JAVLN Officetech + Rivers Insurance Brokers – a decade of growing strong insurance operations together
Rivers Insurance Brokers is a family-owned and operated business based in Queensland, celebrating over 40 years of helping close to 7,000 individuals and businesses meet their insurance needs.
Rivers pride themselves on making a difference, offering their customers much more than just comparing policies and providing the best deal.
Since 2015, the Rivers team have been reaping the benefits of document management and workflow software, JAVLN Officetech.
Supporting the growth of the Rivers business
In 2015, Rivers was experiencing rapid growth. What began as a two-person operation in a single Brisbane office expanded to around 30 staff across four locations. The team serviced a diverse client base, ranging from construction and farming to residential property and pet insurance.
Operations Leader, Nerida Trappett, explains the day-to-day challenges Rivers was facing. With brokers working from their personal desktops, keeping on top of document management and assigned shared tasks and workflows was increasingly difficult. So they started looking at how technology could help.
“Each office operated like a separate entity, with no central document location. Everyone was running their own race. Not only was this inefficient, it went against the company ethos, which was - and still is - to keep our family feel and for our whole team to feel supported.”
We embed ourselves in the communities that we work in and value the relationships we’ve formed. Our team takes being on top of their work seriously and providing the right service to our clients is imperative. It’s not uncommon, particularly for our Innisfail team based in a regional town, to see their clients at social and kid’s events on the weekend. This is a key reason our team takes finding the right strategic partners very seriously.
Rivers learned about JAVLN Officetech through referrals from other brokerages also part of the Austbrokers group.
“As soon as we saw how it worked, we knew it was the perfect solution to continue to scale and improve our operations, for the sake of our brokers and clients,” Nerida said.
Nerida reflected on the process to launch JAVLN Officetech across all branches. Instead of bringing in additional resources, Rivers relied on the support of the JAVLN Officetech team.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to transition onto the new system - it was a relief not to have to worry about the tech so I could focus on our team’s transition to using new technology. We had full support every step of the way, from the initial set up to comprehensive training and client migration, which when dealing with data can be time consuming.
“Like any change, some found it more difficult than others so the change management piece should not be underestimated. The JAVLN Officetech team recognised this, providing abundant support to those struggling with the change to a new system,” Nerida said.
The benefits of JAVLN Officetech
JAVLN Officetech has transformed Rivers' operations through digital connectivity.
The Document Management Software (DMS) gives Rivers brokers secure access to documents from any location - whether they're in the office, working from home, or on the move. The value of this proved crucial during COVID-19, enabling Rivers to transition seamlessly to remote work while maintaining full productivity and service levels.
There’s also a number of features Rivers couldn’t live without.
1. Compliance made easy with full audit trails
Rivers relies on JAVLN Officetech’s audit trail feature to monitor all actions taken within the system - to ensure compliance and to stay across any changes. Team leaders can download audit trail reports for workflow oversight for the team.
Capacity management
Prior to using JAVLN Officetech, Rivers had limited visibility on team capacity. The fluctuating nature of client work meant some brokers would be overloaded, while others would have available capacity.
With JAVLN Officetech, team leaders have a clear and live view of how brokers are tracking with their tasks, making it quick and easy to reallocate work across teams and branches. This helps prevent burnout and reflects the supportive culture at Rivers.
Outlook integration
JAVLN Officetech’s Microsoft 365 integration has been incredibly helpful for the team at Rivers. With one click, brokers save emails and attachments directly to the DMS, making it easy to find documents and keep all client information in one place
Improved customer insights and collaboration
JAVLN Officetech helps Rivers brokers deliver the best possible customer service. Without all the hefty admin of trying to keep on top of document management, brokers can focus on better servicing their customers.
Collaboration amongst brokers has also flourished thanks to the increased visibility of client information. Client insights are more accessible and this fosters a culture of learning.
A future-proof partnership
Since onboarding JAVLN Officetech in 2015, Rivers has doubled in size with close to 60 people across three locations - Brisbane, Innisfail and Cairns.
JAVLN Officetech has been an integral part of the scale-up journey.
“We wouldn’t have a business without our team, our clients and the right strategic partners. Our brokers love JAVLN Officetech because it makes their lives easier, freeing up time for valuable work and helping to maintain our reputation as a business that cares about its clients,” Nerida said.
Today, JAVLN Officetech is deeply integrated into the Rivers business, with the added assurance that ongoing investment in the platform remains robust.
JAVLN Officetech understands our business inside and out. We feel valued and know any input we provide - like product or feature ideas - are considered. I can’t see a brokerage that JAVLN Officetech wouldn’t work for.
