Keeping Up with Carrier Changes

[doublejay]

How do you guys keep up with changes with carriers [ex. product price increases, new products announcements, new software available, etc.]

Do you check the blogs (if available) for each carrier? Subscribe to newsletters (if available)? Call up carriers every time you hear a rumor?

Looking for an efficient way to do this....


p.s. Reason this comes to mind is today I was asked by someone to find out about a upcoming change to MassMutual's Legacy 100 WL (supposedly there will be a price increase). I really don't know where to find this info without calling. Does MM even have a blog/newsletter?

 

[NinjaNic]

We are an IMO communicating with agents and agencies and we are having a hell of a time ourselves. This many changes to products, pricing, comp, ag38 etc. have never happened this many at once. We are doing our best to get our communications out to the field but they need to partly rely on their field communications direct from the carriers (if appointed). We are also having to decide on what to send to the field and not...once you send someone 20 emails about product changes, they start not reading any of it....

Nic

 

[jdeasy]

I find that you find out about most insurance company changes after the fact if you are an agent.

It usually comes when you write an application the way you have always done it and then you get the notice that "we changed that". And then, "I thought we sent out an email blast on that".

I believe every insurance company has a bonafide business prevention department that exists solely to come up with screwy ideas for the agent workforce.

 

[xrac]

I find that you find out about most insurance company changes after the fact if you are an agent.

It usually comes when you write an application the way you have always done it and then you get the notice that "we changed that". And then, "I thought we sent out an email blast on that".

I believe every insurance company has a bonafide business prevention department that exists solely to come up with screwy ideas for the agent workforce.

The people who don't know how to sell are constantly looking for ways to make life easier for themselves but in the process they make it harder for the people who know how to sell.

 

[Cornelius]

Here's a site I ran into. I check it every few days just for the info..

United Underwriters

 

[dgoldenz]

We use Ash Brokerage and they post all carrier updates on their home page after logging in...easy to sort through, pretty comprehensive.

 

[glock32]

The people who don't know how to sell are constantly looking for ways to make life easier for themselves but in the process they make it harder for the people who know how to sell.

These cos do not give a rats ass about changing requirements at last minute. Just roll with the punches. Or you can always call ahead before submitting apps anticipate changes

 

[Norwayguy]

I find that you find out about most insurance company changes after the fact if you are an agent.

It usually comes when you write an application the way you have always done it and then you get the notice that "we changed that". And then, "I thought we sent out an email blast on that".

I believe every insurance company has a bonafide business prevention department that exists solely to come up with screwy ideas for the agent workforce.

I will never forget the time I recieved a letter from Great American that stated they had updated an application and all applications on the old form had to be submitted by X date and the date of the letter was the day after the cut off and of course I recieved it 3 days after it was sent...I remember logging on to the website and went through the archive of coming changes and this new application chafed was not noted anywhere....So like anyone who has done this I while I roll with the punches and figured I better download the new app and place an order for them. I went to the forms section and found the application for the product only to find out the old application was still on the website.

So I called GALIC and said so I am supposed to be using this new app and you didn't send me a copy. They said Spaniards it from the website and I said I tried to but only the old app is still up there....There was about 30 seconds of silence and finally the rep asked for my email and they emailed me the app.

I compared the two apps side by side the only change I could find was the date by the form # was different.

 

[jdeasy]

I will never forget the time I recieved a letter from Great American that stated they had updated an application and all applications on the old form had to be submitted by X date and the date of the letter was the day after the cut off and of course I recieved it 3 days after it was sent...I remember logging on to the website and went through the archive of coming changes and this new application chafed was not noted anywhere....So like anyone who has done this I while I roll with the punches and figured I better download the new app and place an order for them. I went to the forms section and found the application for the product only to find out the old application was still on the website.

So I called GALIC and said so I am supposed to be using this new app and you didn't send me a copy. They said Spaniards it from the website and I said I tried to but only the old app is still up there....There was about 30 seconds of silence and finally the rep asked for my email and they emailed me the app.

I compared the two apps side by side the only change I could find was the date by the form # was different.

It seems things never change. One of my companies sent out an email blast last Thurs that all applications were changing Jan. 1, 2013. Any applications sent in after that date on the old applications would be returned. There was a link to order new applications that were available "now". I clicked on the link to place an order for the term, underwritten whole life and the SIWL/GBWL. I ordered the maximum allowed for each state. You can download and print from their site so I downloaded one to see what the changes were. The download was the old rev date. I figured they just didn't change the website. I got that shipment on Monday and all the apps were the old rev date except for the term applications. I don't know if they only changed the term applications and should have only notified us of that or if they changed them all and still just sent the wrong applications.

I called a company rep yesterday and he didn't have a clue which version is correct.

That's why the op's question is unanswerable. How do we keep up with changes that the company doesn't even keep up with themselves?

 

[Norwayguy]

It seems things never change. One of my companies sent out an email blast last Thurs that all applications were changing Jan. 1, 2013. Any applications sent in after that date on the old applications would be returned. There was a link to order new applications that were available "now". I clicked on the link to place an order for the term, underwritten whole life and the SIWL/GBWL. I ordered the maximum allowed for each state. You can download and print from their site so I downloaded one to see what the changes were. The download was the old rev date. I figured they just didn't change the website. I got that shipment on Monday and all the apps were the old rev date except for the term applications. I don't know if they only changed the term applications and should have only notified us of that or if they changed them all and still just sent the wrong applications.

I called a company rep yesterday and he didn't have a clue which version is correct.

That's why the op's question is unanswerable. How do we keep up with changes that the company doesn't even keep up with themselves?

If you last any length of time you don't get used to it you just deal with it.