David Wiesner | President of Leap Systems
With a blink of an eye, 2020 is coming to an end. And what a strange year it has been! Today, I’m working from the same chair I’ve sat in since March 13, when most of the world was shut down and sent home to work and quarantine. For some, it was a new opportunity, and others continue to count each day with reserve until normalcy returns. For me, my unused family room found new purpose as my office. It’s no longer the room with orphaned furniture and a visiting Christmas tree, it’s my dedicated workspace with whiteboards and a standing desk option. While I realize not everyone can transform a room and make it an office space, it’s about finding the best suitable place to work efficiently, or “working where you win.”
The absence of time traveling into the office or “getting ready” for work has provided people more flexibility in their schedules. Essentially, more time for things they didn’t have previously. Some Leap users have used this time to delve into the online system. Finding a new calculator or feature that’s been added and applying it into their practice or finding things that could work better. We’ve received valuable feedback and recommendations on how to enhance the user and client experience, and the Leap team is working on them!
For example, in the Leap system, Leap Draw drew the same parallels as my former living room. It was used sparingly by only a few users and the majority would see more value if it were a blank canvas. So, we changed Leap Draw and made a few other enhancements as well based on the feedback received. Now, it’s quickly becoming one of the more highly used components of our software.
Classifying clients in steps during Leap Strategic process was another feature that most users were not utilizing in the system. When asked why, the response was simple, they had no idea what this “other” process was. I agree, it was confusing. So, we updated the process to mirror the 9-step Leap Process. The goal is to allow agents to better classify their book of business by showing their pipeline of clients in a more efficient manner.
Additionally, the Leap Development Team fulfilled 9 new releases which encompassed a wide range of changes and enhancements, released 8 new calculators into the online system, and eliminated the desktop applications to migrate everything onto a single platform. While there is undoubtedly more work to be done, it has been a tremendous year of improvements for the Leap software.
Development aside, training is equally important. You can develop great software but if no one knows its potential or how to use it, what’s the point? That said, training is always a high priority. The Leap Training team offered an expansive Design Center training series and deployed a new eLearning Center website. We’ve fully stocked the website with a large selection of training resources and webinars, with more to come in 2021 too! Should you not find what you’re looking for, let us know by emailing us at support1@leapsystems.com.
As we set our goals for 2021, it’s important to reflect on the accomplishments from 2020. Thank you for the valuable feedback. Thank you for believing in the Leap process and helping to make it even better. And, thank you for supporting the less favorable changes that were created by outside forces. While 2020 has caused many of us to pause, look inward, and redefine who we are and what we need to change in order to become and stay successful…Leap is no different!