Writers Note: This blog post is written for those in the insurance sales and technology industry, the rest of you may not find it interesting. However, If you need an insurance rate quote, please contact me.
I have really been pressing Vertafore to be more iPad friendly over the past few years. What I really would like to do on my iPad with Vertafore AMS360 is simply this:
- Look up a client name, phone, email and or address
- Verify policies in force
- Record an activity and or look up previous activities
- See existing claims
Really my list of requirements are rather simple and basic. I was glad to find out today that some of this I can do. I tried it and it does work. It is much faster however from a workstation and fully functioning computer.
Vertafore’s official word to me about their support for AMS360 and the iPad is this:
With AMS360 v6.0 you can launch your browser on your iPad or ANY mobile device with any browser to login to AMS360 and navigate within web-forms ( AMS360 web-forms are pages that have an actual URL address in AMS360, like Centers ). This means navigating from Center to Center and ability to launch a dec page. That is the extent of AMS360 functionality and usability with any tablets, be that an iPad or Samsung Galaxy.
This means the win-forms (the pages in AMS360 where you enter or edit data and have no URL address) will not load on these tables. Win-forms require AMS360 Client REV 3 and Net 3.5 sp1 and these component do not load onto tablets, UNLESS, they’re loaded on tablets with Windows Operating System.
The only way to fully utilize AMS360 on iPad or similar tables is to use any remoting apps ( like LogME in, Webex, PocketCloud, etc… ) which connects you to your local desktop at the office, and there are many apps like those. You may want to check several threads on NetVU NCOM for those who have tested and are currently running these environments.
Other than that, there are no immediate development plans for full AMS360 compatibility with any Apple products.
Read Vertafore press release about Vertafore AMS360 v6.0 and that it Delivers Enhanced user Experience and Mobile Access.
GoVaughn.com Insurance has used Vertafore systems since 1974. The vendor has had many names (Safecom, AGENA, AMS now Vertafore).
Below is a promotional video that Vertafore has released about using AMS360 with a iPad.
[tentblogger-youtube KutPRUMXQ4s]
How would you like to see AMS360 work on a iPad? Have you tried the option above? Has it worked well for you?
A comment someone emailed to me this week after they read this blog. With their permission I reposted here. I think it is a complement to be referenced as a “rabble rouser”. I am thankful for my Vertafore Agent friends that I have met through social media. Thanks NB for being a exceptional communicator in 140 characters or less.
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Hi Nibby
Thank you for stating your objectives to Vertafore clearly and succinctly. (Last year, at national, a Vertafore employee whom I will not name, referred to you as a rabble rouser…I had not seen that but people’s perceptions are different.)
What I am not hearing is your saying you want a fully functioning program which, if your agency is online, would be possible with any modern laptop. Correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t care about being in a client’s office and using your iPad for quoting and writing a new policy, adding to claim details, reprinting certs, auto ID cards, or claims forms.
I see the iPad as a mobile device that is quite a bit more portable than a laptop. Additionally, it uses the phone network rather than the internet so connection could be easier.
What I see Vertafore saying that they are working toward browser independence…something we talked about a couple of years ago…not OS independence. At the same time, they seem to be more and more heavily tied to Microsoft (eg we can’t seem to get away from .NET 3.5 and new mapping software is MSFT)
Interestingly enough, I think we would never have gotten even this far if only geeks, not principals, loved the iPad so hats off to you.
A West Coast Long Time Vertafore User
Nibby:
Thanks for the information. I have been hooked on Apple products since they introduced the imac back in the 90’s. I’ve owned three imacs, five or six ipods/itouches and two MacBooks since that first purchase. I would have, naturally, been the first person to buy an ipad but, until now, I have put it off for the same reason I never purchased a Mac for my business. Insurance companies and vendors are so tied to Microsoft that it is simply more trouble than its worth to try and incorporate new technology into my operations (and believe me, I have tried).
