COVER STORY
18 Spend the right time on the right clients The key to not just surviving but thriving in a hard market
FEATURE
23 Positive customer experiences
crucial component to an agent's success
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WHAT IS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE?
While the term customer experience sounds a little bit like customer service, there are some big differences between the two terms. While customer service is the assistance you provide to a prospective client, customer experience runs a bit deeper.
It isn’t just the one-to-one interactions clients have with their independent insurance agent: customer experience is about the overall impact that your
brand has on them, from discovery to postpurchase. Great customer service can add to a positive customer experience, but it’s one piece of a bigger picture.
STEPS TO ENHANCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
1. Transparency and knowledge: Keep your clients informed about each step of the insurance-buying process. Insurance can be complicated for the prospective clients; making sure they understand the insurance products you can offer them not only improves their experience, but it cements your brand as a knowledgeable resource.
2. Increase the accessibility of your agency: Accessibility helps clients from when they discover your agency and well beyond after they purchase a policy. This includes making your website easy to navigate, having multiple points of contact, and providing resources to help clients understand what services you’re offering them.
3. Approachability: While being accessible facilitates the client’s journey through your agency, being approachable will keep them as lifetime partners. Showing kindness, interest, and honesty is essential in building long-term customer relations.
4 . Streamline your processes: Clients appreciate efficiency: it’s always good to look at how clients move through their experiences with your agency and help them move through it quicker without sacrificing quality.
5. Be receptive to feedback: Feedback, good and bad, can help improve your agency. Positive feedback lets you know what needs to be maintained, while negative feedback lets you know where you can improve, if applicable.
6. Following up: Following up with your clients is a necessity during the lifetime of your relationship with them. Keeping them informed of where they are in the insurance-buying process and inquiring about the satisfaction with your product demonstrates care and attentiveness.
WAYS TO FOLLOW UP WITH CLIENTS
Share additional options
If it’s a business, send them a referral
Ask if they need help
MAKE THE MOST OUT OF AUTOMATION
Clients almost always prefer human interactions when it comes to providing them with service for their needs. However, some processes can be automated not only to your benefit, but to the client’s benefit, as well.
You can even use artificial intelligence-powered chatbots, but do so with caution. AI chatbots can sometimes provide incorrect information or they can hallucinate 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
For instance, using chatbots or automated attendants can help filter clients to the right departments and have their needs
AI HALLUCINATES
met by a human employee. This means that clients are sent to where they need to be more efficiently.
Chatbots also can be used to answer questions clients may have if they need a quick response. A chatbot that provides accurate, concise information makes your website more accessible and can keep your clients satisfied.
If you are hearing stories about how AI hallucinates, don’t worry: The machines aren’t rising against us. It just means that, based on the user’s prompts, the AI can fabricate information, but present it as factual.
For example, an AI that has been trained to identify cancer cells may predict that healthy cells are cancerous if the user does not supply the AI with images of what healthy cells look like.
Technology can build and maintain strong customer relationships
By Vijay Rengarajan, CPCU, director of product management, EZLynx
Nothing impacts your business’s success more than the strength of your customer relationships. Delivering high-quality customer service makes your customers feel connected, encouraging them to renew, purchase additional products, and recommend your agency to others. However, fostering strong customer relationships means going the extra mile to maintain constant contact with insureds. Whether it’s sending a quote to a prospect or a reminder about renewals, replying to a change request, or sending birthday wishes, your agency needs to reach out and respond to customers constantly. Without this consistent communication and availability, even loyal clients can get frustrated or feel unheard. Despite the importance of customer relationship management, it can become a challenge for agents to remain available to clients while also getting other critical tasks done.
So, how can your agency focus on building strong customer relationships and still have time for everything else? Invest in software that saves time and helps your agency frequently reach out and respond to insureds so you can create a satisfying customer experience. What technology should you use?
Here are some tech solutions that can help you build and maintain those vital customer relationships: 24/7 customer support. Clients often need on-demand access to their personal documents in real time (e.g., ID cards, policies and other customer data). An online portal where clients can download these documents at any time fosters positive relationships with insureds, making them feel like they’re getting quality service while reducing time spent responding to requests. This software allows clients to view their personal information, request policy changes from any device and location, and receive prompt service.
It lets your agency focus on more revenue-generating tasks without sacrificing client satisfaction.
Email marketing software. Investing in technology that assists in crafting and timing personalized emails creates a better experience for your insureds. Investing in email marketing software enhances your client relationships, leading to higher retention, positive upselling responses and referrals. It saves your agents time and mental effort, as they no longer need to remember dates to send personalized emails. In addition to customer satisfaction, it allows for reporting on your marketing campaigns, thus
helping to identify the most impactful messages for your clients.
Retention software. Retention software is another solution that can support customer needs and your agency at the same time. By incorporating a retention software tool, you can touch every single renewal and prioritize at-risk clients so you can focus on them.
Retention software can boost customer retention rates by automating renewal messages to lower-risk clients, making them feel valued. The software also allows you to generate pricing changes between current and prospective policies of clients, so you can save time comparing plans and provide a transparent view of policy changes.
Automation software. Automation can enhance almost every aspect of maintaining customer relationships. Automation software allows you to preset email send dates for customer outreach and renewals and eliminate the need to track manually. It also helps you remember to review and follow up on policy changes, ensuring customers have the right information.
Implementing automation technology makes customer outreach easier to manage, so you can free up time for your team members to focus on other essential tasks.
