The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to change many
elements of our lives. For businesses, it created a quickening effect on plans
to increase tech use and move to digital. With those changes, many agencies
turned to their insurance websites as hubs for their business, whether or not
their site was optimized to take on that level of responsibility.
As your agency evaluates how to shift to the “new normal,” consider these insurance website statistics and what they mean for your agency.
Connect with Marketing Automation
Marketing automation sends messaging to interested
prospects and clients when they take a particular action, like clicking
“request a quote,” or at a specific time such as when they’re up for renewal. When
integrated with your website, you can set up marketing automation to send
messaging at the ideal times to engage prospects and customers. Research shows
the personalization
that marketing automation provides works:
Close to 90% of customers now demand more
personalization from businesses, much of which can be done through marketing
automation (Accenture)
Insurance companies that leverage marketing
automation sell 20% more policies per producer (Velocify)
Pay Attention to Your Site’s SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical to your
site’s success. Your SEO status dictates how easy it is for your target
prospect group to find you in an online search. Independent agencies that specialize
in serving their local community benefit from quality SEO by targeting localized
search phrases like “Ashville NC auto insurance.” Your search ranking is
important as statistics show more people are turning to online searches to find
coverage:
Almost 70% of insurance customers run
online searches before making a purchase (LSA)
Online searches for “insurance near me” have
grown by 100% in the past two years, making it more critical than ever to
have your SEO locally targeted (Google)
Optimize for Mobile
More people are accessing the web via mobile than
ever, and your website needs to adjust. Ensure you’ve optimized your website
design so it can be easily viewed on any device. Mobile access is taking over
as the most popular way to view online content:
Mobile searches make up 59% of all organic
search visits (Broadband
Search)
Mobile devices (excluding tablets) accounted for
almost 55% of global website traffic in the first quarter of 2021 (Statistica)
Highlight Customer Reviews
Whether it’s from social media, a review site, or
an email message, show off the feedback you get from happy customers. If you
don’t have many examples yet, encourage customers to go to places like Google Reviews
or Yelp and comment about your service. Integrating your social media feed and
these review site comments into your site gives a boost, too. We know authentic
reviews make a huge impact:
Close to 60% of consumers say they go to social
media to influence their purchasing decisions (Marketing
Drive)
People are up to four times more likely to
purchase a product or service with at least five reviews (Review24)
Get the Custom Website You Need
If you’re looking to upgrade your site to bring
better service and higher-quality insurance leads, look no further than the
experts at Partner Platform. Our latest agency website
offerings are personalized sites custom-designed, thanks to our trusted
Partner Allies. Each site offers integration with marketing automation, customer
service tools like our Client Portal, and secure infrastructure to keep you
and your customers safe.
We strive to provide the best insurance agency
software to our Partner Platform agencies, but we don’t have all the answers on
our own. That’s where our trusted technology partners, our Partner Allies, come
in. In this series, we get to know more about our industry
partners and how they bring innovation and expertise to the Partner
Platform system.
Lightspeed
differentiates through high-touch and high-service, which aligns nicely with
Partner Platform’s approach – and is also true for the way our independent
agency clients sell. Both Partner Platform and Lightspeed strive to be
hands-on, building relationships with clients just as our independent agents do
with their customers.
I talked with Lightspeed’s VP of Sales and Marketing, Steve Mohr, about the partnership.
How did you first become connected with SIS and Partner Platform?
One of our customers came to us with the suggestion
– they were a Partner Platform customer and saw an opportunity. I happened to have
a trip planned to the Columbus area, so I connected with (Director
of Product Management) Bryce Lee while I was in town, and we took things
from there.
After meeting with the Partner Platform team, we
saw that SIS has many of the same values we do as a company. We both provide personalized service above
and beyond what many others in the industry provide. Both of our customer bases
are very loyal, which is a testament to the product and company.
How does Lightspeed integrate into the Partner Platform
system?
We offer a complete VoIP phone solution that
provides numerous benefits such as a live switchboard, the ability to listen in
on live calls, record all calls, and real-time performance metrics. We also offer a screen pop-up on inbound
calls, so when a prospect or customer calls in, Partner Platform will automatically
pull up that contact’s information.
How do independent agents benefit from working with Lightspeed
versus a big-name provider?
I often say we have a similar value proposition as
independent agents. There are undoubtedly huge online carriers in our field
that many use, but they’re missing out on personal service, strong
partnerships, and knowing they’ll always get a human to talk to when they call
us. We also own all of our infrastructure, so we can fix any issues on-site and
don’t have to rely on third-party systems to place our calls.
What do Partner Platform clients like about working with Lightspeed?
The pop-up screen integration stands out as the
feature most users love about the system. Overall, it’s the level of service we
provide and how thorough we are, especially when agencies get started with us.
We do a full network check when working with a new agency to ensure the best
possible call quality is delivered right from the start.
What emerging needs do you see for independent insurance
agencies in the next three to five years?
I’ve been doing more research recently on what
agencies are doing to keep up with technology and product offerings trends. The
biggest challenge I see is maintaining the balance of keeping up with
technology without losing that personal touch customers get with an independent
agency. Finding the mix between
leveraging the latest technology to improve processes and keeping employee-customer
interaction at the forefront is the secret to success.
