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.... KEEP AN EYE ON CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTERS Several major companies have opened centers to offer such service support as cla...o says that insurers have opened the centers because the agency/company interf...

... agency staff to any changes and inquiries made by their clients to permit them to contact the client if needed. Although we're still some years away from client access to their companies and policies through the agency portal, the remote capabilities of the agency management system vendors and even the carrier Service Centers are steps in the right direction. Agency owners must concentrate their Strategic Plans on converting their agencies from processing shops to relationship managers and insurance counselors for their clients. If they concentrate on actions that will lower their running costs without losing control of their clients, they'll make the right decisions about the progress of automation within their agencies. CONCLUSION Remember, if you use the tides to your advantage, you become a proficient surfer. If you try to stand firm and fight the tide, you'll end up ... less need for processors and more need for relationship managers. The smart agents are training CSRs to become Account Managers. As processing diminishes, the smartest administrative employees will become our client managers, while producers and owners will be responsible for creating new relationships, building on existing relationships, and maintaining strong relationships with the agency's clients. Finally, since fewer customers are interacting through the agency because of Service Centers and direct client reporting, agency management vendors are responding by enhancing remote automation processing for agencies. Both AMS and Applied, the industry leaders, have been developing and are selling their ASP models of agency management systems that will host agency data and systems in a secure and effective manner. This will permit agents and their staffs to concentrate on the client rather than on updates, repairs, and ...

...ugh the agency because of Service Centers and direct client reporting, agency ...vendors and even the carrier Service Centers are steps in the right direction....

... same. "The power to navigate the world at the click of a mouse is a force that is transforming our lives like none before," wrote the editors of Business Week. A few paragraphs later, they added, "Anyone with a computer is a citizen of the world-and a richer world at that." All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) From Mom-and-Pop' to Professional Shop: Breaking Through This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Al Diamond 8/24/2018 12:00:00 AM It used to be the $1 million ceiling. That was the level of revenue at which an individual performing agent with a few helpers had to become a business with different people handling different clients and responsibilities. Everyone still worked for the agent, ... that overcoming objections is part of the selling process. However, many forget that making objections is just as intrinsic to the buying process. To identify the root causes of objections, producers should put themselves into the buyer's shoes. You also buy in your personal life, so use your own experiences to sharpen your expertise. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) The Ergonomics of a Telemarketing Center This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Jeff Neilson 6/1 /2018 12:00:00 AM Occupational illnesses suffered by telemarketers have risen from 18% of all illnesses in 1981 to 62% in 1992. You may have heard complaints of stiff or sore necks, backs, hands, wrists, arms, elbows, and shoulders. Or you may have seen ...

... same. "The power to navigate the world at the click of a mouse is a force that is transforming our lives like none before," wrote the editors of Business Week. A few paragraphs later, they added, "Anyone with a computer is a citizen of the world-and a richer world at that." All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) From Mom-and-Pop' to Professional Shop: Breaking Through This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Al Diamond 8/24/2018 12:00:00 AM It used to be the $1 million ceiling. That was the level of revenue at which an individual performing agent with a few helpers had to become a business with different people handling different clients and responsibilities. Everyone still worked for the agent, ... that overcoming objections is part of the selling process. However, many forget that making objections is just as intrinsic to the buying process. To identify the root causes of objections, producers should put themselves into the buyer's shoes. You also buy in your personal life, so use your own experiences to sharpen your expertise. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) The Ergonomics of a Telemarketing Center This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Jeff Neilson 6/1 /2018 12:00:00 AM Occupational illnesses suffered by telemarketers have risen from 18% of all illnesses in 1981 to 62% in 1992. You may have heard complaints of stiff or sore necks, backs, hands, wrists, arms, elbows, and shoulders. Or you may have seen ...

... It’s nice to see you once again shopping on our Web site. How did the stereo ...ty inventory. Let’s say that you’re shopping for a car online, and have a 'Typ...