Text messaging. Modern customers expect various options to communicate with their insurance agencies. This means your business needs to offer more than just email and over-the-phone responses to maintain customer engagement. In addition to online access, clients often prefer to communicate via text message. Text messaging eliminates the need for lengthy phone calls during which clients could be put on hold for long wait periods, and instead gives insureds the ability to easily receive relevant policy information via text. Messaging can be used anywhere, anytime, and minimizes errors-and-omissions claims, making it a safe and fast way to communicate with insureds.
Take customer relationships to the next level
Your agency’s growth and success rely on building and maintaining strong customer relations. When your clients know that your agency is available to them around the clock and sees them as a priority, insureds are more likely to have an emotional connection to your business. This connection fosters brand loyalty and generates word-ofmouth referrals—ultimately impacting your bottom line positively.
BRADFORD J. LACHUT, ESQ. Director of government & industry affairs, PIA Northeast
Generative AI and CX
When you hear the term artificial intelligence, what comes to mind? For many, AI suggests apocalyptic futures in which robots reign supreme ala the Terminator. As a sci-fi nerd, I can understand that mindset. For every movie that features a Wall-E, there are about 100 movies that feature HALs. That makes it easy to feel some trepidation about AI and what it might mean for the human race’s future, let alone the future of the insurance industry.
But for all its buzziness, artificial intelligence is a misunderstood term. The recent AI renaissance (renAIssance?) has centered around generative artificial intelligence or Gen AI. Gen AI has the potential to be a revolutionary tool for businesses. The key word in that last sentence is not the word revolutionary but the word tool . As it exists today, Gen AI is a multipurpose tool to be used—not a threat to be feared—to increase your clients’ customer experience (or CX).
In parlance of sci-fi, Gen AI is much more like The Doctor’s (of the Doctor Who series) Sonic Screwdriver than the Terminator’s Skynet.
What is generative AI?
Before diving into Gen AI, it’s important to get a handle on what artificial intelligence is. Broadly, AI is any intelligence demonstrated by a machine. Common modern
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examples of AI include digital personal assistants like Siri, Alexa and Cortana, internet search engines, and facial recognition software on smartphones. While these are examples of different uses of AI, they act fundamentally the same way. Each of the aforementioned tools find and utilize existing data to achieve some purpose—whether that is unlocking a phone, or finding the best pizza place in town. Take the example of using a search engine to find an image. Type in your request “Katsushika Hokusai The Wave ” and you will get an image of that great work of art. However, if you type “create an original image that resembles Hokusai’s The Wave” into your search bar, your search engine will likely just return more images of The Wave or other artist’s similar reproductions.
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That is where generative AI comes in. That term refers to AI technologies capable of creating content, whether that be text, images or even complex data patterns. In other words, AI technologies that can create an image— and not just retrieve an existing one. To create original content, generative AI models (e.g., ChatGPT or Copilot), are fed billions of points of data that the models use to create original content based on what they have learned. To use a human example, think of the child who first learns the alphabet, spelling and proper sentence structure. Then, the child uses that knowledge to write a short story.
Sonic Screwdriver
In the insurance world, this advance in Gen AI translates to AI systems that can generate personalized policy recommendations, automate claims processing, and offer real-time, interactive customer service.
What does this real-life Sonic Screwdriver actually look like in practice?
24/7 365
By utilizing the differing capabilities of Gen AI, agencies can provide clients with enhanced services around the clock. Customers can receive immediate assistance at any time, improving their overall experience and satisfaction. AI chatbots and virtual assistants can be trained (i.e., given data), which would allow the chatbot to understand and respond to unique customer inquiries in real time and in a manner that is easy to understand. The bots also can be trained to access policy details, claim status and other relevant information to provide enhanced services.
Claims happen
It probably isn’t surprising that claims processing often is cited as one of the most stressful aspects of the insurance experience for clients. Gen AI can improve this process by automating the intake process, collecting necessary information and documents, assessing the type of claim, and directing it to the appropriate department or employee. This not only speeds up the claims process, but automating routine inquiries and claims intake can reduce the workload of they agency’s staff members, which allows them to focus on more complex cases.
Gazing into the future
Beyond direct client interactions, Gen AI can offer predictive insights that help clients understand potential risks and how to mitigate them. By analyzing data on past claims, weather patterns, and even socialmedia trends, AI can predict potential issues before they occur, which can allow clients to take preventative measures. An insurance agency could use Gen AI to send personalized alerts to clients about impending severe weather, along with suggestions for safeguarding their property. Providing this type of proactive and efficient customer service helps build trust and loyalty among policyholders, which increases their customer experience, and can contribute to higher retention rates for the agency.
Embrace the screwdriver
The integration of generative AI into the property/casualty insurance sector holds the promise of a more
personalized, efficient and engaging client experience. From the personalization of insurance products, to the automation of claims processing and the revolutionization of customer service, Gen AI has the potential to transform how insurance agents interact with their clients.
For insurance agents, embracing generative AI is not just about staying competitive; it’s about redefining what it means to provide an exceptional client experience in the digital age.
Lachut is PIA Northeast’s director of government & industry affairs.
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Customer loyalty—going, going, gone?
Generally, business owners, agency owners, and business leaders have several critical success factors to consider as they manage and grow their businesses. Some essential success factors are apparent (e.g., profitability, providing a good product or service or employee development). However—by working with companies around the United States in different industry verticals—we still see that leadership teams need to consider creating and maintaining loyal customer relationships, which is a critical success factor.
Studies show that the longer your customers are loyal, the more profitable your business will be. Why? The answer has to do with what are known as the three Rs of customer loyalty: retention, related sales and referrals. However, the customer experience has slowly but ever so gradually changed, and this will impact your ability to create and maintain loyal customers. Since the change is slow, it can be unnoticeable until it is too late.