——–
Thanks to our Partner Allies like Lightspeed, we
at Partner Platform can be confident we’re offering our agencies the best
technology. Lightspeed’s commitment to provide a quality product and prioritize
client service echoes our own pledge to our Partner Platform agencies and their
promise to their insurance customers. We’re thankful for our Partner Allies like
Lightspeed, who think and act with the client’s needs first.
Have you properly equipped your insurance website
for sales? Almost
three-quarters of insurance shoppers go online to do research and obtain
quotes, so you need a quality website to attract those sales.
This shift to online prompted our Partner Platform team to think more about agency websites and how to optimize them for sales and service. We now work with agencies to help them create a custom site to grow their business after seeing several common mistakes. Here are some of the ways we saw agency websites missing the mark – and how we helped them correct their missteps.
Yes, you want your site to give visitors an idea of
who you are and what you do, but there is such a thing as too much information
online. Your site should focus on the essentials: your agency brand, the
services you offer, and how to get in touch. Too much text is overwhelming and
can turn away a potential customer.
What to do: If you’re having trouble being
concise, use videos as an alternative to provide deeper descriptions of your brand
and service.
Complicating Design
There is a lot that can be done with a website
these days, but you want to be careful about going overboard. Too many dynamic
elements can cause your site to render differently on mobile devices and even
from browser to browser. More
than half of internet users said they wouldn’t recommend a business with
poor mobile design, so you need to ensure your site renders well no matter what
device visitors use.
What to do: To ensure your site will render
well on any device, begin with the mobile design or design both mobile and
desktop versions concurrently.
While pricing and service offerings are certainly
important, you don’t want visitors to lose sight of who they’re researching or
doing business with. Your brand is the most valuable element you have to offer,
and you want people to associate the positive experience they have with your
name.
What to do: Use your branding colors
throughout the site and have your agency name, logo, and (if short enough)
motto on a sticky menu that users will see no matter where they are on your
site.
Confusing Navigation
The last thing you want is for users to get lost when
they’re on your site. If they came there to see your auto offerings or request
a quote, it should take them only a few seconds to find what they need. If your
navigation isn’t properly organized or seems confusing, it will be difficult
for visitors to find what they need, and they may abandon your site.
What to do: Use sticky drop-down menus so
users can navigate to any part of the site no matter what page they’re viewing.
Decentralizing Data
The prospect and customer information you gain from
your site’s interactions needs to be stored in your management system. When all
your prospect and customer data is in one place, it’s easier to see what certain
groupings or individuals need and the best ways to serve those needs. When your
data is decentralized, or you enter it manually, you lose efficiency and sales
opportunities.
We’ve crafted our agency
website offerings to address all these common errors, including the
critical system integration that brings agency efficiency and effectiveness to
a new level.
See samples of our
website offerings and hear from Partner
Platform agencies about how the Partner Platform system and team can
help you do more for your prospects and customers.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic change your insurance
agency management?
Most agencies are emerging from pandemic lockdown with
their business still healthy – perhaps even healthier for those that benefitted
from restrictions that reduced claims. An agency that emerges from such an
immediate and drastic change with economic strength speaks to their resilience
and preparation.
While financial health is one measurement of the
overall business, strategic health is another. Given the challenges over the
last year, you likely had meaningful conversations with business partners or
significant others about ways to strengthen your independent agency for the
long-term. These forward-thinking conversations are a testament to your
agency’s longevity.
Some considerations to add to your reflection include:
How well did we adapt to shifting work from the office to
home?
How did the shift affect associate productivity and
efficiency?
How did our client experience change?
How did the shift impact agency team culture?
What did we learn about client experience and expectations?
When everything was no longer in person, how did
that impact results like retention and new business?
What new technologies (beyond Zoom) were
highlights for supporting clients?
As we head back to the office, how is the agency
operating differently to improve results?
Over this past year of transitions, we on the
Partner Platform team learned our independent agency clients are adaptable and
nimble. We saw many agencies promote leadership at the top of the agency and in
key “on the ground” roles to meet adversity and find ways to become more
valuable to clients. That ability to rise to the occasion and work as a
team is what sets our Partner Platform clients apart.
Some of the meaningful changes we witnessed among
the Partner Platform client base included:
Commitment to Learning
We saw an openness and willingness to learn at all
levels, including owners. Those working directly with clients, like CSRs
and producers, attended more of our Partner Platform webinars, eager to improve
how they respond to clients. Owners leaned into how to understand the
health of their agency better. And more agencies praised the simplicity of
the Partner Platform dashboards, helping them access key client information as
soon as they log in.
As the stay-at-home orders began to lengthen, we
saw our agency
customer portals, agency-branded
mobile apps, and agency
website design services more rapidly adopted. Agencies were concerned
about how to strengthen the client relationship during this time of distance,
but these features quickly eliminated that fear. Our agencies now had multiple
ways to serve clients with information affordably.
Everything from auto ID cards to certificates and
policy information was easy for clients to access and understand. We heard
from our clients that the insured appreciated the convenience, and these tools caused
clients to view their agency as progressive and personal – a nice
combination.
