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, ...

MAKING THE MOST OUT OF AN AGENCYBUSINESS COMBINATION by Carol Hammes Its what comes after the handshakes that counts. INTRODUCTION Youve done the groundwork for a ...

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.

A few months ago, a client came to us with a last-minute project that required the services of...

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS by E. Al Diamond How do you know if your agency is doing well? Some agents subscribe to the 'checkbook philosophy.' Their answer is, 'If I can pay a...

“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:

Most agencies are automated, some even using their second or third generation of automation. Many agencies load their policy data into the system, interface with their carriers and rarely access their paper files. Few agencies, however, are taking advantage of a well-managed client database. Gathering meaningful data that you can regularly manipulate is the key to successful database management.

MANAGING COMPANY RELATIONS by Carol Hammes In recent reports, I have addressed the changing nature of the relationship between the American agency companies and the independent a...

MANAGING FOR PROPER SERVICE by Catherine Oak Follow these guidelines to boost retention rates and earnings. Due to the costs of producing and servicing an account, the av...

Jack Fries looks into the differences between agencies that sell and retain a lot of business and those that don't. This applies to not only the sales people, but to the CSRs, who have the responsibility of account development.