one of the most important factors.

That has led some to suggest that associations should consider using a standalone CRM application instead of an AMS. By a large margin, however, associations want these CRM capabilities as a part of the AMS, and are largely not willing to even consider adopting a standalone CRM application in place of an AMS. At best they’d be willing to consider a standalone CRM in conjunction with an AMS and if, and only if, it is integrated with the AMS.

 

[fedvp]

Primary focus of an AMS is to store data for the purpose of running the association and performing the day-to-day functions of the organization.

A CRM system is also used to store data, but the purpose of these systems is different. A CRM system is designed to create better customer relationships, which in turn help to grow your organization.

 

[Ken W]

I do not belive it is an either / or proposition.

There a place in the insurance world (and in many other industries) for software that does something different than a traditional agency management system, which should handle all the nitty gritty of existing business.

Agreed. For a long time all the "InsurTech" companies were focused on replacing brokers/agencies (direct to consumer carries, etc.). As a result, a lot of the innovations haven't really been focused on improving agent processes.

I think that's changing, especially with the commercial space where the agent/broker plays a vital role. There's a reason why 98.5% of all businesses go through an agent/broker for insurance. I think you're going to start seeing more people devoting their time and more venture capitalists investing in companies who are focused on arming brokers/agents rather than trying to remove them.

This will put pressure on AMS and CRMs to improve their tools or they'll be eventually replaced. Unfortunately, that's not something happening in the next month or two

The company I'm at has been focused on helping commercial brokerages/agents via software, so I find this whole thing super interesting. Love hearing others thoughts on this.

 

[Jalery]

It depends on what you want to do,there is no difference