By changing your customer experience, you change your customers’ expectations without realizing it. When engagement changes, it will impact the characteristics your customers will use to define their loyalty to your product or service. What do those changes look like? Here are some examples:
Example No. 1: The banking and credit union world is starting to establish new branches that are teller-free. You can walk into the lobby or go through the drive-thru and conduct your transactions without teller interaction. In the lobby, there is a guide to help you if you need it. There was a day when you did your banking in person; you had a relationship with several tellers and perhaps even the bank manager. You relied on those folks when you had a question, or needed to conduct a more complicated transaction. The teller you interacted with often offered your child a lollipop or your dog a treat. How will that environment foster retention or referrals when there is no human connection?
Example No. 2: Retail grocery chains are shifting to a model in which selfcheckout opportunities and the supporting equipment outnumber a personal checkout experience. In our local area, the grocery store opens at 7 a.m., but the customer service desk opens at 10 a.m. Why would someone who frequents that store refer it to someone new to the area when the environment communicates that this is a self-serve store?
Example No. 3: Organizations with employees and health care benefits usually partner with a health care broker to help them navigate the everchanging world of health care and their yearly renewal process. We have been using the same broker for 25 years. Our annual renewal process used to be
a face-to-face meeting to evaluate our options so we could make an educated decision on what was best for the employees and the company. In 2015, our broker purchased the entire agency, and he turned us over to a new agent—we clearly understood that his role would change as he became the new owner. The last year we had a face-to-face meeting was 2016. Now, we receive an email with instructions on when to submit our employee census and a list of renewal options. If we have questions and want to speak to someone about our options, we (the client) must initiate the conversation.
Consider your experience
As a leader in your organization, have you and your team strategically considered how changing your customer experience and engagement can impact the long-term success of creating and maintaining loyal customers? It should be considered a critical success factor similar to profitability. We live in a world in which technology and artificial intelligence are a big part of what businesses use to create efficiency, save costs and make things easier. Still, they also add to future expenses and customer loss if you are not careful. Think of how you would react to the examples listed previously: Would
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you go to a different bank to discuss a loan because your regular bank has no tellers? If three grocery chains in your area have the same self-serve experience and comparable pricing, why does it matter which one you frequent? Would you be interested in finding a health care broker who is more proactive? Your answers probably mirror those of your insureds.
These subtle changes in customer experience will snowball into financially measurable and undesirable challenges for your organization.
Yes, different customers want different experiences. This is why you need to divide your audience into age groups and evaluate what customer interaction is best for each demographic. For example:
Generation Z (adults born 1997-2010) grew up with technology and they have never known a world without it. They are tech-savvy, quick learners and they expect instant communication through various digital channels.
Communication through technology is key for Generation Y (adults born 1981-96). They prefer that their communications be accessible and convenient through texting, social media and websites.
Generation X (adults born 1965-80) often are seen as adaptable and selfreliant. They prefer efficient communication that respects their time. Generation X prefers straightforward and concise communications. They appreciate emails and face-to-face interactions.
Boomers (adults born 1946-64) appreciate direct and face-to-face communication, organizational hierarchy, and clearly understood processes and structure. They also appreciate phone calls, meetings and memos.
So here are some action steps to consider so your loyal customers continue to grow and stay strong:
No. 1: Consider impacts. As you employ and implement technology and artificial intelligence, consider how those decisions will impact your insureds’ experience.
No. 2: Garner feedback. Ask a group of insureds or your customer service representatives what they think of your agency’s changes and improvements, and see how those changes will increase their loyalty to your product or service.
No. 3: Take the time. Take the time to create a customer experience that will impact the four generations that make up your customer pool in a positive way. It probably should not be a one-size-fits-all solution.
No. 4: Keep track of your success factors. Most importantly, keep customer loyalty one of your top three critical success factors as a business or agency. Customer loyalty means future business!
Kohl is a partner in Trusted Advisors Network, which supports 225 independent consultants and coaches. Reach her at (484) 507-9641. For more information, visit www.trustedadvisorsnetworkllc.com. Brown is chairman/CEO of Paradigm Associates LLC. Paradigm Associates can add value to your business through strategic, executive, and sales development processes, whether you are on the insurance industry’s agency or carrier side. Visit Paradigm Associates on the web, www.paradigmassociates.us, or call (908) 276-4547.
Agency Performance Partners & Agency Appeal
If you’re like many agents, the hard insurance market has tested you and your team. In addition to your stress level, your clients also are experiencing a new reality. As a service-based business, your agency must focus on developing a customer experience built for this market. We cannot become victims of our market— to thrive we must lead the charge to develop a customer experience that is kind, achievable, and honors your ideal client. In this market, we need to be intentional about how we educate and treat our valued clients.
How to craft your hard-market customer experience
To build a new experience for the hard market you must go through a series of intentional steps that will allow you to give your ideal client the best experience. Your ideal client can attract other like-minded clients who will help you grow intentionally in this market. When you continue to deliver the same experience that you did in 2022, you will find your team cannot keep up, your clients still are not satisfied, and ultimately you are draining your resources. This market is an opportunity to boost and improve your client profile by optimizing your client experience.
Step No. 1: Identify your ideal client. This can be a challenge—we want to serve everyone, right? Wrong. This market shows that you need to focus on what you can write, which is clean, prime business. In the long run, optimizing your book of business will allow you to be better off at the end of this market cycle. This does not mean you stop serving your non-ideal clients, but it means you need to tier your book of business.
Think of airlines. I fly every week. When my flight is delayed or canceled, I’m first on a re-book or the next flight. Why? The airline wants to keep me happy and get me on my flight next week. The airline representatives know I’m more valuable than the person who flies one time per year. They gear their services toward making my life easier. Heck, one airline even bought me a first-class ticket on another airline to get me home when there was bad weather. That leaves an impact.
