Email Efficiency – Getting to the Point with Your Agency Correspondence

Agency Operations

Our latest blog series has focused on email etiquette, providing your agency with tips on keeping e-correspondence professional and effective. An area that many struggle with is keeping messages short and to the point. In this era of connectivity, we’re tempted to either send a long, rambling messages or multiple short, disconnected ones. Both are difficult to understand and, frankly, annoying for the recipient. The goal for your messages is to be clear and quick to the point. Here are a few ways to ensure your emails are understood, and appreciated.

1. Know what you want to say. Decide on the information you want to convey before sitting down to write. Stick to one or two main points to keep from overwhelming the recipient with information.
2. Put your point in the subject line. By letting people know what the email is about, they’ll be able to keep it for future reference and immediately know its content.
3. Stay short. Ideally, your recipient shouldn’t have to scroll down. If you find your message is getting too long, it’s likely you need a phone call or in-person meeting. Say so at the end of your message, offering times you can connect.
4. Put it in an attachment. If you have sections of documents you need to reference, attach them rather than posting in the body of an email. When sending attachments, be clear about why they are attached and in what program the file is saved.
5. Use lists. Bullet points and numbering help you be succinct and clear. Also, by breaking up text, your message is less intimidating to read.

As always, reread your messages before hitting send. Chances are there is something you missed, or something you can cut out. Focus on what needs to be said. If you’re unsure about clarity, have a colleague give it a once over before you hit the send button.

Emails are the best way to relay and record information, and are especially helpful when reviewing a client’s history. Keeping this in mind, we have equipped our Partner XE with Outlook integration to ensure all e-correspondence is linked right to a client or prospect’s profile. To find out more about Partner XE’s other capabilities, visit our website or contact us at [email protected].

Common Independent Insurance Agency E and O Mistakes…How to Avoid Them

Agency Operations

In athletics, there is a mantra that “defense wins championships” – meaning one must always be prepared to stop the oncoming team in order to succeed. The same is true with your agency’s E&O avoidance procedures: it is better to be prepared to stop errors andomissions than to try and make up for them afterwards. One way to be prepared is to know the 5 Most Common E&O Mistakes:

1. Lack of communication in policy changes (renewal, cancellation, etc.)

2. Non-compliance of client’s cancellation rights (not providing replacement coverage, hindering right to cancellation, omitting offer of “tail” coverage)

3. Delay in processing new business and/or policy changes

4. Incorrectly advising current or potential clients (i.e. giving inaccurate rate quotes)

5. Failure to fully explain policy conditions, renewal and cancellation procedures

To avoid falling in to these mistakes, your independent insurance agency needs to have a number of “plays” to keep your defense solid. This includes having well established and followed E&O procedures, utilizing a variety of tools (i.e. mobile management system access), and using root cause analysis. We’ll address some of these tactics and tools in our coming posts as we dive deeper into how to beef up your E&O defense.

Your best E&O defensive measure is your agency management system, as it contains all client and policy information in one place. Capabilities such as Partner XE’s paperless workflow provide great E&O protection through allowing you to quickly attach documentation to a client record. To find out more about Partner XE, check out our website or contact us directly at (800) 747-9273.