On this week's Big I Buzz, we are discussing the new Emergency Order from Gov. Evers, frequently asked questions about the new order limiting mass gatherings to 25% and a reminder about our next Agency Leadership Webinar Series. 

Gov. Tony Evers' Administration Limits Capacity to Bars, Restaurants and Stores to 25% as Virus Surges

On Tuesday, October 6th, Gov. Tony Evers directed Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-Designee, Andrea Palm, to issue Emergency Order #3 limiting public gatherings to no more than 25 percent of a room or building's total occupancy. You can learn more about the full order and the list of exemptions here. The directive takes effect at 8 a.m. on October 8th, 2020 and will remain in effect until November 6th. This order applies to any gatherings at locations that are open to the public such as stores, restaurants and other businesses that allow public entry, as well as spaces with ticketed events, according to the Press Release. 

Receive alerts as soon as they come in with the IIAW Text Alerts. Text IIAW to 833-384-0094 to subscribe. 

 Frequently Asked Questions About Emergency Order #3, Limiting Public Gatherings

In addition to their press release limiting mass gatherings to no more than 25% of a room or building's total occupancy, the Office of the Governor also released a FAQ page on the new order. Below are some questions from the FAQ: 

• What does the order prohibit? The order prohibits large groups of people from gathering in indoor spaces that are open to the public (unless an exception applies). The order prohibits groups larger than 25% of the indoor room's occupancy, as determined by the local municipality. A place is open to the public if it is accessible to the general public, such as stores, restaurants, bars or ticketed events. 

• Does the order apply to outdoor spaces or events? No, the order only applies to indoor spaces. The order does not apply to outdoor areas, such as park shelters, outdoor dining areas or playgrounds. 

• Does the order apply to weddings?The order applies to indoor, non-religious weddings or receptions that are open to the public. The order does not apply to private wedding ceremonies or receptions, religious wedding ceremonies or outdoor weddings or receptions. 

• Who is exempted from the order?

- Child care settings, before and after school programs, virtual learning support programs and other child welfare locations listed in the order

- 4K-12 schools

- Colleges and universities

- Health care and public health operations

- Human services operations, such as long-term care and assisted living facilities

- Public infrastructure operations, such as food processing and production facilities, airports, construction projects and public transportation

- State and local government operations and facilities

- Religious events, political events, demonstrations and other events with protected First Amendment speech

- State facilities under the control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on the Wisconsin Legislature

- Federal facilities under the control of the federal government. 

Read more of the FAQ here. 

Agency Leadership Webinar Series - State and Federal Election Preview 

Join us on October 22nd at 10 a.m. for our second installment of our Agency Leadership Webinar Series. We'll be discussing a preview of the state and federal election. Lee Government Relations is a Wisconsin-based, multi-client lobbying firm specializing in influencing public policy to directly to the needs of the Independent Agents of Wisconsin. Misha is one of Wisconsin's top-respected, connected and effective lobbyist. He has experience dealing with all faces of Wisconsin state government and can open doors to top leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature, Office of the Governor, and state agencies attached to the Executive Branch. Register for the State and Federal Election Preview Webinar here. 

 For more news, check out the Action News section of our weekly e-newsletter  Big I Buzz.   If you aren't subscribed, click   here   to add your email to our emailing list. We hope that everyone has a great rest of their week! 

By: Sharon Emek, Ph.D., CIC | Founder & CEO, Work at Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE)

This article was originally published in our September Wisconsin Independent Agent. Read more from our September issue here. 

 

In-house hiring practices don’t often translate to hiring employees that will work remotely. What modifications do you need to make your hiring process? 

By all accounts, the pandemic-related work-from-home business model is here to stay, at least for the time being. For the most part, many companies were able to transition quickly, albeit not without some significant challenges.

Yet now another significant challenge is looming: how to hire employees you may not meet in person, either during the course of the pandemic or for the duration of their employment with your company. 

For the insurance industry, that challenge is multiplied by a shortage of viable candidates. Veteran insurance professionals are retiring at an alarming rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that between 2016 and 2020, 400,000 insurance  

professionals will head off to retirement.

The situation is made more dire by the fact that millennials are showing little interest in insurance industry careers. According The Millennial Survey conducted by The Hartford, a mere 4% of millennials would consider an insurance industry career.

