Vertafore Showcases New Innovations at NetVU Annual User Group Conference

Company Announces User Experience Initiative, Showcases Next-generation AMS360 and Sagitta Agency Management Systems

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Apr 28, 2011, 12:00 ET

BOTHELL, Wash. and ORLANDO, Fla., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (2011 NetVU Conference) -- Vertafore (http://www.vertafore.com), a leading provider of software and information to the insurance industry, showcased multiple product innovations today at the 2011 Network of Vertafore Users (NetVU) Conference in Orlando, Fla.

The 2011 NetVU Conference is a three-day forum for member agencies and other users of Vertafore products, company executives and technology leaders to improve their knowledge and boost productivity through networking and education. More than 1,500 participants are in attendance at this year's event.

"At the NetVU Conference, we are showcasing solutions that allow our customers to increase their efficiency and grow their businesses," said Bill Bunker, president of agency markets at Vertafore. "This is the ideal venue for us to demonstrate how we partner with them to increase their profit and productivity."

Today, Vertafore unveiled its corporate-wide user experience initiative, which delivers simplified product design, increased consistency and enhanced productivity throughout the entire Vertafore solution set. To date, Vertafore has invested more than 120,000 working hours on this critical company initiative.

The first product to debut under the user experience initiative is Vertafore's management system, Sagitta 8.0. With initial availability in June, the new version of Sagitta builds upon two decades of proven flexibility and stability with a clean, modern interface, streamlined navigation, intuitive layout and improved content readability.

More than just aesthetics, Sagitta's new user interface allows for more efficient interaction and significantly reduces the learning curve for new users. Vertafore invested in comprehensive testing and user research when developing the new interface, which revealed that both new and existing Sagitta users benefitted from with the new design when performing common tasks.

Vertafore also announced the upcoming availability of the next generation of its agency management system, AMS360. To be available in late 2011, AMS360 6.0 will offer a refreshed, intuitive user interface and the ability for users to connect with the system whenever and however they need, including via mobile devices.

"We are keenly focused on delivering superior products and support to our customers," Bunker continued. "We launched our new support model, My Vertafore, last fall, and it has already proven successful. With today's unveiling of the user experience initiative and the next iterations of Sagitta and AMS360, we have once again cemented our commitment to develop superior products designed with productivity in mind. Our customers are assured that with Vertafore, they have best-in-class products and support from a technology partner who fully understands and anticipates their needs."

Vertafore also showcased additional innovations today, including:

WorkSmart Engage – At the NetVU Conference, Vertafore demonstrated its innovative WorkSmart collaboration module, Engage, which streamlines agencies' external workflows and enables them to better collaborate with carriers, managing general agents (MGAs) and customers in real-time via a secure, cloud-based application. Built with user experience in mind, Engage offers agencies secure workspaces to organize renewal, submission and client documents and communications. Its centralized data aggregation and collaboration tools enable both internal and external collaboration with colleagues, clients and carriers.
With simple setup, real-time visibility into engagements and integration with Sagitta and WorkSmart, the Engage module takes the agency productivity gains delivered by WorkSmart to the next level. While WorkSmart transforms an agency's internal workflows, Engage streamlines the complex commercial business between agencies and their carriers, MGAs and clients.
Vertafore Identity Management –Vertafore Identity Management provides a secure system for password and identity management. Built on open standards, the technology is interoperable with major identity management and federation vendors and systems. Vertafore Identity Management is a feature within Vertafore products that provides single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, which will allow users to have the same username and password for all Vertafore solutions enabled with the technology.
Vertafore products will be enabled with SSO-functionality through Vertafore Identity Management in a rolling release cycle over the next several years. Vertafore Identity Management also offers password self-service, where customers can reset their own passwords, saving time and IT resources.
My Vertafore – Vertafore's enhanced support model illustrates the company's significant investment in enhancing the customer experience. The new model advances agency customer service with the additions of inbound phone-based assistance, advanced chat features and new online support capabilities. The My Vertafore model allows Vertafore customers to access support in the method that best suits their needs. Today, more than 80 percent of customer support requests are initiated via phone or chat, allowing quick and easy access to the Vertafore team.
To access the My Vertafore support portal, visit http://myvertafore.vertafore.com.

Also today, Vertafore announced growing momentum for WorkSmart, the company's workflow and content management solution. Since its launch in 2010, the product has seen significant traction among the industry's leading agencies, including USI Holding Corporation and others. WorkSmart has enabled these agencies to increase their capacity and gain unmatched business insight into their businesses. To view the announcement, visit www.vertafore.com/worksmart-momentum.

About Vertafore

Vertafore is the leading provider of software and information to the insurance distribution channel including independent agents, brokers, MGAs, carriers and reinsurers. Vertafore leverages a unique industry presence to deliver meaningful solutions - powerful technology, critical information and robust insights to help organizations effectively respond to business challenges and capture new opportunities. Vertafore solutions have helped more than 17,000 customers and 500,000 users gain a competitive advantage to accelerate their business performance. For more information about Vertafore, please visit www.vertafore.com.

© 2011 Vertafore, Inc. All rights reserved. Vertafore, the Vertafore logo and design, AMS360, Sagitta, WorkSmart, Engage and other Vertafore trademarks are the trademarks of Vertafore, Inc. Other trademarks are the trademarks of the respective owners.

Contact:
Susanne Smith
Vertafore
(425) 354-6819
susannesmith@vertafore.com

SOURCE Vertafore