Outdoor industry-focused insurance agency implements all-in-one management system and digital payments solution to standardize its operational processes and best serve customers

LEWISVILLE, TX– October 26, 2023 – EZLynx, an Applied company, today announced that Cross Current Insurance has selected EZLynx and Applied Pay as the technology foundation to support agency operations and business growth. The adoption of this technology strategy will enable Cross Current Insurance, a thought leader in providing much-needed innovative insurance products and services to the fishing, hunting, and outdoor industries, to automate daily policy management workflows and offer a digital payments experience, allowing staff to save time from manual processes and labor-intensive data tracking to focus more effectively on providing enhanced service to clients.

“We have grown quickly due to our focused understanding of our unique specialization but ran into scaling challenges navigating our business off Excel reports and other overly complicated manual processes,” said Anthony Maielli, commercial lines manager CISR, Cross Current Insurance. “We knew EZLynx was the right fit for us and our customers when we learned how it could easily streamline our workflows and have all our client and policy data in one easy, accessible place, while also providing online digital experiences, like self-service and digital payments, that our customers have come to expect.”

EZLynx’s integrated agency management technologies provide comparative rating, agency management and automation, commercial submissions, retention tools, consumer quoting, email marketing, text messaging, online client self-servicing, and so much more. The system maximizes agencies’ potential by increasing their ability to retain current customers while acquiring new business. By providing a central location, EZLynx enables agents to generate and store quotes, policies and documents, as well as easily remarket with up-to-date information that is synced from agents’ daily policy downloads. Through advanced automation and the ability to seamlessly connect to insurers and insureds, agents using EZLynx improve productivity, simplify management, optimize serviceability and increase profitability.

Applied Pay is a cloud-based electronic payments hub that enables agents and brokers to provide their clients a secure, online way to pay for new and recurring premiums. Directly integrated into Applied Epic, Applied CSR24 and EZLynx Client Center, Applied Pay provides intuitive, branded checkout pages where policyholders can go to pay for premiums via text link, credit card, ACH, digital wallet, or other payment methods. It automatically handles payment authorization and tokenizes sensitive information to increase security and ensure compliance. The solution also reconciles receivables at the account level, reducing manual workflows and improving the accuracy and timeliness needed to reconcile payments.

“We work with many agencies who have hit the next step in their growth agenda where the manual, paper-driven processes will just no longer cut it to scale their business and meet the digital needs of their customer,” said Michael Streit, general manager, EZLynx. “We like to act as a productive extension of our customers, so they can manage their customer data and sales and servicing processes in one system, multiplying the team’s impact so they can provide even better service to their customers.”

EZLynx unveils Quote By Text, Generative AI and other innovations across the platform at Applied Net 2023

LEWISVILLE, TX– October 25, 2023 – EZLynx, an Applied company, today announced increased investment and innovation across its EZLynx product portfolio at Applied Net 2023. The latest advancements in the EZLynx portfolio help agencies accelerate growth by providing an efficient and personalized customer experience that will foster greater client acquisition and retention.

Advancements to the EZLynx portfolio include:

• Quote By Text: This first-of-its-kind industry solution provides the opportunity for agencies to reach consumers through a new touchpoint by sending text messages that initiate the selling process. From there, Quote By Text engages in conversation with the consumer until enough information is gathered to provide a quote. It will attract insurance shoppers who prefer the ease, convenience, and simplicity of text-based interactions, bringing a brand-new channel of quality leads for agencies.
• AI-Powered Content Assist Tool: In EZLynx Communication Center, the integrated, generative AI tool purpose-built for insurance agents assists the email creation process, ensuring clear, concise, and engaging communication.
• Automated Renewal Quoting: Within EZLynx Retention Center, the feature automatically retrieves remarketed rates for at-risk renewals in a matter of seconds, rather than the 7 – 15 minutes’ worth of manual effort previously required for each renewal.
• Sales Center Modernization: The new interface in EZLynx Sales Center promotes more focused, intuitive card-based workflows, including “drag and drop” functionality, allowing agents to advance opportunities through the pipeline with ease and build a stronger sales pipeline.

