Applied TAM Week continues...sort of! For this latest story, we sat down with Applied Systems Project Manager & Principal Product Owner Jeffrey Kaufmann to learn more about his history with — and top user tips for — Applied TAM®. After more than 11 years with the company, you won’t want to miss what he had to say.
Connections: Share a bit about your background. How long have you been with Applied Systems? What has surprised you most about working on the Applied TAM team?
Jeffrey Kaufmann (JK): The vast majority of my career at Applied Systems has been devoted to Applied TAM. In the 11 years that I have been here, seven of them have been in roles dedicated specifically to Applied TAM, and the other four were as a design analyst for all of our management systems at that time. Working in Design, Support and now Product Management, I’ve had the privilege of getting to see products from their very early stages through to the post-release, and the impact they have made on the industry. The most exciting part of my job is getting to work with the Applied TAM Development and QA teams. Many members of this group have worked their entire careers developing Applied TAM and making it what it is today. I constantly learn new things about the history of Applied TAM and how the product got to where it is today. Even with higher and higher expectations, this group continues to surprise me with their dedication and ability to raise the bar with each new release.
Connections: In today’s world, we’re constantly making things better, faster, smarter or less expensive. We leverage technology or improve processes. In other words, we strive to do more — with less. How does that apply to the new Applied TAM 2018 features?
JK: Applied TAM 2018 really focuses on exactly that. We’re making the process of running Night Utilities completely automated. This is one less thing that needs to be done in the office, ensuring that maintenance is completed more consistently and freeing up time for staff so they can spend that time servicing customers. We’re also working to ensure that Applied TAM is around as long as the market needs it by updating our underlying technology, such as that which drives reports. Data is the driving force behind a successful business today, and insurance is no exception. Being able to get that data out in a logical and secure way is more important today than it ever has been. Updating our reporting engine makes sure that those reports will continue to be reliable and secure for years to come.
Connections: Share some tips for users on Applied TAM that you heard, or shared, at Applied Net in October.
JK: We tend to have a lot of the same themes when discussing tips at Applied Net. While Applied TAM provides a lot of flexibility in customizing workflows, these are some things that I think everyone can benefit from:
- Be consistent. Establish rules up front for how your office will use certain data points in the system, and ensure that everyone is adhering to those rules.
- Use your data. Applied TAM has a lot of information in its databases. It is useful beyond simply documenting insurance coverage. Use customer information to form a personal relationship with your insureds based on their interests. For example, maybe you can sponsor a local boat show and personally invite your customers with insured watercraft; or, maybe you can host a convention in your area for new homeowners. Your data is as powerful as you want it to be.
- Don’t be afraid of myTAM. myTAM is powerful enough to do everything from training new staff to introducing new workflows to your experienced CSRs. Taking the time to set up workflows can save you untold time in your day-to-day operations.
Connections: If you had to choose one thing that is most important about the Applied TAM 2018 release what would it be?
JK: This is a heavy question. Applied TAM 2018 is seeing a number of great features: Automated Night Utilities helps make Applied TAM more reliable; Expanded Insured Names help make the system more usable; and, upgraded reports help make it more durable.
I think, however, that all of these things combine together to show the most important thing about Applied TAM 2018 – our continuing commitment to enhance the system with new features so that dedicated Applied TAM users will be able to use this management system for years to come.