The uses of mailing lists are many and varied. Some of the most common uses in the insurance industry include sending letters to clients, newsletters, or organization calendars, preparing proposals, and, in some cases, preparing applications and policies.
Insurance agents and brokers must maintain at least one mailing list - often more. The primary list contains all agents, brokers and customers and is carefully maintained. Many lists also include prospects, both Personal and Commercial Lines, and some maintain lists of canceled policies to follow-up for possible future sales. It's your responsibility to decide how many lists they want to keep and what each list will accomplish.
The first step in maintaining any list is to set up a format to store the information. If you have a integrated agency management system, the program might predetermine the basic format. Check with the system vendor to determine if any changes can be made. Otherwise, you need to set up your own format.
Before selecting the format decide the uses to which you will put the mailing list. What types of documents do you want to prepare: mailing labels, personalized letters, form letters, or other? Planning helps you decide which information you store and its storage method. Will you be separating the Personal and Commercial lists? How often do you expect to use the lists? How many different ways do you sort the list - by name, by zip code, by type of policy, by expiration date? All these factors must be considered when deciding what must be stored in the list you set up.
Do an example of each type of document you intend to use so you can see what information will be needed to complete them. Then you can decide how to capture the information.
Each piece of information to be captured and stored should be assigned a field and field name:
e.g.
Field Name
Field 1 - Name (Last name, first name)
Field 2 - Street Address
Field 3 - City, State/Province
Field 4 - Zip Code/Postal Code
Field 5 - Salutation
Field 6 - Customer Since
Field 7 - Type of Policy
OR
Field 1 - Company Name
Field 2 - Contact Name
Field 3 - Street Address
Field 4 - City, State/Province
Field 5 - Zip Code/Postal Code
Field 6 - Industry Type
Field 7 - Expiration Date
There are others. The number of fields is limited only by two factors: the space in your computer and your imagination. I'd recommend selecting such information as policy dates, policy types, and client to give you basic information to use in your solicitations.
CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT
To make the list usable, make sure that the information is entered in a consistent manner . Prepare a manual or procedures memo that outlines how the information will be entered - such as what must be typed in uppercase and in lowercase. Are you going to use area codes in recording the telephone numbers? Will you use first names or just initials in the salutation?
Once the list is set up, it must be kept updated and clean. Client lists can and should be maintained on a daily basis. If clients notify the agency of a change of address, name, or other relevant information, make sure that this is recorded immediately. Other lists (such as prospect lists) should be maintained at least monthly, but a weekly updating is recommended. You can get information from applications, clients, prospects, referrals, returned mail, directories, and whatever other sources you can access.
Review the list and the format periodically. There might be reasons to change the format, adding removing or modifying fields, . Even the most careful analysis at the beginning doesn't eliminate the requirement to keep the list current and up to date.
As you use the list, you might discover that a field is not working - it's just not right for your purposes. For example, if the name doesn't adequately describe the contents of the field, your staff might well make errors when they enter data into a field. Perhaps the field isn't the right length for the data it contains. Perhaps the field is defined as a numeric field when it should be defined as a character field.
However, be careful when modifying your fields. Find out what your system allows you to do - some systems will allow you to modify the field and retain the information while others do not. If you make the change without considering the consequences, you may create a lot of extra work reentering information.