This is not really a slam of the industry. Having spent the first fifteen years of my life on the company side, I understand the huge potential costs of developing applications that work across multiple platforms. I mean, these ARE complex databases and systems that we’re talking about here, not simple forms or spreadsheets. Still, one quote from your blog drives me crazy as it sums up company/vendor attitudes perfectly when it comes to new technology for the agent: “There are no immediate development plans for full AMS360 compatibility with any Apple products” i.e. there is nothing even on the drawing board, NO thought being given to developing an application that would make it easier, faster and cheaper for US (the agent/Vertafore customer) to do business when outside of the office.
But, really, why should they even think about it. Even if another vendor introduced a product with full compatibility, how many agencies would spend the money to move to the new vendor. I have a small office and moving from Doris to AMS was a nightmare and expensive. As much as I may want the new technology, I would have to see some serious savings to justify a move. And, since AMS knows this about me, why should they spend the money on this new technology when they have me locked in? In other words, I’m not holding my breath that anything is going to change in my insurance lifetime. Small steps maybe, but nothing big time unless a new vendor can come in with the technology AND the ability to transfer my entire system to their system with minimal effort. Then Vertarfore and their competitors will go back to the drawing board.
Hope I don’t get classified as a rabble rouser, too. We’ve been on AMS360 for five years and I actually like the system we have. I had other options but picked AMS360 because I thought it was the most advanced technologically. However, like most systems, it is not built for the producer or principal; it’s built for the CSR and office manager. I am grateful that we can at least “stand-out from our competition with powerful yet easy to use twenty first century technology” (as stated in the video). However, instead of impressing my client with my fancy new ipad and a list of their autos, what I would really like to do is simply check a box by one of the autos, click delete and know that it would be removed (of course, my service staff probably DO NOT want this power in my hands as they have seen the type of damage I can cause without them).
Tomorrow, when my FedEx package containing my iPad3 arrives, I will officially enter the 21st century. This is the first Apple product I have ever purchased SPECIFICALLY for business. I’m hoping that, despite my enthusiasm, this won’t actually hurt my productivity. Sadly (for Vertafore’s marketing team), I purchased it IN SPITE OF and not BECAUSE OF AMS360’s capabilities. But again, this is not a Verafore “issue” alone – they are probably the most advanced of the bunch. It’s just the insurance industry in general, I think.
Again, thanks for the article. It saved me a lot of time looking for solutions that are not there.
Kenston
We finally solved it!! Trade in your I pad at AT&T they are having a deal. We got $250. For trade in on a new Samsung ATIV smart PC. IT RUNS ON WINDOWS 8 and is a true windows tablet. Looks like an iPad. It runs on wifi or cellular data. I am accessing Ams360 fully now. Printing scanning anything I can do on my laptop. It’s WONDERFUL. 🙂
Hello Genet, glad that you found a solution and how did you get Windows 8 (full version) to run AMS 360? I can’t get my Win 8 laptop or tablet to run the AMS Clientworkstation even with .net 3.5 turned on. All websites are set to trusted and I can’t get a full working version here. Any ideas?
For what we pay Vertafore every month (~$3K) I would expect them to more responsive to the changing way we access our customer data. At the very least, AMS360, should be completely function on mobile devices and tablets. They should also offer a mobile app to agency partners that allows customers to access policy information from any smartphone. The glacial pace at which Vertafore moves has me looking very closely at smaller and more nimble competitors that, ironically, stand to save me a subtanial amount of money each month as well…
Hello All. If any of you are still viewing this chain, I want to request that you allow me to contact you directly. I am an agent by day with entrepreneurial interests, currently interviewing 100 agent/brokers on what their most prominent pain-points are in doing business. Myself and partnering developers are interested in creating software solutions for the industry to help us all do our jobs at agents/brokers, faster, quicker, and to be more profitable. My email is hayato.nakamura.research@gmail.com, or feel free to give me a call at 310-720-7883. We are 41 respondents into 100 and have already had an overwhelming majority agree on 3 main pain-points, technology being one of them. Please consider allowing us to have a discussion with you on what our industry truly needs next. Please post a question if you prefer I clarify anything on this open forum.