Yet the very pandemic that has challenged insurers to adopt remote work strategies may be somewhat of a saving grace in the quest to find remote workers. According to World Economic Forum data, 85% of millennials are seeking full-time remote work opportunities. What’s more, 82% expressed higher company 

loyalty to those companies with remote work programs. 

In fact, remote work is appealing across a wider age demographic than just millennials; a recent Zapier-commissioned Harris Poll reveals that 95% of all knowledge workers (those working in a professional setting and using a computer as part of the job) want to work remotely. That means companies that were forced to shift to a remote work arrangement are now facing the very real challenge of trying to build a remote hiring process. 

No matter how big or small your agency is, remote hiring takes planning. But if executed properly, your hiring process could do more than just help you hire good talent – it can elevate the 

number of candidates to choose from, and deliver candidates that have the exact skills needed.

But First, Soft Skills

Yet your new hires need a few more traits than a standard in-house hire. Because remote work can be isolating, employees need the right set of traits to be able to perform effectively and productively.

Before you hire, make sure to understand common soft skills that make for a successful remote worker. Your next remote employee should to be able to work with minimal supervision. Ideally, your remote worker should be able to manage time effectively so that daily tasks as well as projects are completed on time. 

To do that, your employee should demonstrate the ability to solve common issues as well as some of the more complex challenges that they may face. And your employee should be comfortable with remote communication tools and methods.

Interviewing from a Distance

Any organization that has worked remotely recently knows the need for video conferencing. That same technology is what’s needed to conduct remote interviews. While phone interviews can work for initial screening, they fail to pick up on physical cues, such as body language and facial expressions. Plus, video conferencing is a way to vet those candidates on their comfort level with technology your company uses.

That comfort with technology should extend to all technology your company employs. How familiar is the candidate with those tools? Have they shown proficiency in related technologies? In some cases, technology can be similar, so that the learning curve for your particular application would not be prohibitive. 

What could be problematic is your candidate’s ability to maintain connectivity with your team. Spotty internet may not be a deal-breaker unless your team needs to be able to connect quickly during office hours. By conducting a distance interview, you can assess the quality of the connection.

You can assess also how conducive the candidate’s available workspace is to the tasks at hand. For instance, if you’re hiring a salesperson, having a noisy location or too many people in the residence could hinder the salesperson’s ability to connect with prospects. Your ideal candidate should have a distraction-free location, or a plan for keeping it quiet and distraction-free during work hours.

 

That last point can be difficult to navigate. As many families are home with young children and daycares are closed, your ideal candidate may have temporary distractions. If that’s the case, shift the questioning a bit: Would your candidate be able to put in hours after children are in bed or napping? Would a more flexible work schedule help them complete the work necessary?  

Identifying the Self-Starters

Another question to consider: How much training will your new hire need? Every organization has a unique set of processes, and new employees need to learn them. However, in a remote 

position, that means your new hire needs to be able to train on their own with minimal supervision. 

To ensure they can, find out how they best learn: in-class instruction or independent, self-paced learning? Have they completed any self-guided learning before? What were the results? How easily can they get used to new systems or technology? What challenges them most about technology?

 

That matters because in remote work, technology is key to getting the job done. And by asking these questions at the outset, you can set expectations for your candidates so that they know what is expected of them.

Hired: Now What?

That’s important too after the candidate is hired. We recommend using the hiring process to outline both your expectations and how you will measure their performance.

One suggestions we ask you to consider is dropping an hourly expectation and replacing it with a per-outcome expectation. As mentioned previously, not all candidates can do their best work during traditional nine-to-five hours. By measuring your new hires, as well as all your employees, by benchmarks met and project outcomes, you will get a true measure of their productivity. 

Moreover, such a move boosts employee morale and motivation. In an environment in which employers and employees alike are trying to carve out the best way to conduct business, adopting a more flexible employee management style makes the most sense, and helps workers succeed in a remote setting.

Hired, Retained 

That success results in higher employee satisfaction, which translates into better employee retention. In a global workforce environment that is adapting to what could be permanent

changes to business, your business has a great opportunity to grow and to thrive. A strong remote hiring process, complete with vetting for soft skills, setting expectations, and outlining new 

management strategies can help your organization gain an advantage of those organizations that are still trying to do everything through the traditional business lens.

