Agency Profile: Thoroughly Modern

Altasurance Inc.

Birmingham, Alabama
Founded: 2009
Employees: 14

A free-flowing scarlet ribbon “A” is the new logo that evokes the “action, vitality and passion” of Altasurance, agency principals say.

After completing a rebrand and implementing a fully digital and flexible office environment, the firm formerly known as Red Rock Insurance Group now aims for a national presence. Eight producers concentrate on personal lines, which dominates the business mix at 91%.

The paperless firm leverages software including QQCatalyst for agency management; Asana for task management; DocuSign for e-signatures; Infusionsoft and ClickFunnels for marketing to clients and prospects; GROW dashboard for analytics; and electronic funds transfer for financials. Altasurance also assists the real estate industry via a separate platform from clients in order to expedite requests.

ALISON RAY, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

We do not have specialty lines, but carefully watch trends for emerging fields of coverage—Uber, drones—so we can be ready when our clients call. Our producers are developing informational videos relating to the composition of their books. We also plan social media campaigns around new products and emerging markets. We use social media to demonstrate work-life balance and how much fun occurs in our office. Recently, we posted a video for Administrative Professionals Day that reached more than 12,000 organically.

We don’t sell to clients. We educate and help them, which forms a bond of trust and caring. We want Altasurance to be synonymous with easy, confident insurance transactions.

We use Buffer and Hootsuite to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google+, and we are working to launch Altasurance on Snapchat. Consideration for keywords and SEO went into the website, so Google will find us. Our top prospecting activities are business and industry relationship development, video and Instagram experiments on social media, postcard campaigns and high-quality T-shirt giveaways.

J. HENRY GLOVER, JR., CEO

Our goal is to expand into other states through mergers & acquisitions—and additional producers. Our next big investment will be in the right people who want to work hard, help others and enjoy the rewards of our industry. The bulk of our sales force is under age 35. Generosity retains them. We pay producers very well on their renewal accounts and share any bonuses with the team. Our mobile-based office culture allows employees to maintain a good work-life balance, so handling their professional and personal lives is less stressful.

I changed our name to Altasurance to be a symbol of our expectation to be the best in the industry, plus our commitment to excellent customer service and dedication to our clients. The word altus is Latin for ‘noble, deep, high, profound.’ The new name, Altasurance, is based on our core principles and desire to provide customers with an outstanding encounter when buying insurance. It also aligns with our company goals to establish our brand and ideology on a larger, national footprint.

TREY MCKINNEY, PRINCIPAL

We are modern and mobile, adept at working anywhere, anytime. We recruit by word of mouth and among friends. Several of our producers were our clients first who liked our brand and way of doing business. We have relationships with professional organizations and universities with insurance programs. We discourage drop-in visitors and limit the number of times we see reps each quarter to help the agency stay focused.

Producers’ biggest challenge is time management. A new producer is responsible for all policy transactions, including quoting, billing, endorsements and more, which can be a time-consuming juggling act as their books grow. With our technology and young staff, everyone adapts quickly, and they find their groove as skills increase.