... demand more volume; they want to consolidate their distribution systems to focus their resources on firms that show good loss ratios and growth in premium volume. Firms will also need to be larger to provide a broader spectrum of services to clients. The clients of tomorrow will be more knowledgeable about insurance in general and about the specific coverages they need. They'll want their agents to provide the equivalent of one-stop shopping. Lines will include Personal, Commercial, Life, and Group insurance, and services such as claims administration and loss control. 2. FIRMS WILL BE FULLY AUTOMATED. The agency/brokerage of the future will need to be fully automated-beyond accounting, word processing, and rating. Complete automation of all policy information with interface to the firm's key carriers will speed up client servicing and help to ... interface. 3. TARGET MARKETING AND FINDING NICHES WILL INCREASE. Tomorrow's agency or brokerage will be much more specialized than that of today because most agents will realize the inefficiencies in trying to be all things to all people. Producers will have determined what their companies are good at writing so they can place business more easily. They will develop their expertise by targeting more prospects in those areas. Sales centers and telemarketing will also be much more prevalent, helping producers streamline their sales efforts. 4. PRODUCERS WILL SELL AND CSRs WILL SERVICE. In the agency/brokerage of the future, producers will be more fully supported, which will allow them to sell more new business. The sales and service functions will need to be segregated to free up producers' time for sales. CSRs will be ...

...ovide the equivalent of one-stop shopping. Lines will include Personal, Commer...more prospects in those areas. Sales centers and telemarketing will also be mu...

... much to make the dish inedible. Read the classic poem, "The Blind Men and the Elephant." With all due respect, your customers are the blind men and your organization is the elephant. You will be customer defined and customer driven, if you're not already. In a global economy, with the most sophisticated consumers in history, equipped with full information through the Internet, and shopping from any source anywhere, you're no longer in charge — the customer is! PROVIDE TOUGH POSITIVE MANAGEMENT Command and control leadership in most organizations is dead! The future belongs to conductors who can blend the diverse workforce and skills needed into a beautiful symphony performance. In such a system, diversity is essential and consensus is good. Unfortunately, too many people confuse the application of these issues. ... functions they perform to obtain the results you need. The most important first step in puzzle making is finding the surface needed to build the puzzle; it must be stable and conducive to the work at hand, with organizational values as the foundation. My experience indicates that all too often planning focuses on tactics (pieces); in effect, building the puzzle one piece at a time from the center out. This can't work. You must start on a solid surface (values) and fully communicate the finished picture (vision and mission) to everyone involved. CREATE A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED OPERATION In my mind this is a potent ingredient. It's like garlic or tabasco; you want just enough to spice it up, but not too much to make the dish inedible. Read the classic poem, ...

... much to make the dish inedible. Read the classic poem, "The Blind Men and the Elephant." With all due respect, your customers are the blind men and your organization is the elephant. You will be customer defined and customer driven, if you're not already. In a global economy, with the most sophisticated consumers in history, equipped with full information through the Internet, and shopping from any source anywhere, you're no longer in charge — the customer is! PROVIDE TOUGH POSITIVE MANAGEMENT Command and control leadership in most organizations is dead! The future belongs to conductors who can blend the diverse workforce and skills needed into a beautiful symphony performance. In such a system, diversity is essential and consensus is good. Unfortunately, too many people confuse the application of these issues. ... functions they perform to obtain the results you need. The most important first step in puzzle making is finding the surface needed to build the puzzle; it must be stable and conducive to the work at hand, with organizational values as the foundation. My experience indicates that all too often planning focuses on tactics (pieces); in effect, building the puzzle one piece at a time from the center out. This can't work. You must start on a solid surface (values) and fully communicate the finished picture (vision and mission) to everyone involved. CREATE A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED OPERATION In my mind this is a potent ingredient. It's like garlic or tabasco; you want just enough to spice it up, but not too much to make the dish inedible. Read the classic poem, ...