Over the course of my career in insurance, I’ve learned that the one thing you can truly count on in our business is change — and big changes can come with little or no warning. In the face of COVID-19 headwinds, a steadfast commitment to technology and innovation has helped companies like ours continue to thrive. We see the acceleration of innovating insurance in an unprecedented time.
Key Takeaways
- COVID-19 significantly disrupted the insurance industry, challenging traditional in-person interactions between agents and clients.
- Integrity Marketing Group leveraged technology to adapt quickly, enhancing their Medicare center platform to improve agent efficiency.
- The company acquired CSG Actuarial to strengthen its technology capabilities, providing better insights into insurance products and market trends.
- Innovating Insurance remains a priority, as technology helps meet evolving consumer needs in a changing landscape.
- Integrity aims to lead in innovation, ensuring that insurance remains accessible while continuously improving the customer experience.
Table of contents
Unprecedented Times
It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many industries in critical ways. The insurance industry is no different. For the vast majority of Americans, getting insurance has traditionally involved working with an insurance agent — often in a face-to-face, across-the-kitchen-table type of setting.
As COVID-19 control measures like social distancing were put in place across the country, the ability of our 325,000+ agents to meet with their clients in person was disrupted. But the need for Americans to have quality, dependable life and health insurance coverage was greater than ever. It became extremely important for companies like ours to find alternative ways to deliver the insurance solutions Americans desperately needed.
The pandemic created a paradox: while physical interaction was limited, financial vulnerability increased. Families were thinking more seriously about long-term security, income protection, and healthcare planning. At the same time, uncertainty in the job market and concerns about personal health made coverage decisions even more urgent.
Accelerating Digital Transformation
In response, insurers were forced to accelerate digital transformation efforts that might otherwise have taken years to implement. Virtual consultations, electronic applications, remote underwriting, and digital signature tools quickly became essential rather than optional. Agents adapted by leveraging video conferencing platforms, secure document-sharing systems, and mobile-friendly application processes to continue serving clients safely and efficiently.
This shift not only ensured continuity of service during a crisis but also reshaped customer expectations. Consumers became more comfortable completing major financial transactions online, and many discovered the convenience of remote consultations. What began as an emergency response evolved into a long-term operational shift — one that continues to influence how insurance is delivered today.
Challenges are Opportunities
At Integrity, we didn’t waste time wringing our hands about these challenges. Instead, we chose to address them head-on. Advancements in technology have made it possible for us to not just survive as a company in the current environment but thrive. As the nation’s leading independent distributor of life and health insurance products, we’ve long understood that technology had the power and potential to simplify and streamline the insurance experience for everyone — agents, carriers and their clients and customers.
The events of the past year have dramatically accelerated the development and adoption of our innovative software solutions. We fast-tracked an updated version of our proprietary Medicare center quoting and enrollment platform, making it easier and more intuitive to use and greatly enhancing its CRM functionality. This allowed our agents to work more efficiently in ways that were best for their clients. As a result, we surpassed our goals during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period last fall — the most crucial time of the year for our business. It’s gratifying to know that despite the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve been able to serve more Americans than ever before.
And we have big plans to continue innovating. Recently, Integrity acquired CSG Actuarial, a strong industry leader in quoting technology and data aggregation for senior health and life insurance. Adding CSG’s capabilities to Integrity’s already robust tech platform gives us the power to provide even more transparency on product data, market research and consumer trends at all stages of the insurance enrollment process. These insights will help agents, agencies, carriers and consumers make data-driven decisions. With CSG and other tech-focused partners on board, we look forward to developing and enhancing new and existing software as a service (SaaS) solution that will further transform our industry.
Innovating Insurance
Change will always be an unpredictable but certain part of business. While we can’t know for certain how or when transforming changes will occur, staying at the forefront of technology can help any company be more prepared to address them quickly, effectively and decisively. At its core, today’s cutting-edge tech is really about meeting consumer needs in ways that work best for them, regardless of the circumstances.
The world will never be quite the same coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to our commitment to innovative technology, neither will insurance. To learn more about our commitment to innovating insurance, visit Integrity Marketing Group.
