The catastrophe of September 11 has shaken our nation. What can you do to assuage some of the feelings of fear and anxiety that your customers are bound to experience? This document by Jack Fries suggests methods for maintaining commerce in a way that alleviates your clients’ stress.
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, together with the introduction of anthrax via the U. S. mail, have created a mood of anxiety nationwide. This fear has in turn caused many consumers to reduce their spending, which has led to massive layoffs. What’s more, our already shaken Personal and Commercial Lines customers are facing rate hikes. Not a pretty picture!
As a 'lemons to lemonade' person, I’ve asked myself 'How can we turn this into a positive in our industry?'
Many of your customers are nervous about Postal Service deliveries. Why not put a positive spin on their apprehension by telling them that you’ll send all correspondence, policies, endorsements, certificates, billings, etc. via e-mail? This is a win-win tactic. Using e-mail will save money and time that you can invest in offering customers value-added services (such as annual reviews of small Commercial and Personal Lines accounts). Your customers will enjoy improved service and closer contact with you — which should help limit the negative impact of rising premiums. Communication through e-mail will also eliminate customers’ fear of exposure to anthrax from snail mail.
Use software to create interactive forms such as ACORD applications and supplemental applications that you can send customers or prospects online to be completed and e-mailed back to your agency. Then e-mail these forms to your carriers. The result: more savings in time and money that you can invest in improving customer service.
To implement these changes, you’ll need to review, update, and maintain your e-mail address list — which provides yet another opportunity to contact customers and prospects.
The nationwide climate of uncertainty provides a perfect opportunity to improve your efficiency and productivity, while offering your customers an even higher level of service than they’ve become accustomed to.