Applied Systems, Inc. was founded in 1980 by Robert Eustace, an insurance agency owner with an innovative plan. His idea was to use inexpensive microcomputers and relational database technology to automate the day-to-day functions of the independent insurance agency. From this groundbreaking idea, The Agency Manager® was born.
During The Agency Manager's three-year development phase, Applied Systems earned its funding by developing custom accounting, marketing and management systems for a wide range of businesses; including manufacturers, municipalities, schools, and legal & service companies. From this experience, Applied Systems made a number of early technological innovations, including the first use of relational database technology on microcomputers with local area networking, which significantly elevated the level of user-friendliness, functionality and price/performance of agency automation. Soon after its introduction in 1983, The Agency Manager became a huge success.
By late 1984, The Agency Manager's user base had expanded to over 800 customers, making it the number one selling agency automation system in the United States and Canada. Applied Systems did not stop there, and continued to introduce new technologies to the insurance industry. In 1985, Applied began developing all its products in the "C" programming language, giving our systems an unmatched advantage in speed and intelligent features.
Early 1986 saw the release of The Agency Manager Forms/Interface Module, an exciting product that allowed agencies to create, print, and store standard ACORD forms. These forms could be printed on plain paper, which eliminated the agency burden of stocking hundreds of preprinted forms. Also in 1986, IVANS announced that an agency using this product conducted the first SEMCI (Single Entry, Multi-Company) interface session.
By mid-1986, Applied Systems had grown to over 100 employees and 2000 customers. The company moved into a 35,000 square foot facility that later served as Applied's Technology Center.
Enhancements and improvements to The Agency Manager continued through 1987. The next release of the system, The Agency Manager Version II, operated several times faster than the original with hundreds of new features, and was designed to support even larger insurance agencies. Version II integrated fully with the Forms/Interface Module, and became the first true "Single-entry" system on the market. At about the same time that micro-computers came to be known as personal computers, Applied introduced the first remote-office support for a personal computer system.
By 1988, The Agency Manager Version III became the flagship of Applied's operation. This system supported large agents and brokers with multiple offices while offering custom features such as company, agency and state-unique forms; custom reports; policy rating and issuance; and custom dec pages. Applied acquired one of the largest rating vendors in the country and used that rating engine to develop an entirely new, integrated personal and commercial lines rating product, thereby adding rating to the list of single-entry, fully integrated features within The Agency Manager. Applied's application of this single-product strategy remains unique in an industry where many companies have chosen to expand through miscellaneous product acquisitions.
Also in 1988, Applied Systems acquired Roytech, a wholly owned agency automation company from Royal Insurance Canada, and renamed it The Agency Manager. The acquisition of this Toronto-based company reaffirmed Applied's commitment to the full support of and continued research and development for the Canadian insurance market. Today, over 900 Canadian brokerages use The Agency Manager to manage a combined book of business of over one billion dollars. The Toronto office oversees Canadian sales, service, and support and has helped us become the number one automation vendor in Canada.
In 1989, Applied began operations in Bloomington, Minnesota to develop, distribute and support comparative rating software for insurance agencies. This operation became known as First Rate. Today, Applied has integrated rating solutions with several other rating vendors in addition to First Rate. These vendors provide personal and commercial lines comparative rating in the 48 contiguous states.
In 1990, The Agency Manager Version 4 grew to include features such as self-administered marketing, transactional filing and power to drive an agency of any size or product mix. These features once again defined the standard for agency automation.
In 1991, Applied acquired the operations of two other automation vendors - Leader Systems (formerly owned by USF&G) and Liberty Systems (formerly owned by Meridian Insurance Company) - who stopped producing automation software to focus on their core insurance business. Their decision to allow Applied's acquisition of their vendor operations was largely based on Applied's ability to continue supporting their agents and other users of these systems for a number of years.
Also in 1991, Applied expanded its rating division to offer customized policy processing including company specific rating, underwriting, policy issuance, and statistical reporting.
During the period from 1991 through 1992, many significant features were added to The Agency Manager, including ACORD based policy detail, True Interrupt, Network FAX, Electronic Imaging and a Proposal System.
In 1993, The Agency Manager for Windows was introduced, making Applied Systems the first company to deliver a Windows-based automation product. This system took full advantage of Windows' capabilities including a graphical user interface, multitasking, dynamic data exchange, and integration with third-party Windows products, such as Microsoft Word for Windows and Excel. The system enabled agents to make a gradual transition from DOS to Windows without being forced to learn an entirely new system.
Also in 1993, Applied Systems expanded its operation to the United Kingdom and opened an office in Birmingham, England. Dozens of U.K. brokers have since become automated with The Agency Manager. A French-Canadian version of The Agency Manager was introduced in Quebec.
The addition of new features and products continued through 1993 and 1994, including: Dynamic Data Exchange for complete integration of all files in Windows, Integrated Electronic Imaging, Receptionist System, Personal and Commercial lines Proposal System, Risk Survey System, Integrated MVRs, SQL Reporting System integrated with all popular spreadsheets, Windows-based Accounting, Employee Personnel File with payroll history, attendance, hire and review information and EEOC reporting, Free Upgrades from DOS to Windows (100% compatible with existing database), EIS - Executive Information System with Excel integration, and the Workflow Wizard.
Applied Systems has received ACORD's Download Vendor of the Year Award each and every year since 1993. Applied also received the first ever Upload Vendor of the Year Award in 1994, and has won it every year since.
Today, Applied has interface relationships with over 120 insurance companies, and Applied Systems users represent nearly 50% of all industry downloads as well as nearly 75% of all industry uploads.
In 1996, Applied Systems moved into its new headquarters on a 170 acre central campus in University Park, Illinois. With today's 150,000 square foot facility and a separate distribution center, there is adequate space for future expansion on the campus. Also in 1996, a new call center in Coralville, Iowa was introduced to provide additional support for our growing family of users.
Improvements to our support system continued in 1997 with the introduction of a real-time support solution. The system was the first of its kind in the industry, and allows customers to have their questions addressed by support professionals as they call in, eliminating the need to wait for a technician to call them back.
1997 brought a number of other changes to Applied Systems. President James P. Kellner succeeded Bob Eustace as CEO. Version 6.0 of The Agency Manager was released, making TAM ® the first insurance automation program to offer full year 2000 compatibility.
Applied Systems services over 8,000 agencies in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hong Kong, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands. Applied Systems, Inc. employs over 900 people throughout the United States and other countries. In addition to our corporate headquarters in University Park, Illinois, Applied maintains offices in Ontario, Canada; Montreal, Canada; Bloomington, MN; Northport, AL; Oelwein, IA; Coralville, IA; Los Angeles, CA; Quincy, MA and San Diego, CA.
Applied's company philosophy is to provide insurance agencies with the best solutions to their automation needs and the best return on their automation investment. It is this commitment to our customers that has allowed us to outsell our nearest competitor by more than 2-to-1. Applied has the financial strength and stability to deliver what Independent Agents need. We want to make your agency the newest chapter in our ongoing success story.
