Wouldn’t it great if you could get all of your customers to come back every year? For starters, you should put 'CARRE' to work in your agency. Find out how with Jack Fries.
No, CARRE isn’t a typo. It’s an acronym for Credibility, Appearance, Reliability, Responsiveness, and Empathy. Several years ago I read the book, 'How To Win Customers and Keep Them for Life,' by Michael LeBoeuf. He stated that by providing these services you could keep customers coming back for life.
Credibility: Customers are willing to pay for 'Peace of Mind,' which is fortunate because that’s exactly what an agent has to sell. The customer wants security, integrity, and the assurance that when something goes wrong, it’ll be handled — hopefully at no extra cost. This is difficult in the insurance business because the customer wants you to eliminate the fine print. This requires more than just a quote. You must provide a risk management service by using a checklist to determine the customer’s exposure to loss and either an insurance solution or a non-insurance suggestion.
Appearance: Your office, desk, the staff’s appearance, and the way you communicate must be in order. Does your written communication stand out? Are your proposals, summaries of coverage, and letters done professionally? Do you use color in your communication? Is your Web site designed and maintained professionally? When we moved to the Cincinnati area, we found four agency Web sites that were exactly the same, except for the name of the agency. This illustrates that they’re 'me too' agencies.
Reliability: Make this your top priority. Establish a 'Commitment to Excellence' in your agency. Customer service should be the same in all instances. Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. Get it right the first time and get it done on time. No excuses!
Responsiveness: We live in a microwave-oven society. Instant gratification isn’t fast enough. When clients call your office they don’t want to hear, 'Mary is busy right now. Can she call you back?' Another turn off is to call an agency and hear, 'ABC Insurance agency. Please hold.' Today’s service buzz phrase is 24/7. How are you addressing this? Did you know that more than 70% of insurance buyers think that 24-hour service is 'extremely important?' Are you providing this kind of service on your Web site? You can subscribe to a service that can provide instant communication and response online 24/7, 365 days a year.
Empathy: Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Try to understand the hopelessness that they’re feeling. Many of your clients know so little about the insurance business that the simplest policy change or claim causes them great angst. Treat your customer the way you’d want to be treated. Also, understand that people buy for their reasons, not for yours.
If your agency adopts the Customer CARRE program, you’ll find yourself winning customers and keeping them for life!