In the four years I have been working in Client Services at Zywave, I have seen many local insurance agencies become our clients. One of the first questions we always ask them is, “what is it that makes your agency stand out from all of the rest?” I will give you a few seconds to think about that same question, and think of your answer, before I tell you that if you said service, you are exactly like 90% of the hundreds of agencies that we have asked that question to in the past four years. So in all likelihood, the quality of your service is not making you stand out from your competitors if almost all local insurance agencies feel exactly the same way.
Great news! I am going to list four easy ways that you can coach your staff to stand out from the pack and become a truly talented agency at providing great service to your clients. Below are the areas that every local insurance agency should try and accomplish on service calls into their agency. The best part of all is that these tips are easy to remember, because they all start with the letter R; Respect, Rapport, Round out, and Referral.
Respect – Your clients have endless options for where they can go to purchase insurance. How do you think your clients feel when they call into the agency and are greeted by a person who seems depressed, disinterested, or even worse, agitated? They might start shopping for a new agent the second they get off the phone. Respect your clients by showing them that they matter enough to be upbeat when they call in. Every service call should be an opportunity for your agents to show your clients just how much you respect them.
That’s why we answer the phones at Zywave with, “It’s a great day at Zywave!” It’s practically impossible to sound down while saying it. We are cheerful, excited, and ready to help you with whatever might be requested. It is certainly a lot better than answering the phone angry, upset, or miserable. Show your clients that you respect them by being awake, alert, and ready to assist them. “Good morning, how can I help you today?”
Rapport – Everyone knows what it feels like when you have a strong rapport with someone else; chances are you feel very comfortable with them. Everyone also knows how it feels when you don’t have any rapport with someone; it feels uncomfortable and awkward. As a local agent, you have a serious advantage over the direct writers. There’s a chance you know exactly where that house is someone is trying to insure. Your family might have recently eaten at the restaurant the business owner is looking to insure. Use that kind of inside information to your advantage by letting it help you build rapport with your client. Again, your clients have multiple sources from which to purchase insurance. Give them a good reason to do business with your local agency, because you’re local, you know them, and you share a great rapport.
Round out – Did you know that bundling policies with the same carrier can qualify your clients for discounts? Of course you do, but do all of your clients know that? You better hope so, because if you’re not telling them that information, your competitors are telling them several times during every national sporting event. Service as selling is achieving more sales by offering better service. If you are not letting your clients know that they could be saving money by letting one of your carriers insure both their home AND their auto, are you actually providing good service? And if your staff isn’t informing your clients of these available discounts, guess who is, several times every Sunday? Your staff needs to identify when a client is mono-lined and, at a minimum, let that client know that there are discounts available for adding an additional policy and rounding out. This alone will surely help increase your agency’s Policies in Force (PIF) rate over doing nothing at all.
Referral – This is another area that a lot of agencies say is a skill set when they begin working with Zywave. Yet, when we dig a little deeper, it turns out that the only person at the agency asking for and getting referrals is the principal. No one at the agency besides him or her feels comfortable asking for referrals, especially if there is minimal to no reward for doing so. The irony is that most agencies I work with will say they would love to have more clients like their best clients. But if there is no reward for your best clients referring their friends and family, what’s in it for them?
That is why we at Zywave recommend the agency create a robust referral program that gets everyone involved. If you run a raffle for a big ticket item, like a flat screen TV, tickets to a sporting event, or plain old cash, your best clients will be a lot more likely to give you a referral. Your staff will also be a lot more likely to talk about it as well because it’s a fun program. Don’t just have a referral program for the sake of having a referral program. Does a $5 gift card to Starbucks truly encourage anyone to give you a referral? Is it even enough to buy your client a coffee at Starbucks? It’s no wonder your staff isn’t asking for referrals.
In a perfect world, clients of your agency would be greeted with respect and by a smiling, caring person that was there to assist them. They would feel like they were talking to a neighbor who knew them, knew about their town, and offered support to their needs. They would be informed of the discounts available to them that, at the same time, increased the agency’s retention rate. And finally, they would be told that before they go, they simply have to hear about the agency’s amazing referral program. Now, be honest, is that level of service happening at your agency?