Applied EPIC Workgroups are activity (task) queues within the EPIC system used to organize, assign and manage daily workloads across a team. Rather than assigning activities directly to an employee, work can be routed to a workgroup where designated team members can review, claim and complete activities.

Workgroups function as a centralized hub where activities are routed based on type of work, workflow or responsibility. This can include renewals, remarketing requests, outbound client email requests, carrier memos, billing and download activities. 

For example, a remarketing request may automatically route to a Remarketing Request Workgroup, allowing team members responsible for renewals and remarketing to review and assign the activity for handling.

When Workgroups Make Sense

Workgroups may be a good fit for your agency if a team has multiple people performing similar tasks, workload imbalances, struggles with coverage when staff members are out of the office, a need for greater visibility into outstanding activities, or use specialized teams rather than assigned account ownership.

Key Benefits of EPIC Workgroups

• Route activities automatically through Epic configuration based on activity type or workflow, while allowing staff to manually reassign work as needed.
• Serve as a shared queue where team members can review, claim and complete activities.
• Increase visibility and accountability for outstanding activities, helping reduce the risk of work being overlooked or delayed.
• Allow managers to monitor workload, productivity and service levels.

EPIC Configuration (High-Level)

Setting up Workgroups is straightforward:

• Create and name workgroups (e.g., Service Q, RRR Q, Bill Q).
• Assign them within the Activity configuration.
• Add team members to each Workgroup (right-side panel in EPIC).

Before creating workgroups, review your existing activity codes and determine whether different departments or business units require separate configurations.

If multiple departments share the same activity codes, future changes to routing rules, automated actions, or workflows may affect teams unintentionally. Creating department-specific activity codes where appropriate provides greater flexibility as your workflows evolve.

For example, agencies may choose to organize activity codes by business area (e.g., personal lines, high-net-worth, commercial) or even create separate activity codes for teams with distinct workflows within the same department. Thinking through your activity structure up front makes it much easier to customize workflows and routing as your agency grows.

In Practice at Our Agency

Several years ago, the personal lines department transitioned from a model in which individual clients were assigned to specific account managers to a more collaborative workgroup approach. The department currently includes 15 staff members, four of which are part of the sales team and two others are focused on high-net-worth clients and function outside of the workgroup structure.

The shift allowed us to move away from work being tied to a single individual and toward a team-based approach that improved workload distribution, increased visibility and accountability for outstanding work, and ultimately enhanced our ability to provide timely, consistent client service.

We also restructured into three specialized sub-teams, which allowed us to:

• Onboard unlicensed team members, support them through the licensing process, and assign simpler repetitive tasks through the workgroup.
• Improve service efficiency and workload distribution.
• Enhance staffing coverage during peak vacation periods and employee time off to ensure consistent service levels.

Team Structure

1. Service Team

• Serves as the front line for client service.
• Handles approximately 90% of incoming calls and client requests.
• Responsible for mortgagee changes, vehicle and driver updates, policy change quoting and processing follow-up paperwork (e.g., signatures).
• Consists of four full-time staff members and one dedicated part-time billing specialist.

2. Renewal, Remarketing and Retention Team (RRR)

• Handles agency-billed policies, non-download and brokered renewals, and all remarketing (e.g., client-requested, cancellations, non-renewals).
• Reviews complex coverage needs, inspection recommendations, and higher-level client questions and risk discussions.
• Consists of four full-time staff members.

Workgroup Structure

To support the operating model, we created dedicated EPIC workgroups aligned with our teams’ primary responsibilities: Service Q, RRR Q and Bill Q.

Activities are routed to the appropriate queue based on the type of work required. Team members work from a shared queue rather than relying on individual ownership, allowing work to be distributed across the team while maintaining visibility into outstanding activities.

Lessons Learned: The Good, Bad and Not So Ugly

While the workgroup model has provided significant operational benefits, we encountered a few challenges during implementation.

✅ Positive Outcomes

• Enables balanced workload distribution.
• Provides seamless coverage during PTO.
• Improves speed and responsiveness to clients.
• Balances workload distribution.
• Increases visibility into outstanding work.
• Boosts accountability across the team.
• Centralizes activity management.

⚠️ Challenges and Solutions

1. Duplicate Work Risk

• Issue: Two team members may begin working on the same activity.
• Solution: Require staff to immediately reassign the activity to themselves when they begin work.

2. Client Communication Overlap

• Issue: Clients may hear from multiple team members on different activities.
• Solution: Train staff to review all open activities on an account and encourage coordination before contacting the client.

As you consider your current workflows, take a moment to evaluate where workgroups could strengthen organization, improve accountability and enhance overall client service within your agency. Identifying these opportunities can lead to more consistent processes and a more efficient, team-driven approach to service delivery.