You may be thinking how can independent insurance agencies adopt this model? They can first tier their clients. We recommend VIP, Gold, Silver, Bronze and DNR (do not resuscitate). You will find that clarity is easier when your team members are clear on who to spend time with—it makes a difference.
Once you have the tiers, you can start prioritizing the work. This includes renewal reviews, remarkets, client recognition and more. When the work backlogs your team needs to look at the top clients and handle them first.
Step No. 2: Efficiency. Let’s face it, in insurance we have not been rock stars at efficiency. Many agencies run well below the best-practices revenue per employee. Yet, we always are backlogged and drowning—how can this be? It is because we are running inefficient, and we often struggle to adopt efficiency strategies. In 2024, we should be separating licensed and nonlicensed work; and embracing client portals and automation—yet many agency principals are struggling to hold their teams accountable to this strategy. We need to embrace efficiency strategies on the Silver and Bronze accounts to allow time to develop the Gold and VIP client relationships.
Step No. 3: What’s important to the ideal client. Every agency’s ideal client is different, but we need to mix a combination of proactive and reactive strategies that allow us to wow our best clients. This needs to start despite the limitations of our current operations. If you are like many agents, right now the thought of doing one more thing brings you to tears. However, you need to think through what your dream clients would value. Here are some items to
think about incorporating into your business strategy (if you haven’t done so already):
• sending a welcome kit to new clients;
• offering a personal introduction to their dedicated team;
• conducting a 30-day check-in call, post-sale;
• reviewing all endorsements;
• utilizing a proactive renewal review;
• recognizing your clients on their birthdays;
• offering recommendations on carrier changes;
• offering the ability to text and operate with ease;
• making sure everyone talks to a live person; and
• being your clients’ claims concierge.
You need to identify what services you will provide to your ideal clients to make them delighted by your services, so they tell all their friends. The bottom line is the service should be so amazing that you can’t deliver it for everyone just your top and ideal clients.
Step No. 4: Documentation. Your customer experience needs to be documented and laid out clearly. Documentation should include a narrative like you would have with a commercial account to sell to an underwriter. Your customer experience should be outlined like a beautiful play. Everyone knows where to stand and what to do. You can outline the following customer experience opportunities for your agency:
• new business
• onboarding
• claims
• endorsements
• renewals
• general nurturing
You want to ensure you map out every detail of what these experiences look like. Now, you should do this for your top and bottom half of customers. The bottom half may have a more automated and self-servicedriven experience. If you can optimize your team members’ time you can win at efficiency and wowing the top customers. Over time, you will see your customer profile shift toward a higher level of clients.
Step No. 5: Training. The best companies in the world invest in training. Think about the companies that have customer service down pat. I always like to start by thinking: What would Chick-fil-A do? The company gets 17-year-old employees to say please, thank you , and my pleasure. They are trained on how to take a line that is wrapped around the building and process it with ease. That is because someone created the process and then that person trained the team.
It’s commonly believed that adults must hear the same thing 22 times before they remember it. For this reason, you need to make sure you are consistently training and educating your team on the client experience. You cannot just write it down and have a meeting. You have probably worked on your experience for weeks. Don’t expect your employees to get it after one meeting. Your training must be an ongoing commitment to excellence.
When you train, you need to do the following steps:
• Share the client experience document.
• Walk through it with the team.
• Role play (yes, I know it’s everyone’s favorite thing).
• Have someone test out the experience.
• Put the plan into action.
Remember: the best customer experiences take time to craft—this is not an overnight process.
Training is something that you do all the time. The best athletes train routinely. They want to feel comfortable when the championship is on the line. And, let’s be honest, in the insurance industry, the championship is on the line every day in a hard market. We must play to win.
Many agents struggle with training—because we overthink it. We can train people in weekly meetings, in 1:1 coaching meetings, through video and Zoom calls. Training must be intentional and thought out, and it won’t happen without a plan—and it 100% will not happen if training isn’t a priority.
Step No. 6: Audit the process. This may shock you but generally, you will need to check in and make sure the process is being followed. When you audit the process, you will have the opportunity to find clarity and refine your expectations. Let’s just say you have a team of 10 people. As 10 people do something new it’s normal and natural to see that they all do it just slightly differently—yet still basically follow the customer experience documentation. How can that be? Because every process has room for personal interpretation.
As you audit the process, you can find the opportunity to make it better. Maybe one person has a slight twist that is delightful, maybe another person is undoing the process. Or perhaps you realize that your documents that outline your processes could be clearer. This audit process is when all the magic happens. Don’t neglect to audit. You must inspect what you expect.
Conclusion
Your customer experience will set you apart. But it must be intentional. It’s not something that you can just expect to come together. The best experiences are driven by heart and thoughtfulness. Don’t neglect the little things that can make a huge impact. When your clients feel cared for, they will refer their best friends and family to your agency and they will become less rate sensitive. For this reason, we must start by tiering our clients. A thoughtful client experience often is unscalable across the masses. We can view this hard market as a survival or thrive mode. My vote is thrived mode. Let’s use this as an opportunity to focus on what matters. Yes, change is hard—but so is providing service to everyone with the same baseline intention. Instead, I recommend we get highly intentional on our best clients and efficiently operate the bottom half of the clients and work them to become top-tier clients.
As the founder of Agency Performance Partners, Donahue-Piro has helped hundreds of insurance agencies boost revenues, profits and efficiency. If you would like to see sample brand guides, visit agencyappeal.com/brand-guide-examples/. Reach her at (401) 415-6205 or kelly@agencyperformancepartners. Or, connect with her on social platforms.