By setting your remote business on the right path at hiring time, your organization can adapt quickly to whatever changes may come in the future. That flexibility can keep your entire 

organization moving into a stronger, more resilient future.

By: Misha Lee | IIAW Government Affairs

This article was originally published in our September Wisconsin Independent Agent. You can read the full September issue here. 

 

The results from Wisconsin’s August primary election yielded few surprises as we now head into what is expected to be a hotly contested November general election from the top of the ticket all the way on down. The primary election also proved to be a good night for incumbents with only one losing to a challenger candidate. 

Looking at Congressional races, all 8 of Wisconsin’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election this fall and there are no U.S. Senate seats up this cycle. 

U.S. House primaries of interest were: 

• Longtime Senate Majority Leader, Scott Fitzgerald (R-Beaver 

   Dam) won the Republican primary with nearly 80 percent of the 

   vote in the 5th congressional district primary. Fitzgerald will face 

   Democratic opponent, Tom Palzewicz, who retiring 

   Congressman Sensenbrenner defeated with 62 percent of the 

   vote in 2018. Fitzgerald should easily win this election. 

• In the 3rd congressional district, Republican Derrick Van Orden 

   (R-Hager City) won a two-way primary to challenge 12-term 

   Democratic Congressman Ron Kin. Van Orden is a retired former 

   Navy Seal, actor and business consultant. Kind won re-election 

   in 2018 with 60 percent of the vote. This race will be one to 

   watch on election night. 

• Democrat Jessica King (D-Oshkosh), an attorney and former 

   State Senator and Oshkosh City Council member, easily won 

   a three-way Democratic primary with 75% of the vote to 

   challenge three-term Republican Congressman Glenn 

   Grothman of Campbellsport in the 6th congressional district. 

   Grothman was re-elected in 2018 with 56 percent of the vote 

   and is favored to win re-election. 

In state legislative races, 16 of Wisconsin’s 33 State Senate seats (even-numbered districts) and all 99 State Assembly seats are up for re-election this year. There were nine legislative incumbents who faced primary challenges and eight of them easily won their races all surpassing 60 percent of the vote. Republicans currently control both the Senate (18-13, 2 vacancies) and

Assembly (63-34, 2 vacancies) and are expected to return to 

power for the 2021-2022 legislative session. Democrats are working to protect Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ line item veto by trying to make sure Republicans in this election cycle do not reach the two-thirds majority in each house (22 seats in the Senate and 63 seats in the Assembly) needed to override a gubernatorial veto. For Democrats, preserving Evers’ veto is not just about ensuring that Republicans do not run the table on the next biennial state budget or legislation, but it’s more importantly about redistricting in 2021 and making sure Republicans don’t have sole discretion on drawing new legislative district boundaries for the next decade. Next session, the Legislature is charged with drawing new district lines based on new census data. Republicans, who are all but guaranteed to control the Legislature next session, will draw their map and Governor Evers will likely veto it and then it will be up to the courts to draw the new districts.

 

State Senate primary races of interest were:

6th Senate District (Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, 

incumbent)

State Senator LaTonya Johnson easily held off a challenge in the Democratic primary by Michelle Bryant (D-Milwaukee), who is Chief of Staff to State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee). Johnson captured 77 percent of the vote.

10th Senate District (Sen. Patty Schachtner, D-Somerset, 

incumbent)

Rep. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) captured 66 percent of the vote in the Republican primary versus Cherie Link (R-Somerset). Stafsholt was first elected to the Assembly in 2016 and 

re-elected since. He is a farmer and owner of multiple small businesses. Stafsholt will now face incumbent State Senator Patty Schachtner (D-Somerset) in the general election.

14th Senate District (Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, not seeking re-election)

Rep. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) won her Republican primary with 69 percent of the vote for the opportunity to succeed retiring Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon). Ballweg was first elected to the State Assembly in 2010. Ballweg and her husband own a John Deere farming implement dealership. Ballweg will face Democrat Joni Anderson on the November ballot.

16th Senate District (Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, not seeking re-election)

Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) won the two-way Democratic primary to succeed retiring Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona). Sargent is a former member of the Dane County Board and has served in the Assembly since her first election in 2012. Sargent captured 77 percent of the vote.

