We love vintage cars. We have so many favorites - but there's nothing like seeing an old Ford Model A on its way to a local summer car show.
The elegant lines, rounded fenders, and boxy silhouette are classic. And seeing the car takes us back to sepia-toned snapshots of our 18-year-old grandfather standing next to his Model A in 1933.
While most of us admire vintage cars we don't want to own or operate one. They're often unsafe, impractical, and expensive to restore and maintain.
Running your insurance agency using antiquated legacy systems is like traveling cross-country in a Ford Model A. Getting where you want to costs more, takes longer, and is far more difficult than it should be.
However, many insurance agencies continue to use antiquated systems because they fear that transformation will be disruptive and complicated. They believe that it's better to stick with the familiar, even if it comes with its own set of challenges.
John Snipes, a third-generation agency owner in North Carolina, believes otherwise.
His grandfather started the business in 1952, and John began working alongside his father in
the agency in 2000. Snipes Insurance now operates in four locations with 25 team members
(and onboards 2-3 new hires each year).
John said, "I'm proud of what my grandfather and father built, but I knew the fragmented system we used for so long wouldn't carry us into the future."
Like so many agencies, Snipes Insurance was busy solving vendor and carrier issues, filtering through inconsistent data, and trying to keep team members on the same page — while simultaneously serving clients and building the business.
But over time, the frustrations of working across multiple platforms were draining the
organization. Inefficiency was up, morale was down, and company culture was taking it on the chin.
In 2022, John took a bold step toward addressing those challenges and future-proofing his
agency by implementing btcore, an agency management system built by agents for
agents on the Salesforce Financial Services Cloud platform.
After cleaning up its data, preparing the agency for change, and training staff on the platform, Snipes Insurance launched its new cloud-based system on January 1, 2023.
"From the beginning, every day was a better day. Our team was excited to see the potential
come together and instantly knew the transition was worth it - that btcore would
empower them to serve our clients better. We haven't had one customer complaint since the
launch," said John.
Now, Snipes team members enter data the same way on a single platform, regardless of
individual roles. The results? The team understands clients more comprehensively, can allocate resources proactively, and is seamlessly tied together across every department.
John says, "Not only are we getting more from our waged time, we're finally past trying to fit
methodologies into a box. Now we say, "What should the box look like? What do we want it to
do for us? What's outside the box? We're not afraid to try anything."
Failing systems frustrate employees, and frustrated employees don't excel individually or
together. But the opposite is also true.
On this side of implementing btcore, John reports, "Once we fell behind on workflow, our
culture paid the price. But after making the change, our team communications are improving
exponentially, and we enjoy working together again. There are lots of high-fives, and everyone cheers each other on. We feel like—and treat each other like—family. That's what matters most because it shows up in the way we serve our clients. They notice the difference, and so does our bottom line."