ACHIEVING SUCCESS BY DEFINING SERVICE
Sometimes defining a problem goes halfway toward solving it. When warring factions spend months to determine the shape of the table for peace talks, for instance, they are not engaged in irresponsible quibbling; they know that the decisions about who gets to participate and the protocol to be observed must be satisfactory to all if any lasting treaty is to be achieved. The success of any answer depends on how clearly the question is phrased.
Every day the CSR confronts the same question: How can I give better service? The answer depends on how 'service' is defined and that depends on who defines it, you or the customer.
An agency might define service by such guidelines as (1) respond to a phone call within two hours; (2) answer a letter within three days; and (3) submit a claims report within one day. These are excellent goals, and every agency should set up its own expectations for service. But they are not enough.
To give full satisfaction, you must redefine service from your customers' and prospects' standpoint. Ask the questions they are likely to ask. Only by doing that can you incorporate new ideas into your standard of service.
For instance, every customer frets about the price of insurance. That's completely understandable; after all, people shell out a lot of money in return for - what? A piece of paper with the promise of help should trouble occur. Real money in exchange for an intangible predicated on an eventuality that might never happen!
Once you understand the anxiety caused by this exchange, you can gear your service to allay it. Take time to explain the benefits of the policy. Incorporate time in your schedule for that explanation in every session set up with a client. Help establish workshops or orientations for new customers. If you can make a complex policy plain, you will have gone a long way toward making the insurance real to the client.
OK, assume another customer attitude: You might call it the that-will-never-happen-to-me syndrome. 'I don't need to insure my business' sign next to the driveway!' a customer might say. 'What could ever happen to it?' A CSR who's on the ball will have the answer to that question at hand: statistics on the incidence of hurricanes or tornados in the area, likelihood of vandalism, and so forth.
The key here is not to push too hard; no one likes a pest. If the customer is still reluctant to insure, you can say that the agency feels so strongly about this coverage that you want him or her to sign a note documenting the decision not to buy the insurance. Additionally, continue to send a mailing every now and then - something 'FYI' about rate changes in that type of coverage, or advice on how to prevent vandalism or lightning from striking the sign. (You may even want to sneak in a newspaper clipping or two about recent incidents of damaged signage!)
Customers want to stay aware of their options, after all. They want to feel protected. Nobody wants to be told, after being hit by a flood, that the landscaping was not covered in the Homeowners policy. A newsletter can satisfy that need for the facts.
A newsletter has other advantages, too. It will seem to the customer like a free gift. It will keep your agency's name fresh in the customer's mind, and reinforce the channels of communication so that he or she will be more likely to notify you of new possessions or a change in status.
It helps a CSR to know that most customers have contradictory impulses when it comes to insurance: They want to know all their options, but they don't want to put up with the boredom of hearing about it. An FYI memo or a newsletter can help you to tread that fine line. If you can anticipate another customer desire - the desire to save time - you may want to highlight the newsletter's articles that pertain to their particular situations. A note saying, 'I thought you'd be interested in this article,' will cater to the customer's desire to be treated on a personal basis.
As a CSR, no one is forcing you to look at the world through customer-colored glasses. Defining service from the client's perspective is an 'extra.' But remember, it's those extras that define success.