26th Senate District (Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, not seeking re-election)

Kelda Helen Roys won the 8-way Democratic primary to be the first person to represent what is now the 26th Senate district other than Sen. Fred Risser since 1962. Roys is a former member of the Assembly and unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial candidate. She captured 40 percent of the vote and does not have a general election opponent.

28th Senate District (Sen. David Craig, R-Big Bend, not seeking re-election)

Republican Julian Bradley captured 43 percent of the vote in a five-way Republican primary to succeed Sen. David Craig (R-Big Bend) in the 26th Senate district. Bradley will face Franklin 

entrepreneur and business owner Adam Murphy in this heavily Republican seat.

30th Senate District (Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, not seeking re-election)

Democrat Jonathon Hansen, the nephew of Sen. Hansen, a member of the DePere City Council and a mortgage lender for a community bank, won the Democratic primary in the 30th Senate District with 62 percent of the vote. Hansen will face Republican Eric Wimberger, an attorney and unsuccessful candidate for the 30th Senate district.

32nd Senate District (Open Seat, Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, resigned her seat)

Democrat Brad Pfaff won the Democratic primary to succeed former Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) with 63 percent of the vote. Pfaff previously ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate in 2004. He has served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Ron Kind, Executive Director of US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency and as Secretary-designee for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection until his confirmation was voted down by the State Senate. Pfaff will face Republican Dan Kapanke, a former state senator and baseball team owner in La Crosse. Kapanke previously represented the 32nd Senate district from 2004 to 2011 when he lost a recall election during the height of the Act 10 recall races. This race is a rematch of the 2004 Senate race where Kapanke defeated Pfaff by 5 points.

State Assembly primary races of interest are:

8th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, 

D-Milwaukee, was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council)

Democrat JoAnna Bautch narrowly won her Democratic  primary to succeed her sister Rep. Zamarripa in representing the 8th Assembly district. Bautch is a director with Citizen Action Wisconsin and a community organizer with the Reproductive Justice Collective. The current margin is 18 votes.

9th Assembly District (Rep. State Rep. Marisabel Cabrera, 

D-Milwaukee, incumbent)

Rep. Cabrera was successful in fighting off a Democratic primary challenge, capturing 58 percent of the vote. Cabrerra is an immigration rights attorney and former chair of the Milwaukee Police and Fire Commission.

11th Assembly District (Rep. Jason Fields, D-Milwaukee, not 

seeking re-election)

Dora Drake won a four-way Democrat primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jason Fields (D-Milwaukee). Drake is a member service coordinator at the Center for Self Sufficiency where she provides re-entry services to support persons re-entering society. Drake captured 47 percent of the vote.

14th Assembly District (Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa,

incumbent)

Republican Bonnie Lee will be the candidate to challenge freshman Democrat Rep. Robyn Vining. Vining was the only Democrat to win a previously held Republican seat two years ago. Lee is the director of outreach ministry at Northwest Baptist church and was endorsed by Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) who formerly represented the 14th district. Lee captured 80  percent of the vote.

17th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. David Crowley, 

D-Milwaukee, was elected Milwaukee County Executive)

Supreme Moore Omokunde captured 56 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to succeed County Executive David Crowley. Omokunde is a Milwaukee County Board Supervisor and son of Milwaukee Congresswoman Gwen Moore.

29th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, is running for the State Senate)

Clint Moses won the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond). Moses is a chiropractor and school board member. Moses will face Democrat John Calabrese.

Calabrese previously ran for the State Senate and State Assembly losing to Stafsholt in 2018.

35th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, is running for the State Senate)

Calvin Callahan won the two-way Republican primary to succeed Rep. Mary Felzkowski who is running for the State Senate. Callahan is a Lincoln County Board Supervisor and the owner of Callahan Wholesale. Callahan will face Democrat Tyler Ruprecht on the November ballot.

41st Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Joan Ballweg, 

R-Markesan, is running for the State Senate)

Republican Alex Dallman captured nearly 50 percent of the vote in a four-way Republican primary to succeed Rep. Ballweg as the Republican nominee for the 41st district. Dallman is a long-time staffer to Congressman Glenn Grothman. Dallman will face Democrat Nate Zimdars, a production line worker at Saputo Cheese in Alto.

