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By STEPHANIE CUNNINGHAM
In the 80’s there was a television show called Cheers that had a theme song which started off like this.
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
The years may have passed and Cheers may be only viewed in the land of late-night reruns, but the lyrics in the Cheers theme song still ring true today.
Your customers want to do business with an insurance agency where their insurance agent and staff knows their name. After all, people love to be recognized and appreciated. Best of all, people will pay more for goods and services when they feel their business is truly valued.
You, as an agency owner have the ability to influence the climate of customer appreciation and recognition within your agency by your words and the processes that you create within your agency. In other words, it is important for to you clearly communicate to your staff that it is essential to make each customer feel like they are your only customer.
Here are some steps to help you create the ‘Cheers Effect’ in your agency.
1. When a client calls into your office, address them by the name they use when they call in and identify themselves to you. For example, Joseph Jones calls in and says ‘This is Joe Jones.’ Make sure that you refer to him as Joe in your conversation instead of Joseph. This creates a warmer interaction with your customer.
2. When a client calls, make sure that you and your staff use a tone of voice that communicates that you are happy to hear from them. This is a perfect way to ask, ‘How are you today?’ and ‘How can I help you, Joe?’
3. Once you have processed the customer’s request, be sure to look for any gaps in coverage or red flags that you would want to be made aware of if you were a customer of your agency. Here is an example. ‘Joe, I noticed on your Honda that you don’t have rental reimbursement coverage. If you were to get into an accident and your vehicle had to go into the shop for repairs would you need to have rental car in the meantime?’ By communicating a potential missing coverage with a short example, it comes across that you are looking out for their best interest instead of trying to sell them something.
4. Be sure to ask your customer ‘Is there anything else I can help you with today, Joe?’ This gives your customer the opportunity to let you know that you have taken care of their requests.
5. Once they tell you there is nothing else they need from you, be sure to thank them for their business. Find something that you feel comfortable saying. For example you could say, ‘Thank you for your business, Joe.’ or ‘I appreciate your business, Joe.’
The idea is to create a positive and efficient experience for your customer. Passing along a process like the one above to your staff lets them know what you expect them to say to your clients. This gives more consistency to the customer experience in your agency.
In the end, customers who feel valued and appreciated are less likely to leave over price. This leads to increased agency retention and successful agency growth.
About the Author: Stephanie Cunningham is an insurance agent and the creator of the Agent Contact Wizard, a program that gives insurance agents the ability to touch their clients once a month with professionally written and personalized email marketing campaigns. Find out how easy and affordable it is to give a personal, professional touch to your clients while increasing your agency’s retention and referral business. Visit agentcontactwizard.com. Stephanie Cunningham 325 Washington Ave S, Suite 104 Kent, WA 98032 Stephanie@agentcontactwizard.com
Source: isnare.com
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