https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/704/Accounting-Vs-The-Front-Office/
... x No Thanks Loading.. Accounting Vs. The Front Office 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Gail Franzen This content has not been rated yet. Is there friction in your office between your accounting department and your service staff? Gail Franzen advises you to tackle the personality differences between accounting and customer service personnel through communication and standardized workflow processes. In talking with various agencies around the country, one thing they have in common is the conflict between the service staff and the accounting department. Misunderstandings arise between the two departments when they need to interact with one another and when their job functions affect one another. Much of what transpires in the accounting department depends on the invoicing being performed by the service staff. The service staff's primary responsibility is servicing the client — not invoicing. ... the accounting department's perspective, time is wasted when the company statement and the invoice don't agree. This frustration grows when the service staff is interrupted in the middle of an important task by the accounting department to verify and correct the discrepancy. More and more carriers are moving agencies from payment by account current statement to company statement, placing the burden of reconciling on the agency. The accounting department needs to match each item on the carrier statement to the invoice. Frequently, items aren't invoiced or the premiums and commissions are wrong. INVOICING PROBLEMS Whether the invoice is direct bill or agency bill, the same issues and concerns arise. It's not the invoicing process that's the problem. All agency management systems have the ability to process invoices. The real issue is training and understanding the specific agency codes ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/2262/HOW-STAGED-ACCIDENTS-WORK/
...behalf of doctors' and attorneys' offices. In every case, I was paid for my so...d in the client files found in these offices are often the same, with only the...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/93/Non-Web-Site-Planning-Office-Layout/
... are its heart. They should situate themselves in the heart of the agency. Hearing the buzz of the agency provides a continuous reality check. This helps leaders make decisions based on the way things are, rather than how it's assumed they should be. Separation doesn't make the heart grow fonder; it makes the head more detached. When principals separate themselves, managers tend to follow suit. Managers are accountable for certain results-and when they can't see those who produce these results, they're operating under a considerable handicap. Management is not a solitary undertaking. You can think and create behind glass walls with an open door. COUNTERS: COUNTERINTUITIVE, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE Clients or prospects who visit a traditional agency often see a counter separating them from the agency staff person. There's enough to separate an agency from its clients ... x No Thanks Loading.. (Non-Web) Site Planning: Office Layout 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Virginia Bates This content has not been rated yet. Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.- Will Rogers Many agency principals and their staffs are still sitting where they were 10 years ago-literally. They're still on the same patch of carpet in the same corner of the same room. Physical arrangement of the office reflects a business philosophy. It speaks more loudly than any verbal pronouncements of management. It certainly makes workflow easier or harder than it would be otherwise. The Independent Agency System has changed in organizational structure, technology utilization, compensation strategy, and marketing approach; yet its physical plant remains markedly unchanged. But there ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/2061/HOW-TO-BE-A-HIGH-PERFORMING-FIRM/
... 160 The more effectively you sell, market, and service, the more valuable your agency. The secret to peak performance is employing the right people, in the right positions, based on their talents and the needs of the firm. Every firm must perform four major functions regardless of revenue size or number of employees. These functions are sales, marketing/placement, service, and accounting/administration. Any firm that wants to achieve its growth and profitability objectives needs to manage these functions properly to operate at a high-performance level, which in turn leads to high value. Let's explore how a successful firm should manage these four key functions. MANAGING SALES New sales, which are the key to growth, are measured by new customers, not additional commissions that materialize from renewals. ... . MANAGING MARKETING/PLACEMENT Good carrier relations can make the difference in the firm's ability to survive market cycles and its potential to reach growth objectives. Price is not the key, even in a soft market, since a client is likely to get a lower price elsewhere — perhaps from a direct writer or another firm in town. Professionalism and honesty in dealing with underwriters and branch officers is paramount. If the firm shotguns applications to most markets without screening those clients properly, relationships will deteriorate. Underwriters need to indicate to the firm what would enhance the firm's ability to write business with them. It might be a surprise to find that they are eager to help place business. The easier they make the firm's job, the more successful the firm will be in marketing and ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1624/Purchase-And-Sale-Agreement-Part-I/
