Insurance Journal Forums

I need to move up to a better management system. I do mostly commercial business (70%) and need better tracking of follow ups, better proposals, better marketing/searching, reports and ability to attach docs to my clients and client policies. I eventually want to get as paperless as possible. I'm looking at Applied Systems and AMS 360. I'm not too worried about price because if it works like I want it to, it should pay for itself, so I just want the best and hopefully my last system. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I just bought AMS 360 for my new agency. before that i work with AFW-Online and Applied. Honestly, i love AMS 360. Number one the training they provide is excellent. They really make sure that you understand the product. And I don't work for AMS This is my subjective opinion

I assume you are retail??? then I have to agree with InsAgentSF


If you are wholesale, AMS is bad bad bad.... Try AIM or IMS

AMS360 is a great system. Been on it for over 2 years now...training is excellent as is support.

Contact me direct for more input.

I have worked with them all. If I had to make a choice, it would be Sagitta. The system is awesome, great reports, user friendly and you can expand it with CBD Doc. This would allow you to go paperless. I work on AMS 360 now that I went to work for another agency and it is nothing compared to Sagitta. I've worked with these as a CSR and in marketing. AMS 360 does not compare to Sagitta.

Only problem with Sagitta is that it is intended for larger agencies.

Direct off of their web: AMS Sagitta the Leading Solution for Larger Agencies, MGAs, Banks and National Brokers.

The Applied System products TAM( The Agency Manager) and Vision are far superior products then AMS 360 or Saggitta. If you want a product that will do automated marketing campaigns, tracking and reports Applied has that all and more. We have been on Applied since 1987. I do not think that can say any more about being satisfied with a product. Not only can Applied market track and manage your customers and prospects it can do Real time inquiry, for billing, claims and policy. It can transmit FNOL in real time. Through Transformation station it can issue and rate!!!! There is a lot of talk out there about real time I can tell you the only REAL real time is through Transformation Station.

Dudes stay away from TAM, its fortune to buy into 7500.00 plus 400.00 minimum per month and very slow if you're going to use their on line system. They think their the only show in town, not any more. I would use AMS like pita3333333 suggested or use the Nexsure ( X-dimensional ) . The Hartford now owns about off this company and guess who just paid $20,000,000 as investment in Nexsure"¦..ChoicePoint the on line credit check company. If those two companies see potential then?

Applied and AMS are both still utilizing old school platforms. I am an AMS Afw client for 10 year, but will be taking a long hard look at NexSure (X Dimensional Technologies is the vendor) before upgrading. From all I have heard, NexSure will knock the socks off of any other system out there right now.

I currently use TAM and not only is it not a user friendly system, it is an accounting based system. Our agency used to use a system called Instar. Not many people have heard of it, but let me tell you, the most user-friendly system ever. We are a paper-less office, everything is t-filed at end of day. With Instar, the paper-less system works wonders. TAM is not as easy. One reason is that with Instar, you put in a note and could type and type, be as detailed as necessary , you never had to pull a file because everything was in the system. In TAM there is limited space for almost all functions - we have to abreviate so much you can barely understand what was typed. Instar is a "service" based system. Snce 95% of an agency's function is "service", only makes sense to use one that was created by insurance professionals rather than a system created by "techies". The unfortunate thing is our agency was purchased two years ago and we were switched to TAM. Worst day of my life...after two years I still do not like it.
Thanks for allowing me my "two cents".

I had a chance to see Applied, XDTI and AMS demos in my office. I took out one of my clients files and we added them to the systems. Although AMS and XDTI looked prettier, Applied seemed more functional with fewer steps to complete certs, change req. application etc. In XDTI you had to save whatever you were working on before you opened up another client, very frustrating because you usually work on several clients at the same time with calls coming in etc. With AMS you needed to open up E-Forms to view a cert. app, etc and that took several minutes to default data from the database, again very frustrating and too time comsuming. Applied wasn't perfect but company history, top position in Best Practice surveys and ACORD upload and download vendor of the year for 12 years and ease of use with minimal clicks sold me. Price was a little higher but I'll make that up with the marketing campaigns and proposal features they have. I'm happy with my decision to go with Applied but most of all my staff is happy.

I am looking at changing systems. I have a growing three person agency. Mostly personal lines. I know there are a lot of different systems out there. For me price is an issue. What are the price differences? Any suggestion?

Porter, cost of a system shouldn't come into play. View several systems as though they are free. Choose the system that will make your agency more efficient now and as it grows in the future (hell you only want to do this once). I viewed several systems and talked to several people about others and I believe all systems should not only save you time which equals money, but can actually help you make you money. Since most systems should at least pay for itself and help add revenue, I choose the system that Best Practices rated #1 in all revenue categories and has been ACORD upload and download vendor of the year for over 10 years in a row. Can't beat those statistics and again you don't want to have to change systems later on. I bought Applied Systems.

Porter,
Cost should be a factor - not everything but part of the decision. With a small agency mainly personal lines you don't want all of your profit spent on a management system. Check out Amsoft. It does everything for a fraction of the cost of AMS. I've been using it for 7 years and have a commercial agency with 5 producers and our own network - it runs reports, populates accord apps, certs, binders, etc - and can keep scanned info attached to an account along with payment histories, vehicles both current & removed (same with drivers).... all for under $2000. purchase price and around $600. per year for licensing - free updates and tech support. http://www.amsoft.com.

exclusions1, You said the price for TAM is a little higher, what crack pipe are you smoking? Its more then double any other system.And you have to save your info in any AMS system. Applied is the most expensive on the market. Its slow and old and has many steps to get where ever your going.
I have Nexsure. (XDTI) Have you notices no one has given out cost. Here it is 1700 to get started and 95.00 per user per month. TAM $7500 to start 450.00 per month. In any agency cost is always and issue. What did we do before any AMS system came along. God it's not the whole world. The AMS 360 is also very good. I needed 150% on line system with no interruption.