Q & A with Ben Markland

Agents, organizations and even individuals are increasing the usage of technology to streamline the benefit processes. What technology and tools does Morgan White Group currently have in place to help streamline these benefits?

The goal of most technology, as many already know, is to make your life easier. There are many companies entering this space that are laser focused on doing exactly that. Two of the trending technologies right now are quoting and enrollment platforms and benefit administration systems. Morgan White Group offers solutions for quoting and enrollment for both individual and group agents.

Group Connect is our online small group quoting and enrollment platform. Group Connect first debuted in 2018 and has been gaining momentum ever since. We offer multiple carriers and multiple lines of coverage all of which can be quoted and enrolled in one spot. Group Connect is a great solution for the agent who doesn’t have the time or energy to quote small group business.

Insurance for Everyone (IFE) is our individual quoting and enrollment tool currently in use by over 20,000 agents nationwide. IFE delivers a direct-to-consumer shopping experience where individuals can bundle and purchase insurance products just like they would shop on Amazon.

While we do not offer a full-fledged benefits administration system, we do give every employer a “Group Portal” where they can add or terminate employees, view invoices and other important documents, and make premium payments. The Group Portal is a great solution for small employers that may not have the need or know-how to use a complicated benefits administration system.

Regarding the tools you mentioned in the first question, what technology adds the most value to the agent when assisting groups and individuals with their insurance needs?

Group Connect has been a gamechanger for many agents who work with smaller groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic we found many agents had to limit or eliminate face-to-face meetings and in-person enrollments. By providing technology that allowed them to continue to quote and enroll groups online we helped agents write more business while many others struggled to keep what they had.

What are some of the newest added features of the on-line platforms we offer that agents need to make sure they take advantage of? What are some tools that you would like to see in the future?

We recently enhanced our Broker Portal by adding the ability to complete additional carrier appointment contracts without having to start the process over. This is important as we are constantly adding new products and new states to our platforms. We have also added dashboards that show both group and individual production. These dashboards allow agents to see where their sales are coming from and what products are producing the most premium. Data is an essential tool in formulating a marketing plan and we wanted to provide data to agents in an easy-to-read manner.

As for future tools, we are seeing more and more people making purchases and conducting business on their mobile devices. While all of our websites are currently “mobile responsive”, I believe the future will be in apps downloaded through mobile App Stores. Don’t be surprised if in the future you will be able to send a link to a prospect who will then purchase insurance directly from their phone.

Where or how can our readers learn more about the tools and platforms that MWG has to offer?

Our offerings can be viewed on our website at mwgbrokerservices.com. We also host monthly webinars highlighting our current technology, sales strategies, and new products. The monthly webinars along with other educational materials can be found in our resource center at mwgbrokerservices.com/resource-center.