Some of the most important decisions facing independent insurance agencies are tied to technology. Therefore, identifying the right partner to streamline operations and drive growth is critical. However, few agency owners are experienced in mounting the search.

Finding the right solutions begins and ends with ensuring the right people ask the right questions. Here are three steps agencies should take when selecting tech:

1) Assess your needs. Who are the clients to be served? Is the agency providing personal or commercial lines insurance solutions? The technology needs for each can differ. It also depends on your insurance segment and other verticals your agency serves. 

Your chosen technology must play well in these spaces. Moreover, the leadership team needs to prioritize the goals and objectives of any technology integration. What are the pain points to be solved? Will the tech work within the culture and environment of the agency?

2) Vet your options. Technology vendors, for the most part, do a good job providing case studies, references and—increasingly—track records of success. Each is important. However, launching your search from your agency peer group is a sound next step. While independent research can be helpful and is always recommended, it can also be overwhelming. 

Start with your independent agency associations. They can be a great resource to help you sort through the noise in the marketplace. In most cases, associations may offer solution providers they either recommend or with whom they partner. Typically, these providers have experience with some of the operational issues experienced by their members. An association's recommended vendor partner should not be the beginning or the end of the search but it is another helpful step in vetting competitive resources. 

Agencies can also consider hiring consultants to assist in vendor selection and integration. Consultants often have vetted, qualified vendors, reducing your search time. Of course, consultants cost money, adding to the overall expense of technology integration. Additionally, you need to ensure the consultant has experience solving the specific types of problems your agency is experiencing. This means you must validate the validator, which can become its own process and requires time and resources. 

Lastly, explore new and emerging technology solutions in the market. These companies are often -focused on addressing pain points that legacy vendors haven't resolved, bringing fresh, innovative approaches to familiar, unsolved challenges. By adopting these modern solutions, your teams can benefit from streamlined processes and enhanced capabilities, often with an emphasis on elevating the overall customer experience.

3) Consult and find value. The most important part of the search for the right tech solution is to ensure the staff doing the work are part of the decision-making process. Sometimes the agency owner may not fully appreciate the impact of certain pain points. If those experiencing the pain aren't involved in validating the proposed tech or don't get to ask the right questions, a lot of time and money can be wasted. 

The questions to ask a vendor will be inspired by those who are directly experiencing the pain points. That said, some high-level questions should be posed to any tech provider under consideration, such as: 

• What metrics of value can you share from others who have used your system? 
• What is the typical return on investment (ROI) for agencies that have incorporated your product? 
• What does the implementation process look like for an agency of our size and type? 
• What kind of trial or pilot period can you provide to test your platform? 
• Does your platform currently integrate with the existing systems we plan to continue to use? 

There is no guaranteed method for selecting the ideal technology vendor. However, by asking these questions, you can find the right partner to make your business more efficient.

Chris Peabody is leader of partnership efforts at Ascend, an industry-leading platform to automate the entire insurance financial operations lifecycle across collections, accounting, reconciliations, and disbursements.