Podcasts - Insurance Journal

On this installment, we catch up with Ryan Hanley, a popular speaker, podcaster, consultant, thought leader on LinkedIn and Instagram, and a former independent agent. If you haven’t heard Ryan’s commentary, you’ll get an immediate sense of his edge, grit and determination to champion business success for others. His lessons for others are lessons he learned himself — and sometimes the hard way. As he sold insurance and “mastered the close,” he found himself drawn to the importance of strategy. So, today he helps other business leaders find their strategic pivot points. You’ll enjoy listening to Ryan’s stories and philosophy — which include an interesting interchange with his father-in-law. Ryan will be emcee for the agent/broker-focused track at the annual InsureTech Connect conference in Las Vegas, which kicks off October 14.

In this InsurTech update episode of The Insuring Cyber Podcast, Dan Bratshpis, CEO of InsurTech Inshur, discusses the company’s journey in transforming insurance for the on-demand economy. He shares how his family’s experience in the taxi industry shaped his understanding of the insurance needs of rideshare and delivery drivers and highlights the complexities and opportunities he found in launching a business like Inshur. Check it out!

The insurance industry is leveraging big data and real-time monitoring to automate risk assessment, driving more accurate predictions and risk mitigation strategies. Insurers are increasingly using GIS and hyperlocal data to enhance risk modeling for both residential and commercial properties. Real-time monitoring systems, such as electrical monitoring in commercial buildings, are generating vast datasets that feed predictive analytics. To listen to Elizabeth Blosfield’s full interview with Behzad Salehoun, click here!

#BigData #RiskAssessment

On this installment, we learn what’s on the minds of some 2,000 independent agency staffers. Jess Butler, VP of Vertafore, which conducted a national survey, outlines how agents are managing talent, the hard market and technology. Some 70% of respondents said they’re having difficulty placing risks, Jess reports. With a higher workload, 55% said they’re dealing with increased stress. A third of respondents have added new tech tools as a response to managing turbulent market conditions in the last year. Moreover, the agent/carrier relationship is under pressure—a third said they’re looking for new carriers. “There are opportunities for wholesalers and MGAs here,” Jess notes. When Vertafore asked respondents if they would refer a friend to an insurance career opportunity, only 20% said yes. “That number has been dropping since we’ve been surveying agents,” says Jess. “They’re feeling the pressure of the hard market.” She also offers great suggestions on how insurance firms can attract younger workers by changing the conversation on what it’s really like to work here.