ASCnet gains during hard times reflect strength of volunteers

In a year when “growth” has meant “flat” and economic recovery remains frail, the fact that almost 1,000 attendees came to Kansas City last week for the Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet) TENCon, the annual meeting of the Applied Systems users group, proves the organization’s success and the resilience of its volunteer members, who represent more than 80,000 insurance professionals in 11 countries.

The commitment of ASCnet volunteers helped drive significant improvements in usage and training over the past year, said outgoing ASCnet chair Mike Montgomery, senior associate development consultant for Lockton Companies, LLC, in a keynote address Wednesday. Gains included more than 18.7 million real-time transactions, increased educational opportunities, and improved relationships with carrier partners. And a new program, the “Real Time 21 Day Challenge,” is designed to help agencies improve workflow and fully utilize their systems.