Susco Solutions—a software development firm specializing in internal business applications, mobile workforce apps, legacy system conversions, and system integrations— is an important part of New Orleans’ “rise of the phoenix” story.
It all began when Neel Sus, the CEO of Susco, was working in the Earned Value Management System (EVMS) department for the Landing Platform Docks (LPD) program at Avondale Shipyards. The company was writing work orders by hand and putting them into a mainframe. It took 6,000 work orders to build a $1 billion LPD. That was, undoubtedly, an insane amount of data entries.
Neel taught himself programming and created an electronic work order system. It received wide appreciation due to its ability to save time and labor. While he expected management to be impressed with the efficiency gains from the system, he was deeply moved by the positive impact it had on all the end-users, and he couldn’t help but fall in love with software development. This marked the beginning of Susco in 2006.
Custom Software Solutions to Enhance Workflow
Susco realizes that one of the biggest challenges for insurances services companies is that many of them are either using an off-the-shelf Claims Management System (CMS) software or are modifying a platform service like Salesforce to manage their claims flow. In either case, their solutions are often not matching their business processes and the cost scales with user count or transaction count.
When these firms decide to invest in custom software, they find themselves working with shops that don’t understand claims management and aren’t familiar with the complexities of integrating with estimating platforms like XactAnalysis and Symbility.
Given’s Susco’s staff decades of experience developing enterprise claims management software & integrations, we’re able to execute their vision 100% of the time.
Additionally, given the inherit mobile nature of our client’s work, mobility is critical.
Alacrity Connect, a custom mobile application developed by Susco Solutions, was honored by American Business Awards in the “Business Technology – Insurance Solution” category with a Bronze Stevie Award. The mobile application acts as a fully integrated adjuster portal for Alacrity Solutions (Alacrity), one of the nation’s largest independent adjusting firms. Presented with the challenge of quickly connecting adjuster activity to policyholders and claimants, Alacrity partnered with Susco to develop Alacrity Connect. Traditionally, the claims assignment and service process was immensely manual, which resulted in longer claims lifecycles and left Alacrity exposed to the risk of unnecessary delays and human error during the data entry process. The mobile application quickly matches claims to available local adjusters using custom technology that merges each claim’s data with Google Maps. The adjuster’s real-time location, credentials, availability, and current claim load are all contemplated by the application, ensuring the best person for the job is assigned the claim. Once assigned, adjusters can update claim information directly from their smartphone, which relays information back to Alacrity’s core claims management systems.
Moreover, Susco utilizes its base programming stack to develop software solutions for insurers and IA firms which are custom fit to their needs, either as a new product or as part of a legacy system conversion.
Susco replaces off-the-shelf document management, CRM, and ERP software with a system the client controls without pay-per-user licensing fees. It builds systems specific to policy and claims workflows and integrates them with external systems as needed. Additionally, the company helps improve the efficiency of the client’s internal processes while developing a modern, streamlined solution to their legacy system.
“If your team doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle a project, we can work with you to complete a project using our robust base system. We can also develop unassisted, in accordance with your team’s internal standards. In either circumstance, we’ll implement code that will meet your internal team’s standards and will work with them to create an exemplary product with thorough documentation,” says Sus.
We can develop a turnkey solution to manage your claims workflows and 3rd party integrations or work under the guidance of your internal team, maintaing your standards while taking the risk of the unkown out of your projects because we understand the p&c insurance business
Aligning with Client Business Goals
Susco’s comprehensive approach has enabled it to serve numerous clients over the years.
A perfect example is Gilsbar Insurance, one of the largest, privately-held insurance services organizations. Gilsbar discovered its subscription costs for the accounting system were set to triple from $10,000 to $30,000 a month. The system was also tied to a legacy version of Windows, preventing them from updating to a newer and more stable version. Gilsbar needed a lower-cost, better-optioned alternative.
Working in liaison with the client, Susco helped Gilsbar build a custom accounting system and migrated all the data from Vertafore Sagitta. The solution eliminated manual double-entry and enhanced previously used features while providing a more holistic view of data and ensuring real-time reporting. This allowed Gilsbar to take more informed, effective actions. The result was $348,000 per year of cost savings on their bottom line.
Focused on Core Values
Five core values—growth, communication, action, teamwork, and efficiency—have been the key drivers for Susco’s growth.
Growth is the key core value at Susco. Without the commitment to continuous improvement, none of the other values can be manifested.
In 2016, Susco found after 10 years that in business, while Susco was stabile and slowly growing, that he wasn’t getting the results he wanted. Even though he was working 70+ hours per week, revenue was stuck at $1M/year, employee satisfaction was low, and personally he wasn’t feeling fulfilled at home and was 120 lbs overweight. He invested in mentors, personal development reading, and peer groups to change to live smarter, not just harder.
This had led to a passion in holistic development – of the human, the company, and the clients and community Susco serves.
“I’ve had a core belief in the value of continuous improvement since my episode of depression when I was 17. However, it wasn’t until 2016, when I had a mid-life crisis, that I dug deeply enough into the science of growth and my own personal psychology and began to truly understand the variety of tools needed to fully manifest my best self into being, both personally and professionally. ” says Sus.
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Susco works with our employees to uncover their long-term goals, vision. then we show and that aligns with susco’s vision to advance us all together. That’s why our employee retention and engagement rate is much higher than other companies in this field
The second core value is communication. Susco defines communication as building open relationships which inspire confidence. Susco believes clear, intentional, and effective communication is the most effective way to create a win-win scenario for all parties. It consciously takes steps to improve, develop, and expand communication abilities, both interpersonally and with the world.
Susco’s third core value is action. We achieve goals with enthusiasm and attention to detail.
We act on opportunities to enhance our growth experiences, and we expect ourselves to find and execute solutions to problems.
The fourth core value, teamwork, revolves around the belief that the strength of a team does not only lie in its combined experience and expertise but in the capability to trust each other, no matter what the circumstances.
Last but not least is efficiency, which means learning from mistakes and improving for the future. We do the most important task first. We strive to find the simplest solution to a problem. We proactively seek to identify and eliminate inefficiencies.
Interestingly, all five values are the results of Sus’s personal experience. In different phases of life, he has undergone many difficult situations and, at the same, has been able to show incredible resilience. He has always strived to become a better version of himself. Susco reflects his indomitable zeal for continuous growth and improvement.
Susco also takes care of its employees. It invests a significant amount of money and time in making the right hires and looking after their overall growth. It is why the company has not had a single unfinished project in its 14 years.
“We try to figure out employees’ long-term goals, vision, and aspirations. That’s why our employee retention and engagement rate is much higher than other companies in this field,” says Sus.
In the coming years, Susco will continuously focus on improving its processes to serve clients with the utmost efficiency and open more growth opportunities for them.
