If you ask anyone working in insurance how they got into the field, they'll tell you two things: that they didn't grow up wanting to be in insurance and that they "fell into it."          

Insurance is not a new industry. Insurers have been offering coverage to United States businesses since the Declaration of Independence. But the role of advisory organizations within the U.S. insurance industry has evolved over time…and at AAIS, we’re evolving with it.

After evaluating your organizational structure and asking essential questions about the need to establish a more remote workforce, it’s time to think about the big question… How are you going to effectively hire, attract, onboard and keep people in this remote environment? According to Sharon Emek, Ph.D., CIC, and founder and CEO of Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE), once your hiring strategy and recruiting process is in place, you’ll want to turn to applicant selection, interviews, and onboarding.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left profound impacts on businesses worldwide, forcing many organizations to pivot to remote work. COVID-19 has taught companies that good, efficient work can be done from anywhere, and that talent identification shouldn’t be confined to geographic locations. As the pandemic continues, some organizations have struggled with how to hire and onboard top talent remotely.

COVID-19 has caused an abundance of challenges for businesses everywhere. With protective restrictions, unessential businesses were forced to send employees home and, in many cases, shut down due to the threat of the rapidly spreading virus. These businesses deemed "unessential," however, are essential to the livelihoods of many, leaving businesses in a state of panic. How were they to continue business when they couldn't remain open? Many businesses that could feasibly function as a remote workforce have attempted the transition, and as COVID-19's threats persist, many schools have made the decision as well.

In a special edition of the AAIS Webinar Series, CONVR VP Sales and Marketing Phil Alampi presented on the topic of "Artificial Intelligence: Creating Super Underwriters." Mr. Alampi discussed the growing impacts COVID-19 has had on insurers. With more than 75% of carriers seeing increases in business interruption claims, the demand for coverage is expectedly surging. This growing challenge has a positive side, however, for the impacts of COVID-19 have expedited the need for the industry to improve its ability to crunch data better and more efficiently.

In a well-attended edition to the AAIS Webinar Series, BriteCore’s Director of Product Configuration, Tricia Pattee discussed ways in which technology can support product changes, product configuration, rapid product development while giving a competitive edge.

For AAIS Associate Partner Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE), filling the insurance talent gap is not just a goal…it’s a personal mission.

“Sharon Emek, Founder and CEO, and I both spent the major part of our careers in the insurance industry. We observed the decline in available talent as young people were not attracted to the insurance industry and recognized the quickly approaching baby-boomer retirement,” said WAHVE’s President and Chief Revenue Officer Bill Hunt. “We knew first-hand that attracting and retaining talent in the insurance industry, where specialized knowledge and experience is so important, was a problem and that the industry was facing a huge brain-drain with the imminent boomer retirement.”

In the modern, digital marketplace, the customer experience is everything. From retail to service, today’s consumers expect quick, complete and secure interactions at every touchpoint.

Insurance is no different – and with stiff competition to win and retain clients, creating a positive customer experience is more important than ever. Insurers need to shift from being a service transaction industry to an experience industry.