3. Training. Don't ask your agency's automation person to train the rest of the staff. Good technical people are not necessarily good instructors, so someone else–whether from within or from outside the agency–should conduct the training. Also, don't expect to train your staff once and be finished; they likely will need regular, ongoing instruction as software and hardware are upgraded and new features are added. Give employees keyboards and displays to use during their training; students learn more by practicing what they're taught while it's being taught than by simply reading manuals or listening to instructors.

4. Generating reports. Generating reports is a key use of an agency's automation system because reports are used to manage the agency. Of course, accuracy is important, but so is creating the right reports with the correct parameters. Managers who do not know their systems well may not understand how to select report parameters. The person running reports, meanwhile, may not understand which reports are most important and which parameters are most appropriate. Small changes can make big differences in producer management and production reports.

Thus, management and the person running reports must work together. The latter should explain the various reports available, their parameters, report options and the results different parameters yield. Management needs to select the reports they believe are most important and determine the best parameters to accurately portray the agency's results, making sure the parameters are used consistently to provide apples-to-apples comparisons of agency performance.

5. Cleaning up the data. When consulting with agencies, I regularly find that the data provided to me for analysis is incorrect or incomplete. For example, some agencies have dozens or even hundreds of dead policies listed as active on their systems. Those dead policies will lead to wrong conclusions about such matters as average account size. Management needs to know which data categories are most apt to be outdated and to ensure that all data on which they rely is up-to-date and accurate.

6. Enforcing use of the system. In some agencies, producers routinely interrupt CSRs to have them look up or explain items in client files, rather than find and interpret the information themselves. This counterproductive practice should be eliminated. Instead, producers must learn to use an agency's system and, at the least, know how to read files and make notations on them within the system.

I understand that many agency managers relinquish all aspects of managing their automation system to someone else because automation is not their fort? or primary area of interest. But I also realize how frustrating it is when computers crash, inexplicably slow down or experience other problems. So while it makes sense for agency managers to designate someone else to handle technology matters, they should not totally neglect their automation systems. Your agency's system can run more effectively and serve you better if you implement the simple suggestions I've just made. They don't require you to be an automation expert. Just knowing the basics and staying involved in a few key areas will work wonders.

Chris Burand is president of Burand & Associates LLC, an agency consulting firm. Readers may contact Chris at (719) 485-3868 or by e-mail at [email protected].