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A
to an agent's success Positive customer experience
crucial
component
For job seekers, the online site Indeed defines independent agents as professionals who “help customers find policies that meet their needs.” Customer interaction is at the core of an independent agent’s job description—and the success of this job relies on those customer interactions to be, overall, a positive experience. For many agents, this was the reason they entered the profession in the first place and through experience, they know that it has become increasingly important post-pandemic. For others who have not yet focused on the customer experience, there are compelling reasons to prioritize and act now.
When thinking about customer experience, it’s key to note that when it comes to customers, one size definitely does not fit all. Their needs and expectations are shifting constantly and changing based on how the world changes around them. Thankfully, tools for assisting in a positive customer experience are ever-evolving, as well.
Data from IBM’s report Elevating the Insurance Customer Experience revealed that investment in customer experience tools among insurers has increased by 36% from
2018 to 2022.1 Staying up-to-speed on customer expectations, remaining knowledgeable on social and economic trends, and consistently researching best practices and technologies to help create a positive experience is paramount to an agent’s success. The key to maintaining a positive customer experience is to adapt alongside your customers, use technology strategically, and maintain efficient communication.
Prioritize and adapt
When agents prioritize the customer experience, they open the door to better customer satisfaction, customer retention, referrals, increased revenue, and ultimately increased profitability. The not-so-hidden secret is that happy customers make an agent’s job easier. A significant component in prioritizing employee experience is to get to really know everything you can about the customer. To do so, agents should find out what their customers want, what their pain points are, what their understanding of their insurance policy is, and what they are looking for from their agent. Once agents have this information, they
can develop an informed strategy on how best to approach their customers. The IBM report states that 64% of consumers want their insurers to understand them well. Much of this responsibility within the industry falls to the independent agent. With agents so often carrying the bulk of customer interactions, tackling this responsibility is crucial.
At a time of turbulence in the insurance industry, with some carriers pulling back on writing in certain states and many rates increasing, understanding customers’ anxiety, and the pressing financial decisions they are faced with currently is one of the most important ways to provide service to them. Demonstrating a sense of empathy for the situations customers are faced with and personalizing communication based on that understanding can make a world of difference, helping to build trust and bettering overall communication. Agents should keep in mind that insurance is a complicated financial decision that many customers want to talk through—especially as they see rates rise. Investing time in customers and making them feel that their needs are prioritized sets a foundation for a successful and positive customer experience. Agents who invest this time are bound for a more successful career and reputation over those chasing quick and easy commissions. Customers take note of the time invested in them, and therefore, agents should take note of the amount of time they’re investing in their customers. While agents’ personal understanding of their own customers is certainly key, this understanding also is a tool that can be shared with others. Because agents serve on the front lines, they have the best pulse on customer wants and needs from an industry standpoint. Communicating their learnings and observations to other agents and the carriers they work with can help better the industry as a whole, and give insurance a friendlier face.
Strike a balance between technology and human touch
In the age of technology, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the promises that new applications and gadgets offer. While increasing efficiency and ease of communication is always a great idea, agents must remember the importance of human touch when it comes to customer interactions. McKinsey’s most recent survey of North American insurance customers found that agents and advisers are still the highest-rated channel when it comes to customer satisfaction, and only 20% of customers say that digital channels are their top choice for interacting with their insurer.2 Being successful in maintaining this tricky balance between technology and the human touch requires staying knowledgeable about customer preferences. Agents should get to know what areas their customers want the assistance of technology in, and when they would prefer working directly with a human.
However, maintaining this balance shouldn’t lead to a reluctance to explore technology options either. Currently, many technologies that are being utilized by agents have shown continued success, which can provide an effective way of maintaining consistent communication between independent agents and customers. Agents should consider options like personalized emails, texting platforms, going on camera for virtual calls, and exploring new technologies
that will improve communication and make their customers’ experiences more seamless.
Coming out of the pandemic, ensuring and navigating the technology-to-human-touch balance is significantly easier. With social distancing no longer an obstacle for agents, in-person interactions are now possible, and for some customers, in-person interactions are preferred. Offering this type of communication is a great way to peel back from Zoom and email, and form a connection with customers, putting a face to a name and allowing them to get a better sense of who their trusted adviser is outside of a phone call or email. While not all customers may want to meet in person, providing the option is a great way for agents to balance their points of communication and improve their customers’ overall experience.
Internal and external communication
The gospel around positive customer experiences says that efficient communication is paramount. To achieve such, employees of the same agency must be aligned with goals and best practices to ensure customer communication practices are as uniform as possible. For solo agents, consistency in the quality of communication among customers may not be of concern, but for larger agencies, maintaining that consistency among all agents for all customers certainly can be a challenge. Therefore, internal communication becomes just as important as customer communication. Good communication starts from the root—and communications best practices, helpful tips and regular
training can ensure cohesion among agents, leading to positive customer experiences.
Additionally, ensuring all agents have a level of understanding about their policy offerings is a significant component to create a positive customer experience. Robust education and understanding of policy offerings will best equip agents to then communicate those offerings to customers. If those who have direct interactions with customers don’t fully understand the policy options themselves, that lack of understanding can be transferred to the customer, which can hurt satisfaction and with it, business prosperity. Therefore, this regular training and education of agents can help ensure that they provide the best possible advice to customers. Knowledgeable agents also often come across as more trustworthy to customers.
Another important educational practice that should be implemented across all agencies (and that solo agents should self-implement) is training on how to communicate more thorny topics to customers, like rate increases. This is key to ensuring a positive customer experience across an agency—especially in the current climate of the insurance industry. Customers already are asking rate-related questions, and having background information and proper communication practices to help answer such questions can ensure those conversations are both helpful for the customer and successful for the agent. Equipping agents with tools for approaching difficult topics and fielding difficult questions before they are asked can enhance the conversation significantly for both parties involved.