48th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Melissa Sargent, 

D-Madison, is running for the State Senate)

Madison Alder Samba Baldeh won a competitive four-way Democratic primary with nearly 50 percent of the vote to succeed Rep. Sargent in representing the 48th district. Baldeh is the

former President of the Madison Common Council and an IT Project Manager at American Family Insurance Company.

55th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Mike Rohrkaste, 

R-Neenah, not seeking re-election)

Rachael Cabral-Guevara won the three-way Republican primary for the opportunity to succeed retiring Rep.Mike Rohrkaste with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Cabral-Guevara is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a licensed Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber. Cabral-Guevara will face Democrat Dan Schierl on the November ballot. Schierl is a retired worker at a local plastic manufacturing plan.

69th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Bob Kulp, R-Stratford, not seeking re-election)

Republican Donna Rozar captured 53 percent of the vote in the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Bob Kulp (R-Stratford). Rozar is medical-surgical RN in the cardiac unit at Marshfield Clinic Hospital and a Wood County supervisor. Rozar will face Democrat Brian Giles in the GOP leaning district.

76th Assembly District (Open Seat, Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, not seeking re-election)

Francesca Hong won the seven-way Democratic primary with 27 percent of the vote to succeed Rep. Chris Taylor in representing this heavily Democratic 76th Assembly district covering downtown Madison. Hong is the co-owner of Morris Ramen Restaurant and co-founder of the Culinary Ladies Collective and Cook It Forward.

90th Assembly District (Rep. Staush Gruszynski, D-Green Bay, incumbent)

Kristina Shelton of Green Bay defeated one-term incumbent Rep. Gruszynski in the Democratic primary with nearly 80 percent of the vote. Gruszynski was the only incumbent on election night to lose. He was forced out of the Assembly Democratic caucus after he sexually harassed a Capitol staffer and the Democratic campaign committee supported the campaign of Shelton with over $124k.

By: Godfrey & Kahn Updates 

 

This article was originally published in our September Wisconsin Independent Agent. Read more from our September issue here. 

 

Insurers issuing auto coverage in Wisconsin may want to double check their policies after the court of appeals’ recent decision in Brey v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 2020 WL 3455880 (Wis. Ct. App. June 25, 2019). There, the court found that the state’s omnibus insurance statute requires carriers offering underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage to provide that coverage even when their insureds have not suffered any bodily injury themselves.

The facts of Brey were relatively straightforward. A father died in an automobile accident. His son sued to recover UIM benefits from State Farm, which insured him under a policy issued to his mother. The father was not insured under that policy, as he did not live with the son and his mother. State Farm denied coverage because the policy’s UIM provisions required an insured to suffer “bodily  injury” and the son (who was not involved in the crash) had not suffered any such injury. The son acknowledged those policy terms but argued that they were void and unenforceable because  Wisconsin law does not allow for UIM provisions that require bodily injury of an insured. The trial court sided with State Farm and dismissed the son’s claim. On appeal, however, the appellate court reversed, concluding that State Farm’s UIM terms were impermissible under applicable Wisconsin statutes.

The case turned on Wis. Stat. § 632.32, a state statute that identifies the minimum coverage that all policies issued in the state must provide. Section 632.32(2)(d) addresses UIM coverage and states:

“Underinsured motorist coverage” means

  coverage for the protection of persons

  insured under that coverage who are

  legally entitled to recover damages for

  bodily injury, death, sickness, or disease

  from owners or operators of uninsured

  motor vehicles.”

According to the court of appeals, this statement unambiguously establishes that UIM provisions in Wisconsin must protect any person who meets three requirements: “(1) the person who makes the UIM claim must be an insured under the UIM coverage of the policy; (2) that person must be legally entitled to recover damages for bodily injury or death; and (3) that person must be legally entitled to recover from an owner or operator of an underinsured motor vehicle.” 2020 WL 3455880, at ¶ 22. Because Wis. Stat. § 632.32(2)(d) says nothing about the insured having to sustain bodily injury or death to access UIM benefits, insurance policies issued in the state are not allowed to include that requirement. Id.

