The coronavirus pandemic accelerated trends in several
areas, including digital insurance customer service. A
recent survey showed that almost 90% of American consumers think customer
service is more important now than before the pandemic took hold of the world.
Consumers not only expect more from service providers, they also have more options, meaning they’ll choose an agency that offers quicker and smoother interactions over one that’s, say, unable to process esignatures. As your team transitions back to the office, now is the time to reevaluate your customer service tools and processes to keep up with expectations.
1. Get more customer data
The more you know about each potential customer or
group of prospects, the better. Set your agency up to gather customer data through
marketing
automation and record that data in an insurance
CRM integrated with your agency management system.
With
all your customer data in one place – your insurance CRM – producers and
CSRs alike can look up a customer profile and get to know everything they can
about a customer before speaking with them. The more you know, the better you
can serve their needs and streamline interactions.
2. Focus on the customer
With so many choices and access to reviews,
consumers can easily tell when they’re being “sold to” rather than actually
helped. Use your customer data to focus on each individuals’s goals rather than
your own. Train
your producers to ask questions to understand what would best benefit the
customer. Selling lower-priced coverage may seem like a loss in the short run,
but if that’s what the customer needed to be happy, you’ve got a net positive
in a life-long customer.
3. Stay in touch
You have a great deal of customer interaction
leading up to signing a policy, but what about after? Take time to follow up
with customers to see how things are going and if they have any new needs. If
every contact isn’t about a sale, your customers are more inclined to trust you
when it comes time to talk about an upsell or cross-sell opportunity. Use your insurance
CRM and marketing
automation to put in reminders to get in touch and automated messages to
reach out regularly.
4. Be accessible in many ways
You
know each customer is unique, so why don’t you offer them unique ways to
get in touch? Some customers may prefer a phone call, while others want a text.
Some may only look at email, while others want to talk over online chat. Whatever
the way, make sure you have it as an option.
Marketing automation can let you know those
preferences, tracking individual engagement with certain types of outreach, and
options like integrated
text and email
make it easier for you to respond and capture customer data at the same
time.
5. Offer self-service
A
self-service client portal is a must for the modern insurance agency. A
self-service portal allows customers to access their policy, claims, and other
information 24/7. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, consumers got used to
self-service, and now many prefer it to get information almost instantly. With
a self-service portal, customers can make payments, print ID cards, and update
information without needing to call your office. That ease of use is essential.
6. Make feedback available and public
As we mentioned, online reviews play a big part in
consumer choice. With so many seemingly similar insurance options, people often
go to reviews to make their final decision. Make it easy for your customers to
leave reviews about their experience. Ask for a review after a service call and
add a link on your website and in your team’s email signatures. Check out your
review pages to respond to less than stellar experiences, too. Your honestly
and attempts to “make it right” go a long way.
7. Make more time for people
After lockdowns and social distancing for more than
a year, people are craving more personal interactions. Structure your agency so
you can give more time when needed. With a system like the Partner Platform agency management
system and insurance CRM, you can automate and speed up processes thanks to
real-time integrations and esignature capabilities, among other time-saving
tools.
With less time spent on small tasks, you can give
your time to the most important job: being there for your customers. Find out
how you can give your customers back more time with a system that gives you
that competitive advantage: get
in touch with the Partner Platform team today.
Everyone loves to get two for the price of one. It’s the beauty of doubling your money and getting more done in half the time: a win-win for all. The digitization of insurance has made that “two for one” thrill possible with insurance marketing tools that double as...
In the latest of our “Behind Our Insurance Agency Software” series, we talk with Brad Ruben of IT services provider Archway Computer. Archway has been one of our industry partners for years, and we rely on Brad and his team to keep us and our community up-to-date on the latest insurtech and cybersecurity.
Brad Ruben
has been working with insurance agnecy software since 1985, when he first
helped a family friend install and run a Coast Premium Rater software as part
of the friend’s insurance business. Since then, Brad founded Archway Computers
to help independent agencies get the best insurtech and IT support at a price
they can afford.
I talked with Brad about Archway’s partnership with SIS and the Partner Platform community, aiding agencies with IT services and providing expert consultation around insurtech and security.
How did you first become connected with SIS and Partner Platform? What prompted you to want to collaborate?
We had a mutual client who told me about SIS and Partner Platform. There
was a definite connection around personalized service and commitment to
innovation. Once I met with SIS President Michael Doran, we immediately hit it off and have been working together ever since.
We had a mutual client who told me about SIS and Partner Platform. There was a definite connection around personalized service and commitment to innovation. Once I met with SIS President Michael Doran, we immediately hit it off and have been working together ever since.