One of the most notable benefits of creating and maintaining positive
customer experiences is that it ultimately benefits a business’s bottom line. According to the same report by McKinsey, successful customer-centric transformations in insurance typically lead to a 20% increase in employee satisfaction. Happy customers mean happy agents, continued business, potential referrals, and therefore, increased revenues.
Agents have a special power in their ability to relate to customers at the community level. Unlike carriers, agents are local to the people that they serve—therefore they have a better understanding of the certain nuances people within their region face. For example, a Northeast-based agent will likely increase communications around snow safety tips during the winter months, and likely won’t need to warn policyholders of tornado season. Being local, they also can be more easily accessible to clients within the community, going so far as getting involved in local events to boost the agency’s brand and visibility to customers.
While there are many tools independent agents can leverage on their own to improve the customer experience, agents also should recognize that they are not alone in the challenge of doing so. Agents have the backing of carriers to help them be successful in this. It is always a good idea to tap the resources of larger carriers and their insurance trade associations, and for agents to use as many tools at their disposal as applicable to set themselves up for success.
Switchenko is the vice president of customer solutions at Plymouth Rock Home Assurance. She has 15 years of insurance industry experience and she worked at Liberty Mutal Insurance prior to joining Plymouth Rock.
1 IBM, 2022 (www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/AAV81JLZ)
2 McKinsey, 2023 (tinyurl.com/3adh76c5)
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Keeping your clients faithful to you and your agency
For property/casualty agents and brokers, the spotlight increasingly is shifting toward customer experience—particularly when it comes to small- and medium-sized businesses.
As your clients regain their footing and resume their growth trajectories— post COVID—your role has become pivotal.
An evolving landscape
As small- and medium-sized businesses recover and expand, their insurance needs evolve, presenting both challenges and opportunities for agents and brokers. These businesses grapple with limited resources, fierce competition, and they need to adapt to rapid technological changes. However, they also enjoy agility and flexibility in responding to market demands. To meet their most acute needs, agents and brokers must give their small- and medium-sized business clients a customer experience that delivers real value to their business.
A powerful combo
Managing risk and uncertainty forms the cornerstone of both insurers and professional employer organizations. While insurers shield against property damage and liability, PEOs navigate human resource complexities— safeguarding businesses from legal, financial and productivity risks.
For example, a client with 250 employees needed guidance and support regarding state-specific pay transparency rules. The state law requires employers to announce all advancement opportunities and job openings and the pay ranges for those positions to all employees. Fines are upward of $10,000 per violation.
PEOs can provide guidance on the law and assistance writing job descriptions for positions and salary surveys for each position—including benchmarking and compensation planning. They also can assist the client with succession planning, which allows the client to focus on the future growth and possible employee churn.
Building trust and fostering enduring relationships are paramount to agencies and PEOs. Agents and brokers must earn a client’s trust to navigate intricate policies and offer claims support during crises. Similarly, PEOs act as HR extensions, necessitating transparency and trust in handling sensitive and complex employee matters when times arise.
An example is the rollout of leave laws, with various benefits and eligibility requirements, across several states. In one particular instance, when Connecticut and New York enacted their Paid Family and Medical Leave laws, they impacted all employers in those states. Many PEOs were able to assist clients in:
• administering the rollout including employee notification;
• identifying funding requirements for each employer based on headcount;
• educating employers on the option for a private plan; and
• drafting policies to update existing paid time off policies, and actual leave administration.
Tailoring solutions to individual needs is a shared ethos. Agents and brokers craft tailored insurance plans based on risk profiles, while PEOs customize HR solutions for diverse industries and company sizes.
A client opening a new location requires immediate guidance regarding regional employment regulations. A PEO can help with setting due process and fair employment rights and obligations. Some PEOs also can help an employer work with local regional authorities and guide the client on applicable
rules, policies and specific procedures, including record retention, hiring, and navigating the applicable laws.
Clear and timely communication is vital for both industries. Agents and brokers keep clients informed of policy changes, claims updates, and risk mitigation strategies, while PEOs must communicate effectively with both employees and businesses on HR policies, benefits, and federal and state compliance regulations.
Leveraging technology for efficiency is a common strategy, with both sectors embracing digital tools for streamlined operations. AI plays a significant role, enhancing processes and decision making in insurance …
Leveraging technology for efficiency is a common strategy, with both sectors embracing digital tools for streamlined operations. AI plays a significant role, enhancing processes and decision making in insurance, HR management and operations. For example, when using AI in workers’ compensation as an underwriting tool, it helps to price the client’s risk appropriately, which ensures the client pays the right price for his or her insurance. Agents, brokers and PEOs can use AI to further strengthen their client relationships and reinforce client loyalty. The complexity of a PEO’s services underscores the need for expert guidance. Agents and brokers offer personalized advice on intricate policies, akin to how PEOs navigate nuanced HR regulations. A good example of this is a PEO’s dedicated account management and HR teams, which provide tailored support, becoming integral to the client’s business operations.
Opportunities for agents and brokers
Agents and brokers can engage small- and medium-sized businesses proactively and they can help identify and mitigate potential HR risks. By understanding evolving business needs, agents and brokers can offer tailored solutions—fostering long-term partnerships. The agents, brokers and PEOs who prioritize customization, pivot swiftly, and offer flexibility will be the ones winning in customer experience.
Build a winning CX strategy
Agents, brokers and PEOs must understand and address individual small- and medium-sized business needs. Transparency and accessibility are paramount to ensure clear communication and clients have available information when they need it. By building trust and fostering genuine relationships, agents, brokers and PEOs can elevate CX and solidify client loyalty.
