1) A backlogged insurance firm hired Resource Pro to improve productivity after paying 3,000 hours of overtime to a team of 15 employees in one year. 2) Resource Pro analyzed the firm's processes, set productivity targets for employees, and had employees track their time, which allowed them to better manage workloads. 3) The results were significant - the lowest performing employee tripled their productivity, a 10-year backlog was eliminated in 3 months, and overtime costs were almost entirely eliminated the next year.

1. RESOURCE PRO ACCELERATES
THE PRODUCTIVITY OF A
BACKLOGGED FIRM

2. Resource Pro Accelerates the Productivity of a Backlogged MGA
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Few problems plague insurance organizations as systemically as backlogs and overworked
employees, often resulting in extraordinary overtime costs. Solving this type of issue is
an area where Resource Pro excels. Our Productivity Solutions Group reshapes and then
monitors the way insurance employees go about their day-to-day work, identifying the root
causes of dysfunctional processes. Leveraging years of insurance experience and Lean Six
Sigma Black-Belt certifications, our operations consultants provide a unique perspective on
the inner-workings of an insurance organization.
INTRODUCTION

3. Resource Pro Accelerates the Productivity of a Backlogged MGA
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For a typical example of Resource Pro’s process expertise, look at the case of a large USA
based combination Wholesaler/MGA. The organization was in deep trouble thanks to the
pile of work sitting on employees’ desks: In 2012, the company paid out roughly 3,000
hours’ worth of overtime to one service team. This specific service team of 15 full-time
employees each completed 200 extra hours of work on average during that year, meaning
that 15 workers on overtime put in just as much time as 17 employees would have on a
normal schedule. Not only was the team overworked, but the overtime wasn’t working: One
employee at the company revealed that their department had carried a backlog of items for
more than a decade.
This all combined had the potential to damage the company’s reputation. Clients were
frequently reporting that they were not receiving the level of service they expected. Further,
the work being produced was often completed behind deadline, creating additional problems
with clients. This resulted in the firm’s employees having to spend even more time on tasks
that should have been unnecessary. They were constantly on the phone and sending emails to
explain why certain items were late, or to respond to complaints and scheduling requests from
their clients. On a “heavy” day, employees at the company tell us, they would be set back as
much by complications resulting from backlogs as they were by their assigned daily tasks.
PART I: CHALLENGE
Number of Employees Hours Worked by Employees

4. Resource Pro Accelerates the Productivity of a Backlogged MGA
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That’s where Resource Pro’s operations diagnostic process took over. The client strategically
employed our Productivity Solutions Group whose operations consultants immediately went
to work devising a process improvement strategy. The operations consulting team examined
various activities and tasks completed within the company’s systems, and tracked every phone
call completed from the office. The team then assigned “scores” to each task employees were
doing, giving the most time-consuming assignments and communications the most “weight.”
Productivity targets were quickly established, keeping the relative importance and prioritization
of each client and task in mind. In collaboration between ReSource Pro’s operations
consultants and the department manager, employees were made aware of their own personal
targets with results being shared with them on a weekly basis. This allowed the overworked
employees at the firm to take a step back and better assess how they were spending their
time. Within a very short period, the Productivity Solutions Group was able to entirely reshape
the way employees at this large client allocated their time.
“Frequently, we see issues that have been a frustration for employees for years, our approach
gives them a voice and allows them to be part of the solution,” explained Kurt Kohorst, the
head of Resource Pro’s Productivity Solutions Group. “This can significantly improve employee
morale and engagement.”
PART 2: SOLUTION
“Frequently, we see issues that have been
a frustration for employees for years, our
approach gives them a voice and allows
them to be part of the solution,”
— Kurt Kohorst

5. Resource Pro Accelerates the Productivity of a Backlogged MGA
05
Resource Pro’s operations diagnostic process offered the firm a look into their own working
methods – something they never had the time or expertise required to investigate on their
own. The results of this, and of the employees’ reorientation, were monumental: The individual
daily contributions of both average and low-performing employees increased significantly.
The lowest achieving employee, in fact, was able to triple their productivity levels on an
hourly basis, according to our productivity results report. Every week, the team’s weighted
productivity rating would increase, while the company’s backlog decreased. Within three
months, a backlog that had remained active for over 10 years was eliminated entirely!
The biggest difference of all came in terms of overtime, however. Even though workers were
producing at higher levels – and eliminating the backlog in record time – this service team
was not working longer hours. 3,000 hours of overtime were charged to the company by this
team in 2012, as mentioned above, at great cost. With Resource Pro as a partner, overtime was
almost completely eliminated: The firm experienced a dramatic reduction in overtime payments
in the year 2013.
Day-to-day operations are more important than anything else within an insurance organization.
Without consistent production, backlogs build up, clients become disgruntled, overtime hours
need to be paid and revenue drops sharply. With Resource Pro at the helm, however, these
problems can be prevented or eradicated. Insurance organizations aided by our Productivity
Solutions Group have the opportunity to turn their trajectory around entirely – much like the
once-struggling MGA service team.
PART 3: RESULTS
Productivity
3x