State Farm raised a host of other arguments,contending that: the son’s reading of the statute was absurd; that prior Wisconsin case law dictated a result in State Farm’s favor; and that decisions from other jurisdictions suggested State Farm was correct. The appellate court quickly rejected all these arguments, reiterating that the statutory language was unambiguous.

The decision is a good reminder to insurers that, at least in Wisconsin, unambiguous policy language is not always the end of the coverage inquiry.Wisconsin’s omnibus insurance statute always serves as a backdrop to any coverage dispute and can lead to a victory for the insured even when the terms of the policy clearly do not afford coverage. Insurers facing such arguments should seek

counsel experienced with the omnibus statute to help them avoid trouble.

 

Matt Banaszynski | CEO of the IIAW

This article was originally published in our September 2020 Wisconsin Independent Agent magazine issue. 

In last month’s issue of Wisconsin Independent Agent, we announced our new platform, the Online Community. IIAW’s Online Community will help our members, vendors, sponsors and IIAW staff connect. This new member benefit will launch on November 1st, and we have a big incentive for members to participate:

Top contributors of our Online Community will receive gifts and prizes that will give back to their local communities, simply for participating.

Participating in our Online Community is easy. All you need to do is sign up, join Groups, connect collaborate and engage to earn gifts that will give back to your local communities.

Sign Up:

On November 1st our Online Community will go live for all members. Once live, IIAW members can log into their profile on our website, iiaw.com, to access the Online Community. If you or someone within your company would like to join the Online Community but don’t currently have an account through our website, please contact us atinfo@iiaw.com and we will send you a link to be added as a user under your company’s membership. You can also email us at info@iiaw.com if you have any questions about logging into an existing account.

Join Groups:  

We are moving our current committees online, and they will now be called Groups. Amidst COVID-19, in-person gatherings are hard to accommodate. Instead, we want to continue offering a place for those with like interests to gather together but in a more attainable way - online. Recently, we opened Group sign up to those who would like to be Thought Leaders (previously known as committee members). Thought Leaders will lead discussions within their Groups and answer any questions that may arise. Prior to the launch of our Online Community, we will be opening the sign up for those that would like to be generalcontributors of Groups. There are no obligations to join a Group as a contributor, but contributors can still soak up the information being shared within the Groups they choose to join. When members log into their account on our website November 1st, they will already be a member of the Groups they selected in previous sign-ups.

As we move our current Groups (formerly known ascommittees) online, we are also introducing a few new Group interest areas.

• Legal - This Group will be a source for news and articles. This will be a place to discuss laws and legal implications. Information within this Group will be general in nature, and the forum will not be used to provide personal or

agency-specific legal advice and counsel.

• Education and Events - This Group will shareprofessional development and continuing education opportunities. Members in this Group will learn about industry educational offerings and events.

• Internet of Insurance - The Internet of Insurance User Group will assist users in the utilization and troubleshooting of the IOI, a free platform for members. Members can share questions, comments and connect with Thought Leaders within the Internet of Insurance space to make improvements to the customer and user experience. Within the Group, members can learn more about the platform and use it to your agency’s advantage. Founders and employees of DAIS, the company that created the IOI, will be Thought Leaders within this Group.

Connect, Collaborate and Engage

Our Online Community is our industry-curated version of Facebook and LinkedIn. Similar to your favorite social media sites, you can connect with others, read, comment, like posts and much more within Groups and on the feed (MyFeed). Connecting, collaborating and engaging with other members of our Online Community is the best way to get the most value out of this new member benefit.

Earn Gifts that Give Back

One of the important features of our Online Community is how we will be giving back to local communities. We have created a rewards system to award those who actively participate in MyFeed and Group discussions. Topcontributors will earn gift cards/gift certificates to local eateries (Wisconsin small businesses), donations to local charities and handpicked IIAW swag and prizes.

Additionally, participation will also play a part in theselection process for IIAW’s end-of-year Association Awards like Agent of the Year, Industry Representative of the Year, Emerging Leader of the Year and more.

If used to its full potential, our new Online Community will be a great member benefit. Being an active member of our Online Community and its Groups will give members the ability to be a part of just that - an online community of professionals that understand the industry, customers and values.

We are excited to offer our members this free and valuable benefit, and we are eager that together, as a community, we can support your local communities too!