Mutual goals yield loyal clients
In the dynamic landscape of insurance and HR management, delivering exceptional customer experience is indispensable for success. While we manage different risks, we are united on core principles of trust-building, tailored solutions, risk mitigation and technological innovation. By embracing these principles as a daily practice, agents, brokers and PEOs can navigate the small- and medium-sized business landscape adeptly, securing longterm success in an evolving market. By aligning CX strategies with the unique needs of small- and mediumsized businesses, agents and brokers can seize opportunities and expand their role as trusted partners in safeguarding businesses against risks— today and in the future.
As president and chief operating officer, Scott is responsible for all the transactional processes at Engage, as well as business process improvement throughout the company. He is a highly experienced executive and an expert in operational scalability and Six Sigma methodologies. He brings three decades of experience to Engage, serving in various senior roles at several national PEOs. Scott began his career with 16 years at Delta Airlines, where he developed innovative departmental strategy and leadership plans focused on productivity, revenue, customer service, and implementation of Lean Six Sigma methodologies for continuous process improvement.
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Safety audits and risk management
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Damage agreements, watercraft laws and more
Surcharges and subrogation
Q. Where is the rule that protects policyholders against surcharges if a subrogation action recovers at least one-third of the property damage claim amount?
A. It’s found in Regulation 100:
An insured may not be surcharged for an incident for which that insured or the insurer has received reimbursement or a judgment, equal to one-third or more of the value of the insured’s property damage claim. For the purposes of this part, the value of the property damage claim is defined as the lesser of the adverse carrier’s or the insured’s estimate [Subsection 169.1(g)].
Note that Insurance Services Office Inc., incorporates this rule in its safedriver insurance plan provisions: No points are assigned for accidents occurring under the following circumstances: ... b. Applicant, owner, or other resident operator involved in an accident, or the insurer: 1. is reimbursed by, or on behalf of, a person involved in the accident, or 2. has a judgment against such person, equal to 33 1/3% or more of the value of the insured’s property damage claim.—Dan Corbin, CPCU, CIC, LUTC
Obtaining individual licenses
Q. Currently, I am a sublicensee under my agency’s license. I had my broker’s license for many years. What must I do to get my individual license back?
A. The reapplication is straightforward. You must submit a relicensing application to the New York State Department of Financial Services and pay a fee—that is it.
Insurance producers who currently are sublicensees do not need to complete any pre-licensing education. You can complete and submit a relicensing application here: tinyurl.com/yu6zt2kk.—Bradford J. Lachut, Esq.
Liquidated damage agreement; commercial property waiver of subrogation
Q. Could you tell me what a “liquidated damage clause” is? This involves an alarm company contract. The alarm company wants our client to waive subrogation in excess of liquidated damages. What is this about?
A. Liquidated damage is a fixed sum agreed upon between two parties to a contract, to be paid as damages by the party that breaches the terms of the contract. Generally, such provisions are allowed by the courts only when actual damages would be difficult to determine. When courts find an agreed sum to be excessive, they will not enforce it.
In particular, if a liquidated damage clause is found to be a “penalty,” it will be disregarded, and the injured party would have to prove actual damages.
In the case you cite, a $1,000 liquidated damage figure is included to cover your client’s insurance deductible if the alarm company fails to meet its contractual obligations in protecting the property. No doubt, there is included in the contract some sort of waiver of subrogation provision, waiving your client’s rights against the alarm company and precluding subrogation by your client’s insurer.
Under provisions of the Commercial Property Conditions (CP 00 90) form, your client is allowed to waive subrogation rights against another party in writing prior to a loss to covered property. The alarm company is trying to protect itself against the insurer paying the loss, and then pursuing a claim against
PIA
the alarm company in excess of the liquidated damages amount.—Bradford
J. Lachut, Esq.
Watercraft financial responsibility laws
Q. Does any requirement exist for commercial watercraft to carry liability insurance?
A. To my knowledge, no state regulates insurance for commercial watercraft—and only Utah and Arkansas have mandatory insurance requirements for personal watercraft. However, many marinas have an insurance requirement for docking and slip rentals.
The boat recreation industry and boat owners no doubt would resist mandatory insurance requirements. Even the 2005 sinking of the Ethan Allen on Lake George, N.Y., which resulted in 20 drowning deaths, did not arouse enough support to get a bill passed through the New York state Legislature. Another reason there may be little interest in passing financial responsibility laws for watercraft is that once the state makes insurance mandatory, it then must provide a residual market for those unable to obtain insurance in the voluntary market. No doubt, this would meet significant resistance from insurers and require the creation of a new organization to perform this function.—Dan Corbin, CPCU, CIC, LUTC
Long-term absences
Q. I have a homeowners client who is going to Europe to attend medical school. While he is gone, his cousin will occupy his house. Are there any coverage problems with this scenario?
A. Yes. Under these circumstances, the homeowner’s underwriter probably will want a dwelling policy written on the home and a renters policy written for the cousin. The problem arises with the definitions in the policy.
The “residence premises” is the dwelling where the named insured “resides.” A long-term absence of four or five years can leave doubt that the named insured resides there. Some insurers have been successful in denying coverage on the dwelling because the named insured is not living in the home.
The cousin could be an “insured” if the cousin is a “resident of your household.” But does the residence premises continue to qualify as the named
insured’s household if the named insured does not reside there? This may leave protection for the cousin’s personal property and liability in question.
The policyholder’s residence in Europe would have to be added as an “insured location” for liability coverage. The underwriter may be unwilling to do this.
