We’re starting a blog and social media series to feature some of the employees at HawkSoft that have years of experience in the insurance industry prior to coming to HawkSoft. Our company is proud to have many employees across different teams who have real-life experience at agencies, carriers, and more.
When employees have a background in the field, they can better understand our customers’ needs, empathize with their issues, and keep the voices of independent agencies at the forefront of everything we do.
This month we’re highlighting some members from our Client Services team, which helps new agencies get started and trained on HawkSoft. Take a look at what they have to say about their industry experience and how it helps them in their current roles at HawkSoft!
HawkSoft team members in this spotlight:
- Cindy – Client Services Team Manager
- Craig – Client Services Software Consultant
- Josie – Client Services Accounting Consultant
- Charmin – Client Services Accounting Consultant
Describe your insurance experience
Cindy: 4 years as a personal lines agent, then 9 years at an agency where I implemented HawkSoft from scratch (in the dark ages, pre-downloads). I started there as an office manager in 1997. My last three years with that agency, I was the General Manager of the Pacific Northwest, managing 11 locations with a staff of approximately 50 employees.
Craig: I have 7 years in the insurance field. I started my insurance career as an agent for a local independent insurance agency. I then opened my own independent insurance agency and ran it for 5 years before selling it and coming to work at HawkSoft.
Josie: I have been a licensed insurance agent since 2003. I have worked for both captive and independent agencies as a CSR, Producer, and Trainer. I even maintain my insurance license to this day.
Charmin: I have over 15 years of experience, primarily with Allstate Insurance, as well as a few other captive carriers and an independent agency. I worked as receptionist, personal lines agent, commercial lines agent, and life specialist, as well as office manager in several offices.
How has your insurance experience helped you in your role at HawkSoft?
Cindy: I became familiar with the everyday challenges that working in an agency can bring. Implementing a management system from scratch in an agency has been invaluable, giving me the ability to share real stories and scenarios of why specific and consistent workflows are important, and the positive results of using automation to help you be proactive vs reactive. Knowing the "lingo" of the insurance world certainly also helps.
Craig: In my agency I used HawkSoft as my management system. It has given me the ability to see what it is like from the client's perspective. This helps me to have a better understanding of their needs, which results in me helping them to be able to utilize the system more efficiently. My years in the insurance field have helped me in my role at HawkSoft by allowing me to relate to the clients and their needs.
Josie: I've learned to communicate with many different types of people by working in the insurance industry, from young adults just starting out purchasing their first policy on their own to business owners with multiple locations and employees. Earning their trust and a reputation for keeping your word are key factors in being successful, something I have been able to carry forward in my career with HawkSoft.
Charmin: My previous insurance experience is very helpful in my career at HawkSoft, as I am an Accounting Consultant and I know what my agencies are faced with in their daily routines, from invoicing and receipting to reconciling commissions and paying their producers. I feel my past experience is invaluable in my current position.
What is your favorite thing about the insurance industry?
Cindy: Building relationships and sharing knowledge to protect the client. This is true for both insurance agents and software consultants.
Craig: I love the insurance industry because of the ability to help people. It gives a person the opportunity to be a bright spot in an otherwise bad day for a client.
Josie: I'd say how much it has evolved over the last 20 years. Watching the industry growing and adapting to meet all sorts of new exposures like ride sharing companies and short-term vacation rentals. Some of those risks were very difficult, if not impossible, to insure when I first started my career in insurance.
Charmin: Both in insurance and in my current position at HawkSoft, I love that I am able to meet with new clients, assess their individual needs, and help them take steps to be successful.
What are your hobbies or passions?
Cindy: Spending time with my husband and family, specifically my 86-year young father. I love dogs and am passionate about dog rescue. I have three rescue "heathens" of my own. My husband and I enjoy traveling...we love cruises, and love going to Arizona during the rainy season in Oregon.
Craig: In my free time I like to spend time with my wife and daughter. We like to travel as much as we can. I also like to drag race - we travel the country racing cars on my free weekends.
Josie: Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my husband (a fellow HawkSoft employee) and our dogs exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My current passion is sourdough baking - bread, bagels, and even pizza! I love watching musical theater, and quality time with friends and family is a top priority!
Charmin: Music. I play, I sing, I listen, I dance - music is my lifeline. I love to be out in nature: hiking, camping, fishing, or simply being outdoors digging in my flower beds. I love spending time with my family, including my children and grandchildren, and watching them all cross milestones in their lives. I love going on long road trips.
Hear more from HawkSoft employeesSee what HawkSoft employees have to say about working at HawkSoft!
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