“Technology decisions are not for the short-term, so the team here at EZLynx is committed to offering sustainable, cutting-edge innovation that serves our customers today and in the future,” said Michael Streit, general manager, EZLynx. “Our industry-first and state-of-the-art technologies ensure that EZLynx becomes the agency’s most productive employee, equipping agents with the tools they need to create distinctive customer experiences and elevate their competitive edge.”

Independent agency leverages all-in-one agency management system to centralize agency operations and gain a single view of the customer

LEWISVILLE, TX– February 21, 2023 – EZLynx, an Applied company, today announced that Robinson Bryant Agency has selected EZLynx to run its business operations. The EZLynx management system will enable Robinson Bryant Agency to standardize its operational processes and data on a single platform, allowing staff to more effectively service and sell with quick and easy access to client and prospect information.

“The insurance industry is constantly evolving and especially as an independent agency, it is crucial that we utilize the most innovative solutions in order to best serve our clients and stay ahead,” said Otanaio Robinson, president, Robinson Bryant Agency. “From the start, it’s been clear to us that EZLynx’s integration capabilities would be the single solution to standardize our business, versus the inefficient, multiple systems we were using. We are excited to utilize the innovative tools EZLynx management system offers to better serve and manage our clients through the complete insurance customer life cycle while maximizing our agency’s potential on one single system.”

EZLynx’s integrated agency management technologies provide comparative rating, agency management and automation, commercial submissions, retention tools, consumer quoting, email marketing, text messaging, online client self-servicing, and so much more. The system maximizes agencies’ potential by increasing their ability to retain current customers while acquiring new business. By providing a central location, EZLynx enables agents to generate and store quotes, policies and documents, as well as easily remarket with up-to-date information that is synced from agents’ daily policy downloads. Through advanced automation and the ability to seamlessly connect to insurers and insureds, agents using EZLynx improve productivity, simplify management, optimize service ability and increase profitability.

“Today’s speed of operations and increasing competition doesn’t afford agencies the chance to manage multiple systems and manual processes any longer,” said Brenna Johnson, vice president of product management, EZLynx. “EZLynx will enable Robinson Bryant Agency to automate their business with an all-in-one agency management platform, delivering the automation and connectivity needed to give their team the freedom to focus on providing an enhanced customer service that will improve the agency’s overall efficiency and profitability.”

Company honored with six awards for its innovative technology and excellence in the workplace

University Park, IL. – Dec. 7, 2022 – Applied Systems today announced that the company was recognized in the 12th Annual Best in Biz Awards, the only independent business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America. Applied won awards in six categories which placed it on the prestigious ‘Most Awarded Companies’ list:

• Applied Analytics won Gold in Best New Version of the Year
• Indio won Silver in Most Innovative Product of the Year – SMB
• Applied Systems won Bronze in Company of the Year – Large
• Ask Kodiak won Bronze in Most Innovative Product of the Year – Enterprise
• EZLynx won Bronze in Most Innovative Product of the Year – SMB
• Applied Epic Benefits for Salesforce won Bronze in Enterprise Product of the Year – Sales Software

The 12th annual program saw fierce competition among more than 700 entries from public and private companies of all sizes and representing all industries and regions in the U.S. and Canada. This year’s judging panel included, among others, writers from AdWeek, Computerworld, Forbes, The Globe & Mail, Inc., The Oregonian and Portland Tribune. The judges determined the best of the best from among the hundreds of competitive entries and highlighted Applied Systems’ visionary leadership, organizational performance, and innovative strides in the development and use of new technologies in the insurance industry.

“It is an honor to not only receive these awards but also be recognized as one of the most awarded companies in the 12th Annual Best in Biz Awards,” said Taylor Rhodes, chief executive officer, Applied Systems. “These awards demonstrate Applied’s commitment to our people to be a great place to work and to our customers to be their indispensable partner by delivering innovative solutions that help them win and retain more business so they grow more profitably.”

