The major goal of any agency or brokerage can be expressed in just one word: survival.
The mounting failures involving seemingly strong, well-established businesses that have been around for 15 to 75 years are of great concern.
The time has come for agencies and brokerages to take immediate action in order to survive a protracted economic downturn that may extend for several more years in some sectors of business or regions of North America.

KEEP THE HUMAN TOUCH IN CUSTOMER SERVICE by Jack Fries For better or worse, electronic commerce is changing the relationship between consumers and vendors. It's often for the worse in cu...

KEEPING ACCOUNTS You work for maximum efficiency. You spend a lot of effort on improving service and getting leads, and you streamline your time by discarding dead-end business, such as cancell...

LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS by Troy Campbell To find out how the agency is perceived by customers requires continuous monitoring. Detailed perceptions can be obtained from a complaint log, a compli...

LISTENING: SO WHATS IN IT FOR ME? by Lynn Thomas Listening differs from hearing. Hearing is passive. Listening is a learned skill its active. People remember only about ...

LOVE THEM OR LOSE THEM: CUSTOMER RETENTION IN ACTION! by Lynn Thomas Here's the bottom line for retaining customers: You have just one choice -- Love your customers or lose them. Peri...

MAKING CUSTOMER SURVEYS WORK by Al Diamond Customer Satisfaction Surveys have not yet become popular in the insurance agency business. Too many agency owners fear, rather than look forward to, ...

Customer service begins with thinking like customers.
A good place to start is with language. Thought and language mirror each other, and when the right words are used, the organization begins to behave as if they were true. Use the wrong words and the opposite happens.

MANAGE DIRECT MARKETING by Ed Drake Most agencies that use direct marketing successfully to generate sales have something in common - an effective system to handl...

“Moments of truth” occurs whenever CSRs and producers talk to a customer on the phone or in person. It’s important that each member of the agency be prepared for this contact. The impression left with the client or prospect will determine their future relationship with your agency. Because the ultimate goal of any business is to obtain and retain customers, it’s essential for you to create the proper image at the moment of truth. Some of the key factors in managing the moment of truth are: