This article is adapted from the new publication The Survival Guide for the Evolving Insurance Crisis and the video Are You Ready for Insurance Dot Com?, both written and produced by Edward Curry. The article appeared in Missouri Agent magazine and is reproduced by permission.

What Is Customer Service? Customer service in an insurance agency consists of four specific functions: Processing, professional advice, production, and positive communication.

ARE YOUR CSRS PROVIDING REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE? by Jack Fries Are your CSRs doing what you expect? How do your customers perceive the service that theyre receiving? Does the l...

ARE YOUR CSRsSELLING MORE YET? by Grace Bauer Are you maximizing your agencys ability to touch your clients? In this article Grace Bauer offers guidelines t...

If you’re in sales, you know the feeling. It’s the middle of the night about two weeks after starting a new job. You were enthusiastic and could hardly wait to get going. Now, your head is full of doubts. You try to shove them aside, but they don’t go away. “Everything is new,” you tell yourself. “I just need to give it a little more time.” However, the doubts keep coming back.
The gap between what you were told about the job and what’s actually happening grows wider by the day. After about three weeks, you finally ask yourself, “Have I made a mistake?”

ASKING QUESTIONS: IT'S AN ART by Mary Beth Bolen Different types of questions require different types of responses. In your daily dealings with customers, it's important for you to know the ...

Those who own a business hold their peers in high regard. You might dislike someone personally, but give them a thumbs-up when it comes to running a company. Those who survived the recession deserve a special commendation. Only the native outsider thinks otherwise.

Avoid E&O Problems! by Patricia Berry Agents need to review their procedures for avoiding errors and omissions claims on a regular basis. Although coverage checklists provide a great...

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. Laura Nettles tells you how to manage your work intelligently when everyone is expecting an immediate response.

AVOID THE EMPATHY TRAP by Chris Burand The ability to empathize is admirable. It requires listening, understanding, ...