Avoid Information Overload

In his book Business @ the Speed of Thought, Bill Gates argued that the 1980s were all about quality and the 1990s were all about re-engineering. The insurance industry certainly follows his assessment — even if we sometimes lag behind. Most telling, however, is Gates' prediction that the 2000s will be about velocity — the speed at which business will be conducted. I couldn't agree more. 

We're furiously trying to keep up with the amount of information that bombards us each day: Voice mails, e-mails, e-mails with attachments, e-mails with links, and junk e-mails. Important data comes to us online, as carriers are not only downloading data, but also sending us policies and endorsements electronically. We receive newsletters and announcements online. We can even go to meetings online! And, to top it all off, we still receive snail mail — mounds and mounds of paper. 

This information overload has serious implications. Failure to respond to a client or carrier request can be harmful from both an E&O and a client service perspective. Information overload can cause us to become lax about documenting conversations or attaching e-mails. E-mails stored in electronic folders lack the security and documentation trail provided by most agency management systems. Storing e-mails in folders is like saving a voice mail; it works for the short-term, but should never be used for permanent storage. 

WHAT CAN BE DONE? 

How can we manage our work when everyone is expecting an immediate response? Let's start by taking a look at customer (and some carrier) transactions that are conducted by phone and e-mail. 

The first priority in dealing with information overload as it relates to your customers is to distinguish between a priority and a transaction. Frequently, when we evaluate workload in agencies and review the backlog, we find that many CSRs include priority items in their backlog count. 

A CSR might have a list of backlog transactions that includes policies to check, quotes to process, phone calls to return, and marketing follow-up. These transactions don't carry the same level of importance. Some are a priority, and some are not (see Figure 1). 



When you look at transactions this way, the solution seems easy: Take care of priority items before moving on to the backlog items. However, we all know it's never that simple. Information overload comes into play because requests come to us in so many different ways — by phone calls, voice mail, e-mail, faxes, and occasionally, in person. Organizing these requests can be overwhelming for even the most experienced CSR. The first step in dealing with information overload is to determine how to set priorities (see Figure 2).



 
The mistake most agencies make in setting priorities is to base the priority on the source of the transaction instead of the actual transaction itself. It's standard to return all phone calls within 24 hours, but what happens if the request comes by e-mail? For some reason, we place a lower priority on e-mails than phone calls. After all, since we trained our clients to call us, so we can train them to e-mail us too. However, clients seem to know that they should call us for the best response. Of course, this doesn't hold true with our carriers. E-mail is increasingly becoming the standard for communicating. 

BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT 

How can we process e-mails and phone calls more efficiently?

• Create standards for completing insurance transactions based on the type of transaction (certificate request, process endorsement, additional information request, etc.) instead of the source of the request (phone, e-mail, etc.). It shouldn't matter how a client or carrier makes a request. Our role is to be able to respond to any request;
• Identify high-priority transactions and complete them first; and
• Set guidelines for handling all requests, regardless of the source of the request.

SAMPLE WORKFLOW GUIDELINES 

Items one and two above are easy to define. But item three is a challenge. Consider creating workflows for priority transactions (as previously outlined). Here are some workflow suggestions. 

• Process priority transactions within 24 hours of receipt of the request;
• Make every attempt to process priority transactions as received;
• Acknowledge all client e-mail requests as e-mail is read, even if the transaction isn't completed. This will build integrity with clients;
• If a voice mail request requires a response from a third-party (client, carrier, or producer), document the request in an activity and diary for follow-up as appropriate. When a transaction is completed, update/close the activity;
• If an e-mail request requires a response from a third party (client, carrier, or producer), flag the e-mail for follow-up. When the transaction is completed, attach the e-mail and all supporting documentation to an activity;
• Attach all e-mails related to in-force policies to an activity within 24 hours of completing the transaction. Document all phone conversations and meetings on an activity within 24 hours of completing the transaction;
• Attach all e-mails related to marketing activity to an activity within three days after the proposed effective date; and
• Delete all junk e-mails as received.

Obviously, we can't respond to every request with great speed. However, if we use the tools we have effectively, we can communicate our plan with our clients and carriers. This decade is about responding to our clients in a timely manner. If we document and follow up consistently — every time — we build trust with our clients. You have the tools you need today (right in your agency) to begin an effective documentation and follow-up process. Go for it.