Applied Systems Announces 2020 Pinnacle Award Winners
September 23, 2020
Top customer recognition for technology innovation, business success and partnership in the digital path forward in insurance
UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. – Sept. 23, 2020 – Applied Systems® today presented its annual Pinnacle Awards at Applied Net 2020, bringing together the largest online gathering of independent agents, brokers, insurers and MGAs. As the company’s highest customer honor, the Pinnacle Award recognizes partnership with Applied Systems and innovative usage of the company’s technology in driving digital transformation for the recipient’s business and the insurance industry as a whole.
The 2020 Pinnacle Award winners are The Accel Group, Go Insurance, The IMA Financial Group, Inc., State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company (State Auto) and World Insurance Associates. Award recipients are selected based on their embodiment of the spirit of the Pinnacle Award, including innovation in product deployment, the power of partnership, and the ability to deliver tangible business results to their organizations and the insurance industry.
“To emerge as stronger, more resilient companies in the Digital Future of Insurance, companies must digitally transform to allow new and innovative business processes and customer service models,” said Taylor Rhodes, chief executive officer, Applied Systems. “We are proud to announce our Pinnacle Award winners, who are forward-thinking organizations, leading the way in leveraging digital technology to bring productivity, intelligence, simplicity and value to their businesses, their customers and across the entire insurance ecosystem.”
2020 Pinnacle Award Winners
The Accel Group is one of Iowa’s largest home-grown, independent insurance agencies. The company provides individual, business and agribusiness insurance solutions, strategic counsel, employee benefits, financial and risk management services to partners of all sizes. The Accel Group has been a partner of Applied’s for more than 25 years, growing their business through technology and continuously transforming as innovation became available. The company has a robust technology strategy that spans from innovation. Applied CSR24®, Applied MobileInsured®, and Applied Mobile®, and Indio empower mobile customer and staff experiences. Applied Epic®, Applied Benefits Designer® and Applied Analytics® enhance core operational productivity, and IVANS® provides greater access to markets and automated servicing from insurers to insureds throughout the policy lifecycle.
When GO Insurance joined the GO Auto Group in 2012, the leadership and staff were tasked to match the pace of its parent company. To achieve this, they were going to have to be driven and open to innovative ways of doing business. In 2015, Applied Epic became the vehicle that helped to reinvent, repurpose and reprocess their brokerage. Deploying Applied WebRater to streamline the sales process and leveraging the customer self-service option with Applied CSR24 and My GoInsurance app also elevated the customer experience and changed the way insurance was transacted. The data-based insights available through Applied Analytics supports leadership, the growth of the company and future initiatives necessary for its continued positive growth.
The IMA Financial Group, Inc. is an integrated financial services company focused on protecting the assets of its widely varied client base through insurance and wealth management solutions. Because IMA is 100-percent employee owned, the company’s more than 800 associates in Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas are empowered to provide customized solutions for their clients’ unique needs. In partnering with Applied, the company has been focused on a strategic Client Experience initiative, aimed at understanding and improving IMA’s client interactions on all levels. The core catalyst of this initiative is Digital Agency technology to provide the data-driven strategies, operational insights, and tailored insurance solutions that can provide a best in class, one-of-a-kind customer experience.
State Auto, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a super-regional property and casualty insurance holding company. The company is primarily engaged in writing personal, business and farm insurance products exclusively through independent insurance agencies. State Auto leverages digital solutions to differentiate their business and meet the demands of today’s connected agencies and consumers. IVANS has been instrumental in helping grow their agency relationships and providing ease of doing business from the market appetite process, through quoting, to bind and servicing a policy. Most recently, State Auto added IVANS Benchmarks™ to make data-backed product and pricing strategies.
World Insurance Associates is named one of the Top 100 Agencies by both Insurance Journal and Business Insurance and a full-service insurance brokerage providing world-class asset and lifestyle protection with insurance, risk management, and benefit consulting services for individuals and businesses. Since its founding in 2012, World Insurance Associates has completed 71 acquisitions and serves its customers from 53 offices in 13 states and Washington, D.C. To support their acquisitive growth strategy, World Insurance Associates became a digital agency to seamlessly integrate new businesses into their broader book of business to maintain a single view of their prospect and customers. The company delivers premier customer service with the ability to provide online claims reporting, and access to policy summaries and insurance certificates on demand.
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About Applied Systems
Applied Systems is the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognized as a pioneer in insurance automation and the innovation leader, Applied is the world’s largest provider of agency and brokerage management systems, serving customers throughout the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied’s people and products enable millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most.