Successful companies build their entire business around the customer. Managing your clients to perfection will give your agency the most valuable part of a business. It is as important as its products or services—and yet, there is a massive split between customer expectations and what most companies deliver.
Customers have seen insurance as a commodity they must purchase based on what is available. But over time, the market has become saturated with more insurance products and different options, creating a more sophisticated buyer with an extensive range of needs and wants. To meet these changing needs, insurers need to be agile, work faster, and make a superior customer experience their top priority.
In all these situations, establishing the perfect grounds in your agency is essential.
So let's start with these 5 Tips for top management
- Understanding your client's needs
We always want you to serve as a trusted business advisor to your clients – and believe us, you do too – First of all, you must have a deeper understanding of your client's business or the reason for their acquisition of insurance. Many agents don’t have the time, resources, tools, or money to understand a client's needs.
At COVU, we recommend and give you all the tools your agents and clients will share to understand better whatever situation they may need.
You will have more successful conversations when your clients feel they’re solving problems with you.
2. Partner with other professionals
Synergy can give you a “plus one.” So reach out to professionals who might be interested in a similar clientele. For example, you may want a partner relationship with a financial company with many professionals in their area of expertise who don’t understand the insurance industry, real estate agents for home insurance, mortgage brokers for liability-insurance, etc.
If you develop relationships with other professionals, your clients will appreciate your ability to point them to an expert in different fields. It’s also a win-win when the other professional sends new customers and potential clients to your business.
3. Be the google for your clients
You want your clients to trust you. You want them to reach out to you with questions they may have. Lots of misleading data exist. Be the google of your client, an in-house program that can be mined and enriched through open data platforms and generate insights. This can help you analyze patterns and behaviors. All this information will benefit you.
4. Availability and communication
We know that insurance is not an impulse buy. People search for insurance because they need it. So, you must be top of mind when potential customers seek the policies you sell. Studies say that more than half of consumers begin the search for insurance online. This tells us that you must be available 24/7 and have a comprehensive communication plan for your clients. Successful agencies position themselves to be readily accessible online so that people can find their services quickly.
Extending your communication methods provides consumers with a convenient way to get insurance coverage. At COVU, we allow you to make yourself available in today's digital world. Utilize digital tools like websites, social profiles, and chatbots. These steps help improve your online availability.
5. Empathy
You are understanding someone's thoughts and emotions, understanding someone’s feelings, and taking appropriate action to help. That is why empathy is a vital component of customer care in any industry and is highly important in insurance. As an insurance agency, you cannot come across a disinterested approach to your clients. You need empathy in the case of a denied claim and must be prepared for situations that will put your client in a fragile state.
A lack of empathy can be found across many sectors; try always to have this “tool” in your agency as a top management.
