As 2020 comes to a close, we thought we’d look back on some achievements of the year. Sometimes it’s easy to focus on what didn’t happen or went wrong, when there are a lot of things that went right. With that, we offer the Top 10 Accomplishments from Slope Software for 2020. Have a look, and catch up on some of the successes we saw throughout the year that you might have missed:
10. File Manager
Improvements to this part of the SLOPE system give users both greater flexibility and control for organizing their files.
Like a local file system, users can organize their files, tag them, move files and folders, and essentially streamline their use of the system how they best envision it. See more.
9. Amazon Partner Network Select Tier
Recently Slope Software achieved Amazon Partner Network Select Tier status. This means we’re on the right track for developing a leading-edge, cloud-based product and demonstrating our value in multiple ways. Read the announcement.
8. Automatic versioning
One of the biggest challenges most modeling actuaries struggle with is understanding which table or formula created specific output results. Automatic versioning simplifies this process for users, by automatically tying inputs to data tables and outputs.
Versioning applies to both data tables and mortality tables, as well as relationships and formulas.
7. Debug view
This functionality gives users the chance to click into formulas with results, all the way down to the model point level, and connect variables to the source elements that created it. Plus, users can trace backwards and forwards in time and across variable dependencies to see all elements of the calculation.
One consultant, who had made a pretty good career replicating black-box calculations from another system for audit purposes, saw this and immediately feared for his future prospects. “You’re going to put me out of business!” he said. Because maybe, just maybe, actuaries should be able to validate for themselves the calculations they’re relying on to support their analysis.
6. Investment funding
In January SLOPE closed the first round of investment funding, with a $1,000,000 investment from Cofounders Capital. This confirmation of the business model, and understanding the potential market of actuaries who need what SLOPE has to offer, was a welcome validation and set the stage for many advances throughout the year.
5. Florida State University partnership
This fall Slope introduced our first University partnership, with 45 student users at Florida State University. Those students saw first-hand applications of working actuarial software, bringing their theory directly into practice and giving them an early, easy exposure to the type of work they’ll be doing in the future.
4. Architecture upgrade
We do a lot of work under the hood to constantly make the product faster and better for our users. This was one of those times. We improved a bunch of data transfer and storage processes automatically for our clients, resulting in significant decreases in the time from [RUN] to [RESULTS]. Without clients even doing anything.
How significant? Up to 60% less time in one test. Hear Taylor Perkins, our CTO, talk about the benefits of working with Snowflake on this one.
3. The first Fortune 500 client
This top-10 insurer is a well-known name in the market. They not only completed a rigorous vetting process, including technical functionality and security requirements, they have helped guide subsequent product development. Which goes a long way towards ensuring the next 2 items on the list.
2. User alignment
This is something we haven’t talked about much in public before, but as we looked back over the year, has clearly been a constant theme. For those who have completed their paid pilot project, also known as a proof-of-concept, 100% have selected SLOPE as the modeling system for the future. Every single one. Those who kick the tires, so to speak, of the SLOPE system like what they see and turn into clients. Not because our sales people are overbearing or manipulative, but because those users can see themselves using SLOPE and being better actuaries for it.
We think this is a statistic that’s going to hold true for a long time. Think it’s too good to be true? Go ahead, try and prove us wrong. Get started on your own pilot evaluation today.
1. Giving actuaries more time
Our insurance client, Funeral Directors Life, reduced their pricing cycle from 2 weeks to 4 hours. That’s the kind of time-savings that SLOPE was built to enable, and the kind of results we love to promote as often as possible. It’s no wonder this one ends up #1 on our list of 2020 successes.
We’ll have another blog soon with our Top 5 Advancements we expect to see in the new year. In the meantime, what about you? What’s your biggest achievement of the year? Even better, what are you looking forward to in 2021?