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... could give your agency a unique business advantage. You could provide the service that the other agencies talk about but don't deliver. The toughest obstacles to separating the processing and customer service functions are the psychological implications of changing the way things have always been done. But casting off the anchor to the past is necessary if an agency is to improve customer service and increase profit. With the advent of databased management systems and the use of transactional filing, the separation of processing and customer service becomes not only easier, but also more ... perform 40 to 50 percent of the agency's paperwork, such as auto and homeowners renewals, new business, policy changes, and direct bill, late, cancellation, and reinstatement notices. After-Hours Employees: These offer a side benefit in that there is no need for extra terminals because the after-hours employees use the CSRs terminals after the CSRs leave for the day. Off-Site Processors: As long as the part-time processor has a personal computer and a modem that can communicate with the agency's main computer, this approach makes a lot of sense ... can work to the agency's advantage. Off-site processors work on a contract basis, so the agency does not have the added expense of employee benefits. If the agency works with several off-site processors, the problem of finding back-up workers to fill in for absent employees is solved. Also, work can be delivered and picked up several times a week at the agency's convenience. For an agency to survive and prosper, it must rethink how work is done and how new technology can improve processing and operations. The division of responsibility for ...

... things have always been done. But casting off the anchor to the past is neces...o the agency does not have the added expense of employee benefits. If the agen...

...reds of individual product choices cast among the many carrier appointments wi...ess — we’ll all be better off for the extra effort IMSA is requiring of us to ...

... offers many challenges not present 35 years ago. We have a feeding frenzy of litigation against agents and their companies; a financial press that appears anti-agent and anti-permanent insurance; a regulatory environment that's imposing suitability standards — and the average broker has hundreds of individual product choices cast among the many carrier appointments with whom they need to remain competitive. Principle #6 requires carriers to maintain a system of supervision and review that is reasonably designed to achieve compliance with these Principles of Ethical Market Conduct. This principle seems to speak for itself. Without ... tax deferred inside buildup' Our challenge is nothing less than industry implosion or transformation. As insurance companies begin to certify their ethical conduct through IMSA — and as the public and press gain awareness and grant credibility to the process — we'll all be better off for the extra effort IMSA is requiring of us to focus on appropriate market conduct. The Life agent's survival will be linked to the survival and thrival' of those companies. Richard M. Weber, MBA, CLU is president of The Ethical Edge, Inc., a ... firm that advises Life insurance professionals on due care and ethical practices to help them grow their volume and income. For more information, phone or fax (760) 652-0408, e-mail [email protected] , or visit www.ethicaledge.biz. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and ...

... them. No disaster plan should be cast in stone. It can be-and should be- alt...