We get
great feedback from our Partner Platform clients about how SIS and the team
support them, which we love to see in any insurance technology provider. However,
what really stands out is the seamless sales and marketing integrations SIS provides in Partner Platform. That’s
something few agency management systems do well.
What services do you provide for SIS and the
Partner Platform customer base?
Archway
Computer provides managed IT services exclusively for independent insurance
agencies. That means keeping their information secure and their technology
compliant with cyber regulations in their state. Small and mid-sized agencies
usually cannot afford a full-time IT person, and their local IT company knows
nothing about insurance technology. So, we’re a great fit for the independent agencies in the Partner
Platform community.
Beyond
being a preferred IT service provider for Partner Platform agencies, we also provide
educational opportunities for the broader Partner Platform and SIS community.
We’ve been part of numerous national conferences and hosted cybersecurity
webinars for the community. We’re a comprehensive IT resource for SIS and its
Partner Platform agencies.
We’ve
been lucky to work with SIS for years, establishing a solid relationship. As
cybersecurity and compliance issues grow, our partnership is that much more
important. Partner Platform understands that having a digital presence and
working from anywhere are vital issues for their agencies. Working with us,
they can help agencies grow while keeping them protected from cyber
vulnerabilities.
You have a unique value proposition that
aligns with independent agents (as does Partner). How do independent agents
benefit from working with you versus a big-name provider?
Independent
agents need someone who already understands the technology they’re using and
how to make it work better for them. Larger IT firms just don’t know insurtech and take a long time to get up to speed.
Agencies love that we’re knowledgeable, responsive, and hands-on right from the
start.
Also,
we’re not selling them anything they don’t need. Insurtech software providers
will often sell their IT services alongside their tech and then constantly try
to upsell. We’re a neutral party that fairly evaluates agency tech without a
stake in the game. Our only goal is to keep agencies efficient and protected.
What has been your experience with the
SIS/Partner Platform team so far?
We love
the SIS team. All our mutual clients experience excellent customer service from
them, and we know they’re always working for the client’s best interest, just
like us. It’s been great sharing our expertise with the Partner Platform
community, including the staff at SIS, who integrate our expertise into their
software.
Plus,
the Partner Platform team are just all-around great as people. We look forward
to getting to meet face-to-face again at the next convention.
——–
Our Partner Allies like Archway Computer provide
invaluable insights into tech advances and how to keep our Partner Platform
community connected and protected. You can learn more about Brad and his team
at myarchway.com, and see the remote
work tips Brad shared
with us on our blog.
We’re almost halfway through the year, and a lot
has changed since January. At this mid-year mark, we took a look back at some of
our most popular posts and put together a list of the essentials. These posts
can help hone your insurance marketing strategies for the remainder of the year
and beyond.
Posts to Improve Service
What Customers Want and the Insurance Software to Get It (view post)
What Insurance Tech Do Agency Customers Want (view post)
Expert Tips for Building Your Insurance Website
for Sales (view
post)
The Top 5 Must-Haves for Insurance Websites to
Stay Competitive (view
post)
Making Your Agency Website Your Own with Partner
Connect (view
post)
Insurance Marketing Strategies: Starting a Blog
(view
post)
Posts to Improve Your Overall Marketing
Intentional Insurance Agency Marketing in Four
Steps (view
post)
The Key to Stepping into Insurance Sales
Software (view
post)
The CRM for Insurance Agents: A Step-by-Step
Guide (view
post)
Let Us Help Your Agency Grow: The Top Insurance
Prospect Software from Partner Platform (view
post)
These posts are just the start of the informative content
we have to help your agency improve your marketing, sales, and overall
processes. Check out all our articles on the Partner Platform blog
and get in-depth resources with our online guides.
Got a topic you’d like to hear more about? Contact us and let us
know.
There is no perfect time for a fresh start – the time is always right to take stock, re-evaluate your processes and goals, and make some changes. This applies to all aspects of your agency, including your agency management system.
Quality management systems and providers evolve with the changing market. Are your system and provider keeping up? Or are you seeing prices go up with little to no changes in your management system experience? Take a critical look at your agency management system and provider, analyzing if you have everything you need to serve your customers and grow your business today and tomorrow with this “fresh start” checklist.
Whether you know it or not, data and database management significantly affect your insurance agency management. As the industry becomes more competitive, managing and using agency data are vital to identifying and amplifying your agency’s value.
With a quality management system and insurance CRM, you can target better quality leads, improve marketing, and grow your business for years to come.
The Partner Platform 2021 National Learning Event took place last month, spanning two days from October 21st to 22nd. The all-virtual event brought together over 500 Partner Platform agencies nationwide and a host of Partner Allies, Partner Platform team members, and...