Agency implements EZLynx technology to automate renewal processes, improving efficiency and customer loyalty

LEWISVILLE, TX– November 10, 2022 – EZLynx, an Applied company, today announced that Teagle Insurance Agency will leverage EZLynx Management System, specifically Retention Center, to automate, proactively communicate, and better manage the agency’s renewal process on a single interface, improving customer loyalty and team productivity.

“Our agency celebrated 30 years of serving clients this year and we do not want to get complacent, so we recognize we need to evolve from our manual renewal process that has potential for human error and could disrupt service for our customers,” said Sydney Early, vice president, Teagle Insurance Agency. “Incorporating EZLynx and Retention Center will streamline our agency’s retention process through a single interface to keep one view of our customers while minimizing the individual, one-off paper process so staff can focus time on where it matters most – sales and service. Overall, I believe our employees will be happier, our clients are going to be happier and EZLynx is truly going to change every piece of our business.”

EZLynx is for comparative rating, agency management and automation, commercial submissions, retention tools, consumer quoting, email marketing, text messaging, online client self-servicing, and so much more. The system maximizes agencies’ potential by increasing their ability to retain current customers while acquiring new business. By providing a central location, EZLynx enables agents to generate and store quotes, policies and documents, as well as easily remarket with up-to-date information that is synced from agents’ daily policy downloads. Through advanced automation and the ability to seamlessly connect to insurers and insureds, agents using EZLynx improve productivity, simplify management, optimize serviceability and increase profitability.

“Maximizing retention is one of the most effective ways for an agency to increase its overall productivity and customers using our patented product, Retention Center, average 8 points higher policy in force retention than their counterparts. The ability to harness technology to automate, conduct and manage a proactive renewal process is crucial for success,” said Brenna Johnson, vice president of product management, EZLynx. “EZLynx will allow Teagle Insurance Agency to automate their business with an all-in-one agency management system, prioritizing retention and creating efficiency for all stakeholders so they can reinforce their value as a trusted advisor and future-proof their business for tomorrow.”

EZLynx unveils new Performance Goals module and other innovations across the platform at Applied Net 2022

LEWISVILLE, TX. – September 29, 2022 – EZLynx®, an Applied company, today announced increased investment and innovation across its EZLynx product portfolio at Applied Net 2022. The latest advancements in the EZLynx portfolio will enable agencies to accelerate growth, stay competitive, prioritize retention, and streamline agency workflows to create simpler and more connected interactions with customers.

Notably, the latest release includes a new Performance Goals module for EZLynx Management System, which will enable agencies to better manage and grow their businesses by setting growth targets, measuring progress in visible ways, and tracking targets to completion. Performance Goals will provide the flexibility to set goals as absolute increases, percentage increases, or target numbers to be reached within three key areas of business: Policies in Force, Annualized Premium, and Written Premium. It will allow agencies to tailor their goals by the carrier, policy type, line of business, and state, better positioning agencies to monitor their progress and build their book of business.

Additional advancements to the EZLynx portfolio include:

• Customer Feedback, Referrals, & Google Reviews: In EZLynx Client Center, agents can collect customer feedback directly within the customer portal, add customer referrals to the agency’s sales pipeline as leads, and provide easy access for clients to leave Google reviews on the agency’s Google Review page.
• Automation of Invoices: Within EZLynx Automation Center, a new Invoice Created trigger automates the delivery of invoices and tasks to follow up.

• Rating Broker Fees: In EZLynx Rating Engine, broker fees can be set up by carrier, state and line of business, and agents can enter a flat dollar amount or a percentage up to two decimal places, to display as a separate line item during the quoting process.
• Submissions Center Automation: Two new triggers have been added called Commercial Submission Added and Commercial Submission Updates. These triggers automate regular agency activities, like schedule checklists, generating documents, and more, at these specific milestones along the commercial submission process.

 

“EZLynx is committed to investing in intelligent innovations that deliver enhanced value in the core of our platform through automation and connectivity,” said Brenna Johnson, vice president of product management, EZLynx. “EZLynx is excited to also foray into data analytics with more visibility and tracking into business performance goals than ever, helping agencies plan for scalable growth one milestone at a time.”