...ong and Short, Certified Public Accountants, which statements are prepared in ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/213/Managing-Small-Commercial-Accounts/
... x No Thanks Loading.. Managing Small Commercial Accounts 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Cindy Brady This content has not been rated yet. In many agencies, small' Commercial accounts get over-serviced while larger accounts are under-serviced because both are treated the same. Small accounts take the same amount of paperwork and processing time as larger accounts yet produce less revenue. They're more numerous and require more time keeping track of expiration dates. Because producers make less commission on small accounts, they usually leave them to the care of customer service representatives (CSRs) . It's not a case of being unable to see the forest for the trees-it's a case of knowing how to care for select trees in the forest. With systematic, specialized care, CSRs can ensure that these select trees' are ... us on the eight points listed below. If you have additional comments you would like to make, we welcome you to do so on the back of the page. Please use the following scoring system: 1... Disappointing 2... Less Than Expected 3... Average 4... Better Than Expected 5... Always Terrific 1. Are we courteous when we call you on the phone or when you come to see us in our office? 2. Do we take enough time with you and do we explain things thoroughly enough for you to understand what coverages you have? 3. Have we handled your claims (if you have had any) in a timely and fair manner? 4. Are you secure in the knowledge that we have provided you with best coverage for you needs at the best price? 5. Do ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/2615/Telecommuting-to-Your-Virtual-Office/
... efforts. Ability to attach leads and clients to your specific market searches, with e-mail alerts for all the market, articles, blogs and people searches you make. And much more! All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Monetization type: None Comments (0 ) There are no comments posted. Search Articles/Libraries Select a Category All Benefits & Financial Services Commercial Lines Insurance Careers Communications Customer Service Financial/Accounting General Articles Human Resources Legal and E&O Letters (Customer Service) Letters (Sales) Life/Financial Services Management Marketing Marketing Agency of the Month Organizational Profiles Personal Lines Planning Questions & Answers Risk Management Selling Specialty Lines Technology Uncategorized Choose a Content Package All Member Content IMMS Library Jack Burke LIG Marine Managers USG Insurance Services, Inc. NIF Group Inc. PRS High Hazard/High Risk ... x No Thanks Loading.. Telecommuting to Your Virtual Office 8/17/2018 by CompleteMarkets Editor , LuNell Gilliland This content has not been rated yet. WHAT IS A VIRTUAL OFFICE? The virtual office concept, also known as telecommuting or a mobile office, emerged as the American work force shifted from physical labor to knowledge-based work. Workers who create or manipulate information can generally perform anywhere there is a telephone, desk, chair, and computer. Technology enables the knowledge-based worker's office to be portable. "Virtual," by Webster's definition, means "being such practically or in effect, although not in actual fact or name." Employees who work from home or some place other than the main office location are considered to be working in a virtual office. These employees are called ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1778/AGREEMENT-FOR-PURCHASE-AND-SALE/
... incorporated agency with several offices; Buyer will consolidate the office o...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/2465/Prevent-Identity-Theft-Be-Aware-Be-Proactive-Be-Assertive/
... to impersonate them, usually for financial gain. Such theft might include a person's name, address, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, mother's maiden name, license plate number, or other identifying personal data. Once the thief has acquired this information, they can use it to commit numerous forms of fraud, including but not limited to: Taking over the victim's financial accounts; Opening up new bank accounts; Purchasing an automobile; Applying for loans or credit cards; Renting apartments; Obtaining social security benefits; and Establishing public services with phone companies and utilities BE AWARE The biggest problem is that you might never know you're a victim until you notice something is amiss — you receive an invoice for something you didn't buy or a statement from a credit account you never ... be shared with others. Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information and whether it can be kept confidential. Pay attention to your credit card billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean that a thief has changed your billing address to cover their tracks. Guard your mail. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Remove mail from your mailbox promptly after it has been delivered. If you're planning to be away from home, request a vacation hold on your mail. Put passwords on your credit card, bank, and phone accounts. Don't carry more identification information and credit cards than you actually need. Don't give out personal information on the phone, through ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/959/CENTRALIZING-CUSTOMER-SERVICE/
...cing. But in agencies with branch offices, each office tends to have its own s...as necessary. If the agency has four offices or units, each with $75,000 in Pe...