Prospect Database - TAM, BKB or something else?

[TrishaOurs]

What does your agency use for prospect database and why?  Our Agency uses BKB, but the department I work in doesn't really comply with the rest of the agency as far as actually managing it.  This year I have been given the task to get our department in line with the rest of the agency on prospect management so I am just trying to find out what other agencies are using and why?  I can tell you that most of the Producers have said that they prefer TAM.

And on another note if you do use TAM do you delete the prospect after you move it to customer?

Thanks!

[Lance Bateman]

TAM, but I don't allow prospects in the customer file.
Many of the more savvy producers have their own datafiles they use (they are independents).

[Hans Manhave]

Our own MS Access database.

[TrishaOurs]

TAM, but I don't allow prospects in the customer file.
Many of the more savvy producers have their own datafiles they use (they are independents).

So, lets say you are working on a prospect in TAM and you write the business.  Do you transfer that data over to the customer side of TAM and then delete it from the prospect database? 

[Lance Bateman]

Yes - UNLESS there are other policy types they are working on - then only the policy type being written is moved and the prospect remains.

TAM, but I don't allow prospects in the customer file.
Many of the more savvy producers have their own datafiles they use (they are independents).

So, lets say you are working on a prospect in TAM and you write the business.  Do you transfer that data over to the customer side of TAM and then delete it from the prospect database?

[brinkerdana]

So, lets say you are working on a prospect in TAM and you write the business.  Do you transfer that data over to the customer side of TAM and then delete it from the prospect database? 

Yes, but if there are other lines of business still being worked on, we move them to customer.  If those lines aren't written, they show up on expiration lists to follow up on next year.  We prefer to have all info in one place.

[Jeff Zylstra]

OK, I'll bite.  What is BKB?

[Alice Mooney]

hmmm....maybe...http://bkbhq.com/
that would be fun

[Lance Bateman]

BKB

"Bob Knits Banners"?

[TrishaOurs]

LOL, BKB = Brokerage Builder

[Steven Strauss]

We had used Goldmine, but as a CRM it fell short for a variety of reasons. We recently made the transition to Salesforce.com. Still a bit early to tell whether or not all of the expected gains we were hoping for come to fruition, but so far so good. We hope to integrate Salesforce with TAM using the ConeXions API in the next few months for maximum benefit.

[Ben Thoele]

We had used Goldmine, but as a CRM it fell short for a variety of reasons. We recently made the transition to Salesforce.com. Still a bit early to tell whether or not all of the expected gains we were hoping for come to fruition, but so far so good. We hope to integrate Salesforce with TAM using the ConeXions API in the next few months for maximum benefit.

Steve Are you wrinting the integration or do you know of one for sale?

[Steven Strauss]

We are writing the integration. Technical stuff; well above my pay grade 

[DebAmstutz]

We use TAM but for whatever reason, some people have left the prospect on the prospect side after moving to the client side!  I am hoping to convince the powers that be to clean that up.  There is absolutely no reason to keep a client on the prospect side once a policy is written, in my opinion.

[TrishaOurs]

We use TAM but for whatever reason, some people have left the prospect on the prospect side after moving to the client side!  I am hoping to convince the powers that be to clean that up.  There is absolutely no reason to keep a client on the prospect side once a policy is written, in my opinion.

We had that same issue Deb, but I finally was able to convince management to just delete them once they get moved over.  Otherwise it just becomes a big mess.