In “Bad Decision Family,” a classic sketch from the 16th season of Saturday Night Live, guest host Tom Hanks, playing the father of the family, joins his wife (Jan Hooks) and children (Julia Sweeney, Mike Myers) at the kitchen table for “leftover night.” Hanks has just retrieved milk from the refrigerator. Upon taking a seat, he drinks directly from the carton. “Oh! Oh, geez!” he cries out in disgust. “How old is that milk? It is really bad!” Hooks asks to see for herself, and reacts similarly after taking a sip. To a mixture of laughter and moans from the live audience, Sweeney and Myers eagerly follow suit. As the sketch continues, each member of the family takes turns joining in on bad decision after bad decision: sniffing a plate of bad fish, sitting on a sharp nail, and testing out a broken staircase to the basement, to name just a few.
The sketch works because it illustrates our tendency as human beings to willingly opt-in for experiences that are guaranteed to be less than optimal. This phenomenon holds true when it comes to the performance of risk management information system (RMIS) software and support.
The sketch works because it illustrates our tendency as human beings to willingly opt-in for experiences that are guaranteed to be less than optimal. This phenomenon holds true when it comes to the performance of risk management information system (RMIS) software and support.
Risk managers put up with constant service turnover and service that never meets expectations. System limitations mean that some settle for a dependence on inconvenient workarounds to produce reports that still don’t provide all of the information they need. Others convince themselves that they’re okay with waiting months for features and enhancements that could be making a major difference now. And when facing the decision to renew with their current RMIS vendor or try a better option, they choose to sit tight.
Why? All too often, a reluctance to make a change is based in fear. Following a difficult implementation that drags on for far too long and ends with the delivery of a system that doesn’t meet expectations, the thought of going through the experience again makes putting up with all that is wrong with a RMIS seem like a viable option. Put simply, it’s a case of Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.
When considering whether to renew with your current provider, the good news is that you don’t have to settle for less. While no implementation is a cakewalk, choosing Origami Risk means you won’t experience a repeat of your previous implementation.
The following four factors set Origami Risk apart at implementation and beyond.
1) A collaborative RMIS implementation process led by experts
Origami Risk approaches each implementation as an opportunity to collaborate with clients and improve their overall risk management efforts. This involves taking an in-depth look at data, reports, and workflows in an effort to ensure each supports a client’s specific business objectives. The process involves discussion and exploration, rather than simply the recreation of existing reports and workflows. This is only possible with a team that possesses an understanding of risk management and insurance best practices, as well as advanced technology experience. Although their resumés and backgrounds are unique, members of Origami’s team share a similar trait: a problem-solving mindset that looks for the “why,” not just the “what.”
As RMIS experts, Origami Risk’s senior client executives solve problems and contribute to the success of our clients, which has made the company the leading RMIS provider in the 10 years since its founding. Navigating a bureaucratic system of sign-offs? Not so much. Because Origami is committed to hiring based on fit and trust, each senior client executive has the authority to directly make the changes a client requests. Each member of the service team feels useful and empowered to get things done. As a result, people want to work here. This is underscored by the fact that Origami Risk consistently wins Business Insurance’s Best Places to Work in Insurance honor, among other workplace awards.
2) An iterative approach to implementation that engages users
As illustrated in a case study featuring the risk pool New Mexico Association of Counties, Origami Risk uses a process that involves not only regularly scheduled meetings, but also continual communication in the form of emails, phone calls, and—when possible—face-to-face conversations. The reason is simple: Implementing a RMIS is a complex undertaking. One size does not fit all, and “the way things have always been done” is rarely the best approach.
Ongoing communication is key to getting it right the first time. Starting week one, clients receive deliverables to review for the week ahead. Origami’s service team gathers results and feedback and distributes them in advance of regular meetings that continue throughout the entire implementation. This process enables clients to pivot to a more optimal solution, should one arise. It also acts as an additional form of training that prepares users for go-live well before the arrival of the go-live date. Just as you depend on us to get your system set up, the Origami Risk team depends on you to help us get it right.
3) Flexible technology and system accessibility streamlines the implementation process
Rather than building upon an existing third-party software platform, Origami Risk was built from scratch to better serve our clients by providing:
- An intuitive solution that makes it possible for clients to take control to the degree they feel comfortable, reducing their dependence on the service team and avoiding unnecessary costs
- A scalable platform that is easy to maintain and to which functionality can be added within the base code
- Software that interfaces well with the third-party systems on which clients depend
In the Origami Risk system, making changes to fields, labels, forms, data mappings, batch import or export processes, point-in-time reports, loss triangles, notifications, alerts, and security permissions can all be done through the front end with no custom code required.
During implementation and as part of ongoing support, this means that changes are often accommodated in real time. Additionally, with system updates every 6-8 weeks, clients don’t have to wait months before using new functionality. Origami Risk implementations move quickly because our technology doesn’t require a massive overhaul when we discover a different or better way of doing things.
4) Service consistency and autonomy for better implementations and better ongoing support
Arriving at go-live with a system that meets all of the points laid out in a Statement of Work is just one way to define success. It is, of course, not the only goal. As with the unique approach to system implementations, Origami Risk’s service model is different by design: The team involved in system implementation continues to work on that client account. There is no handoff.
This also means an end to what many RMIS providers see as “cost-effective” client support, but which strikes fear in the hearts of many a RMIS user: “I’ll put in a ticket for that.” For clients of Origami Risk, when a user picks up the phone with a question or request, they’ll be talking to the person with whom they’ve worked for months or years—someone who not only knows the system, but understands their business objectives.
Ready to put the lingering nightmare of a bad implementation behind you?
If you’ve experienced an implementation so horrible that it’s making you continue to settle for less, know that there is a better way. You don’t have to be Tom Hanks sipping spoiled milk over and over again. Origami Risk designed a different approach to RMIS implementation—one that combines collaborative service expertise, an iterative delivery process, flexible technology, system accessibility, and a consistent and autonomous service team—so that you can move on to something better. Contact us to begin a dialog about what a move to Origami Risk could mean for your organization’s ability to more efficiently analyze risk and insurance data, prevent losses, control claim costs, streamline renewals, and reduce your organization’s total cost of risk.