Get to know our experts. This series of blogs discusses how Vertafore leaders work for our customers.
Gordon Kendall started his insurance journey rating commercial auto policies with a pencil, a calculator, and a stack of paper. Twenty-five years later, he has become a champion for the independent insurance agent and a lifelong insurance industry partner.
As Vertafore's Senior Director for Product Management, Gordon manages the technology that has replaced pencil-and-paper processes. Overseeing Vertafore’s rating solutions—Commercial Submissions and PL Rating—he draws on decades of experience from his time working with carriers and their agency customers. His mission? Helping independent agents win against direct-to-consumer carriers with big marketing budgets and Super Bowl ads.
I get very, very excited about the independent agent channel,” Gordon said. “I love to see independent agencies win and be successful.”
Competing with carriers requires agency-focused technology
Technology is the great equalizer for independent agencies. Gordon sees smart, intuitive tech as the key to unlocking the productivity agencies need to stay ahead. Routine, time-consuming tasks like quoting premiums by re-keying data into different systems keep insurance professionals from doing what they’re best at: talking to clients, building relationships, and growing a book of business. Solutions that reduce these time-sucking tasks allow independent agencies to compete in a market full of larger corporate competitors.
The solutions we build at Vertafore are all about improving an agent’s workflow. We’re constantly asking, ‘How do we get agents in and out quickly while getting them the best premium possible?’”
InsurTech is about improving an agent’s experience
Gordon insists that InsurTech is not disruptive. Instead, successful insurance technology delivers time-saving efficiencies that result in more time to spend on things that truly matter.
I have 25 years of experience, and technology has never truly disrupted the insurance industry. Instead, it’s made people more effective and efficient at what they’re doing. It’s allowed them to go home at the end of the day to be with their family. They don’t have to go into the office on a Saturday to process downloads. When they have more time, agents can foster their client relationships, and that’s a real win."
Solving manual data entry is the key to agency growth
The key to building a stronger agent/client relationship is good data.
When agents start with good data, finding the best quote is faster and easier. Renewal processes are more efficient. And agents can respond quickly to client-service requests.
“Over the years, agents have worked with these manually intensive processes, and they’ve just had to deal with it because there hasn’t been a great solution. I’m always thinking about landing data back in the right spot and delivering it to the agent," he said.
Gordon’s work is proof that the best technology isn’t just about being faster—it’s about building a stronger, more successful future for every independent agent.
