Where, and what, to look for hiring quality Customer Service Representatives.
When clients call, e-mail, or visit your agency, they count on someone to service their business — and that “someone” is usually a CSR. Unfortunately, many agencies use their CSRs primarily for processing, rather than servicing (and perhaps, cross-selling).
Using producers where they belong — in sales — means that responsibility for customer contact belongs primarily with your CSRs. This enhanced client service relationship, together with the need to cross-sell and upgrade accounts, means that the CSR must combine technical insurance knowledge with the ability to communicate with clients, collect x-dates, and be persuasive in recommending coverage upgrades and additions. They should be able to work independently, while getting along with their co-workers.
Where do you find such people and how can you make sure that they have the qualities and experience needed?
SOURCES
There are several ways to locate a CSR. Although agents don’t like to see themselves as pirates, one logical source is other independent agencies in the area. Putting the word out informally to your staff or other trusted sources might help locate these individuals.
Offering the referral source a “finder’s fee” might help. It’s important to be specific. Make sure that your current employees and others who you have approached are clear about the type of person you seek, the job you need to fill, and the approximate salary level you’re offering. People change jobs for many reasons, and salary is only one of them. How much should you pay CSRs to keep them on staff? Don’t overlook the advantage of paying more than the competition to keep good employees or attract new ones. Also, the ability to advance and the opportunity for greater responsibility might appeal to someone employed in a smaller agency.
An ad in the local newspaper or online can elicit responses from a wide assortment of potential employees. If you’re looking for someone with experience, be clear about the qualifications of applicants and the type of work you intend for them to do. If you plan to have the person sell directly, or participate in selling, mention this in the ad. This should help to cut down on the number of people just testing the waters.
INTERVIEWS
Once you’ve found what seems to be the right person(s), use phone screening to weed out candidates with obvious mismatches, such as a lack of insurance experience.
Then conduct initial interviews. Prepare your questions in advance, and be specific about the kind of information that you need. Ask the candidate to describe their last job, and their idea of the ideal job for them. Find out whether they prefer close direction or a high degree of independence. Make sure that you learn their feelings about sales. Will they feel comfortable asking for expiration dates or suggesting coverages such as Replacement Cost or other enhancements? If the answer or the vibe you get is negative, consider another candidate.
Once you have acquired a feel for the candidate in this initial interview, test them to determine personality traits, skills, or weaknesses not readily apparent in the interview. The Nordhaus Profiles International (NPI) system does an excellent job, using criteria based on individual positions in an agency.
Once you have your test results, call the recommended candidates for final interviews. Make sure you spend time to clarify the job. Ask the individuals to tell you why you should hire them, and carefully weigh their answers. If they fail to sell you, how will they be able to persuade customers to stay with your agency, or to purchase additional insurance?
Be as specific as possible about production and processing requirements. Make sure the individual knows what is expected now and in the future. Clarify salary and other issues for now, and for the future. Most of all, make sure that the person can do the job, get along with coworkers, and has the potential to grow.
CONCLUSION
CSRs are the people behind the customer support you provide. Find the right candidates and you’ll attract fine people to your agency.