Curious how you can best take advantage of Applied TAM® 2019? We sat down with Applied Systems Project Manager & Principal Product Owner Jeffrey Kaufmann to learn more about what users in 2020 should be paying attention to.
Share the top 3-5 Applied TAM 2019 updates that users should take note of.
Jeffrey Kaufmann (JK): Applied TAM 2019 delivers a number of features which were pulled directly from the Product Advisory Community, along with a number of technical improvements to ensure that Applied TAM will continue to serve the needs of the passionate Applied TAM community. A few standout features to look for are:
- Risk Import – Save time and effort by importing spreadsheets of vehicle and driver information for applications containing Commercial Automobile schedules. Further, schedules can be exported and distributed for updates and then re-imported into the system to update that information.
- Advanced Extra Criteria – Fully leverage the power of Applied TAM’s upgraded reports engine by using the all-new Advanced Extra Criteria. Using custom syntaxes and powerful logic, find exactly the data you are looking for in your reports.
- Additional Contact Information – With the increasing use of social media, contacts in Applied TAM can now hold various information related to social media profiles. Make it easier to reach your customers where they are already spending their time, and ensure that your social media campaigns are reaching those you intend to.
- Revise Attachment Detail – Ensuring that attachments are reliable means carefully controlling who has access to make changes to the content of an attached file. There are situations, however, where typos and incorrect information need to be corrected without completely re-attaching an item. In order to retain the integrity of attached files in this scenario, a new security option has been added to give users the ability to edit the details of an attachment without being able to modify the file itself.
What is some of the specific user feedback that led to these updates?
JK: We had a number of discussions through the Product Advisory Community as well as our IMPACT committee for Applied TAM. A driving theme throughout these conversations was the need to get the right information into (and out of) the system as efficiently as possible. We dramatically streamlined the process of creating and updating commercial automobile schedules in order to make that arduous process much more efficient. Following the success of that effort, we are already gathering feedback on the next group of information that we can streamline in a similar way.
Many Applied Client Network (ACN) members are Applied TAM users. Are there any “insider" tips that you can share that might be unknown, especially if related to the recently released features?
JK: It is hard to identify completely new tips and tricks for Applied TAM these days. With a product that has been around as long — and with as many experienced users — as Applied TAM has, most of the tricks have been identified and discussed at length. That said, there are still a number of things in Applied TAM which continue to be underutilized. One of the most prominent is the use of the Marketing Wizard in reports. Leveraging the powerful Applied TAM searches, you can find a precise set of customers, prospects or contacts and automate the process of creating form letters and activities to market directly to that set of customers. Coupling this with the power of further actions on activities, an entire string of automated steps can be designed to create communication campaigns to your customers simply by running a report. Find customers with contacts who are turning 16 soon and send them a letter reminding them to review their coverages and driver list. Find clients with high-value premiums and send them a letter of thanks. Get a list of customers who have Homeowners Insurance but not a Personal Umbrella, and inform them of your new offering. All of these scenarios and more can be completely automated through the Wizard menu in Applied TAM Reports.
Jeffrey Kaufmann has worked with Applied Systems for 13 years, moving from design to support to product management, all with a focus on Applied TAM. Currently a project manager for Applied TAM, he is response for working with Applied Systems' passionate Applied TAM customers to identify the right features, and with the development teams to make sure user needs continue to be met.