This week, Vertafore® kicked off Accelerate, powered by NetVU, with its strategy and vision for the future of InsurTech. In addition to several product reveals, Vertafore recognized the contributions of the independent agent channel over the past year, reserving special praise for the Big “I."

During the keynote, Vertafore CEO Amy Zupon recognized the work of the Big “I" and its chairman, Jon Jensen. In addition to positioning the organization for significant growth in the past year, under Jensen's leadership the Big “I" established its Trusted Choice^® COVID-19 Relief Fund. With $2.8 million in donations from partners, this fund is serving independent agencies while they adapt to the new business environment brought on by the pandemic. 

Zupon also highlighted the agencies recognized as leaders in their revenue categories in the 2020 Best Practices Study from Reagan Consulting and the Big “I." Produced every three years, this comprehensive look at the top performing agencies across the U.S. compiles benchmarking data on key metrics of agency performance. In the 2020 report, five of the six top performing agencies leverage Vertafore solutions. 

During the opening keynote, attendees saw the benefits of Vertafore's tech modernization effort with first looks at Vertafore MarketTrends™ and the latest generation of WorkSmart^®. These cloud-based, user experience-driven solutions are helping agencies improve productivity, pave the way for growth and deliver even more value to their clients. 

MarketTrends™, which was unveiled this week, unlocks the power of data from $135 billion in premium and 150 million policies. It is updated every 24 hours to uncover coverage trends, cross-selling opportunities and appropriate markets in an intuitive interface to help agents easily apply the information to their day-to-day interactions with clients. Agencies can also use the tool to explore carrier appetites, evaluate remarketing opportunities and identify the best carrier partners.

“MarketTrends enables agencies to access the most comprehensive, up-to-date market data and immediately put it to work to grow their business and service their clients," said James Thom, chief product and data officer at Vertafore. “As one of our customers often says, the best way to displace a competitor is to show up with better data. This tool gives our customers the resources and information to stay ahead of their competitors."

Worksmart, announced in April, improves productivity, streamlines tasks and enhances searching with personalized, dynamic to-do lists that update in real time and show tasks by priority; email automation that files messages and responses in the proper place in the agency's management system; and includes role-based and Big “I" Best Practices workflows.

Vertafore also outlined its long-term strategy and investments for technology infrastructure to support the solutions its 20,000 agency customers need to modernize their business, including an update on the company's strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance product performance and innovation. 

Kickoff Week for Accelerate 2021 continues through May 27, followed by more than 200 on-demand and live sessions in June. The event culminates with Carrier Week, June 29 –July 1. Vertafore users can register at any time throughout Accelerate to take advantage of sessions with tips and tricks to get the most from their Vertafore solutions. 

“One of the highlights of the past year was the work we did together across Vertafore and NetVU to bring value to our customers and users," says Cassidy Smirnow, chief revenue officer at Vertafore. “This year's Accelerate is a chance to celebrate that work and connect and grow as professionals. We're committed to continue building and growing better users and leaders and bolstering this vibrant community that we all love." 

Will Jones is IA editor-in-chief.