With cloud access, agencies seamlessly moved from in-office
to at-home work without interrupting service. However, some agencies using
in-house systems or even terminal services (sometimes called VPN) found
themselves scattered as they needed to transition to an at-home system.
Too often, they ended up with cloud access that was slow, clunky, and too
disconnected from their main desktop, causing productivity issues. For
agencies like our Partner Platform clients, having a reliable cloud-based
system in place made the transition less stressful and more efficient.
Overall, amidst an unknown crisis, the independent
agent channel rose to the occasion. While there’s still work to do, those
who criticize the independent agent channel for their inability to adapt should
slow down and pay attention.
We’re proud of all our Partner Platform agencies for
taking care of their clients and team during such a challenging period.
Keep up the great work – and we look forward to how we can tackle the
challenges and opportunities of the future.
Are you intentional about your insurance agency marketing? If
you’re sailing by on your current client base and waiting for the phone to
ring, you’ll soon be left behind. As
one of our clients recently said, the “order-taker” agencies are quickly
becoming a thing of the past. With most potential customers searching for
insurance online, you need to be thoughtful about your agency brand and how to get it found. [SD1]
Your first step is a healthy assessment of your agency’s
brand and marketing strategy. Gather your team, survey your customers, and take
a look at how you’re seen. From there, think about how you want to be
seen and get steps in place to make that happen.
2. Define your brand
Before you can start marketing your agency, you need to have
a solid base of who you are as an agency: your brand. Do you have a
specialization? Are you known for serving a particular geographic area or type
of business? Think about what it is that sets you apart and build your brand
around those strengths.
Once you know what to show off, get it out there.
At a minimum, have an agency website and app. Both these tools are critical to
getting your name out there. Add a social media presence only if you can
maintain it well. You’ll need to share something once a week at a minimum. Otherwise,
your social page will look outdated and reflect poorly on your agency.
Increase your presence with photos and videos
showing off your agency personality – staff pictures, images of your community,
and other visual aids give visitors a picture of what is most important in the
industry: relationships. A blog is an excellent tool to expand on who you are,
including highlighting your service and expertise, both of which are critical
to bringing in new customers.
Make it easy for people to get in touch with you.
Include easily identifiable “contact us” forms on your website and respond
quickly to social media and other inquiries.
And create ways to gather potential customer
contact information. Have a pop-up asking website visitors to sign up for an
email list, request contact information when signing up for an in-person or
online event, and collect emails when visitors request a quote or to view
expert content. The more ways to can gather contact information, the better.
Once you have that contact information, get it
organized in your agency management system or CRM, and reach out. As we said,
those who passively wait for customers to reach them are falling behind.
Be active about gaining contacts, too. Ask for
referrals from current customers and see if they’re willing to write a positive
review on sites like Google, Yelp, and AngiesList to help bring in more
business. The more access points and outreach you can muster, the better.
Get the Tools You Need to Make Marketing Easier
The marketing tools of today are less about
advertising and more about building a relationship. While price and policy
matter, it’s who you are and the expert service you provide that makes the
difference.
We know and value building these relationships,
which is why we built our
Partner Platform system to help agencies improve service with time-saving
systems. Our integrated accounting and policy downloads, customer-service tools
like integrated VoIP and automatic caller profile pop-up, and targeted sales
and marketing systems like our
integrated CRM and marketing automation are all designed to automate
tedious tasks so agencies can focus on people and service.
Learn more about what these tools can do for your
agency, increasing efficiency in time-consuming tasks so you can focus on relationships
and service. Get in touch
with us here, at [email protected],
or by calling us at 800.747.7005, Option 6.
Digital insurance options opened up new markets and improved communications for agencies worldwide. However, this growth goes hand-in-hand with the rise in cyberattacks over the past few years.
Recent reports estimated cyberattacks increased between 200% and 300% in 2020 and are doubling again. Similarly, ransoms from cyberattacks are rising by between 50% and 80%, making it a more attractive scheme for cybercriminals.
Labor market changes contribute to increased cyber-vulnerability as well. More people are working remotely, and their home offices may not have the same security measures as their company. Similarly, the recent labor shortage means companies are hiring more people more often and, in their haste to fill positions, may not provide ample cybersecurity training for new hires.
Independent insurance agencies are starting to feel the heat. Though independent agencies provide a level of personalized service and care big names never can, insurtech’s sophisticated insurance software is beginning to bridge the gap.
According to experts at PropertyCasualty360, “With increased competition from insurtechs and rising labor costs, in order to stay competitive, companies need to…provide a seamless omnichannel experience.” That means broadening how you’re serving your customers, keeping up with evolving customer demands.
Do you have the right insurance software to meet these growing customer needs?
Digital insurance is the future. According to Reuters, over $10 billion were invested in digital insurance technology in the first nine months of 2021 alone.
But, a rise in digital insurance tech use doesn’t mean a decline in demand for people in the industry. J.D. Power found that agencies that increased their “digital offerings” didn’t necessarily see a boost in customer satisfaction. While customers value the speed and efficiency digital tools offer, they also need that human connection.
