Agency principals need to realize how overworked and underpaid CSRs really are. Look around the office. Are employees coming in early to get more work done? Are they sometimes peevish when talking to other employees? Are they eager to leave the office at the end of the day? What are a CSR's responsibilities, anyway? How are we compensating them? Are we sincerely showing our appreciation?
These are questions we should think about. After all, good CSRs are hard to find! The business can't live without them.
RESPONSIBILITIES
A CSR I know had to apologize recently for failing to complete an assignment. Why had she failed? Because she had to take off a couple of 'stress days' the previous week. The workload was getting to her, and the strain in her relationship with another employee was at its peak.
Compare a CSR's work life against that of any other position in the office. No other position has as many responsibilities. And the CSR's pressure to avoid errors and omissions is always a worry. The possibility of mistakes just doesn't seem to end: applications, binders, cancellations, certificates, claims, E-mail, endorsements, evidence, finance agreements, identification cards, invoices, letters, mail, rating, telephone calls, and so on. What's more, the number of accounts each CSR must handle is increasing because of reduced commissions and the scarcity of good CSRs.
COMPENSATION
CSRs ask me what the salary range is for their profession-and if they're asking that, they must be unhappy. (So watch out!)
Of course, what they're being paid depends on the geographical area in which they're working. It also depends on the number and size of accounts, the lines they're handling (Commercial vs. Personal), the quality of work, and the number of CSRs in that region. Also, let's not forget about the competition. Agencies are always looking for good CSRs and often approach CSRs from other agencies with the offer of more money. Competitive salaries are therefore essential.
If the agency can't afford higher-end compensation, begin compensating them in other ways such as:
- Flexible work hours
- Quiet time to get more work done throughout the day
- Ease of taking time off for necessary errands
Talk with your CSRs. Find out what they'd like, and follow through on their ideas. When they're happier, they'll work harder-and they won't be tempted to jump to another agency.
APPRECIATION
CSRs frequently complain, 'Agency principals have no idea what we do!' Are you showing your CSRs how much you appreciate them?
First, find out what they do. Your praise will be pretty ineffective if they sense that you don't know what you're praising them for! Hold meetings to discuss workloads. Go around the table and ask the CSRs how they feel. Are they keeping up? Is there anything we can do to help? Show concern.
Then you can showing your appreciation. Sit down with them and tell them what a good job they are doing. Schedule employee-appreciation days every month, and take the office out to lunch. How many other ways to show your gratitude can you come up with?
Finally, think about what you can do to make your CSRs' work life better. If one small area seems to hit a nerve, start with that and work from there. Any small change can only make the work environment and the CSRs happier.
Make your employees happy and you'll keep them for a long time. When we all take care of one another, we can work more efficiently and prosperously.