Finally, personal property of the policyholder in Europe would be limited to 10% of the “Coverage C” limit (or $1,000, if greater), which may be inadequate.—Dan Corbin, CPCU, CIC, LUTC
Worldwide coverage
Q. If a homeowner is planning to vacation out of the country, does his or her homeowners coverage apply worldwide?
A. Yes. In the ISO homeowners policy, there is no territorial restriction to certain countries, as you would find in most personal auto policies. (Renting an auto outside the country does present a coverage problem.)
Personal property is covered up to the full policy limit “while it is anywhere in the world.”
As far as liability for the insured’s personal activities, there is no territorial restriction.
While premises coverage is limited to an “insured location,” the definition includes “any part of a premises: 1. not owned by an ‘insured’; and 2. where an ‘insured’ is temporarily residing.”
So, a vacation residence in a foreign country that fits this description would be covered for premises liability.—Dan Corbin, CPCU, CIC, LUTC
PIANY 2023-2024 Board of Directors
OFFICERS
President Gary Slavin, CIC, CLTC MassMutual 63 Sunset Road Massapequa, NY 11758-7541 (516) 873-4515 gslavin@financialguide.com
President-elect
Richard Andrews, LUTCF Andrews Agency Inc.
804 W. State St. Ithaca, NY 14850-3312 (607) 273-7551 rich@andrewsagencyinsurance.com
First Vice President
Jason E. Bartow, AAI, CPIA Bartow Insurance Agency & Jebb Brokerage Inc.
62 South Second St., Ste. C Deer Park, NY 11729-4716 (631) 242-4745 jason@bartowinsurance.com
Vice President
Michael A. Loguercio Jr. Atlantic Agency 619 Roanoke Ave. Riverhead, NY 11901-2727 (631) 244-7784
michael.loguercio@us.belfor.com
Treasurer
Raymond J. Gillis Sr., FIC, FICF Fire Mark Insurance Agency Inc. 826 E. Main St. P.O. Box 39 Cobleskill, NY 12043-0039 (518) 234-2534 ray@firemarkins.com
Secretary Jorge Hernandez
North Franklin Brokerage Inc. 13 N. Franklin St. Hempstead, NY 11550-3810 (516) 564-5656 jorge@nfbinsurance.com
Immediate Past President
David L. Sidle, CIC, CPIA
David L. Sidle Agency Inc. 219 S. Catherine St. P.O. Box 802 Montour Falls, NY 14865-0802 (607) 535-6501 david@sidleinsurance.com
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
Michael J. Skeele, CIC, CPIA Skeele Agency Inc. 1715 Albany St. P.O. Box 459 DeRuyter, NY 13052-0459 (315) 436-1458 mikeskeele@skeele.com
DIRECTORS
Peter Buccinna XS Brokers
13 Temple St., Fl. 1 Quincy, MA 02169-5110 (518) 567-5645 pbuccinna@xsbrokers.com
Ed Chadwick
Jencap Specialty Insurance Services
295 Main St., Rm.866 Buffalo, NY 14203-2412 (800) 333-7226 ed.chadwick@jencapgroup.com
Eric Cohen
Benefit Quest Inc./Eric Cohen Insurance
420 Lexington Ave., Room 2400 New York, NY 10170-2499 (212) 389-7838 eric.cohen@benefitquest.com
Justin Fries, CIC, CPCU, CPIA Garber Atlas Fries & Associates Inc. 3070 Lawson Blvd. Oceanside, NY 11572-2711 (516) 837-1100 jfries@gafinsurance.com
Marshall Glass, CPIA The Iroquois Group 35 W. Main Street Allegany, NY 14706-1237 (716) 373-5511 mglass@iroquoisgroup.com
Leslie C. Rogoff
Madison Avenue Brokerage Corp. 90 Broad St., Fl. 10 New York, NY 10004-2297 (646) 459-2495 leslie@madisonavenuebrokerage.com
Richard Signorelli AZBY Brokerage Inc. 1751 Crosby Ave. Bronx, NY 10461-4939 (718) 828-4505 richard.signorelli@azbybrokerage.com
NY-YIP REPRESENTATIVE
Scott Richards Hilltop Strategies 65 Lewis Court Huntington Station, NY 11746-1112 (516) 659-2352 scott.s.w.richards@gmail.com
ACTIVE PAST PRESIDENTS
Tim Dean, CIC, CRM Marshall & Sterling Inc. 110 Main St., Ste. 4 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-3080 (845) 454-0800 tdean@marshallsterling.com
David Dickson 112 West Ave. Fairport, NY 14450-2138 (585) 734-8935 dholmd@gmail.com
Jamie A. Ferris, CIC, CRM, AAI, CPIA
P.W. Wood & Son Inc. 2333 N. Triphammer Road, Ste. 501 Ithaca, NY 14850-1083 (607) 266-3303 jamie@thewoodoffice.com
Lynne R. Frank, CPCU 12 Turnberry Ct. Williamsville, NY 14221-8206 (716) 480-8075 lfrank802@gmail.com
Jeffrey H. Greenfield NGL Group LLC 112 Merrick Road P.O. Box 847 Lynbrook, NY 11563-0847 (516) 599-1100 jeffg@nglgroup.com
Fred Holender, CLU, CPCU, ChFC, MSFS Lawley, LLC 361 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202-1622 (716) 849-8257 fholender@lawleyinsurance.com
Erik Nicolaysen III, CPCU Nicolaysen Agency Inc. 77 S. Greeley Ave. P.O. Box 108 Chappaqua, NY 10514-0108 (914) 238-4455 erik@nicolaysenagency.com
John C. Parsons II, CIC, AAI. CPIA Parsons & Associates Inc. 440 S. Warren St., Ste. 704 Syracuse, NY 13202-2656 (315) 472-5420 JCP2.PIANY@parsonsinsurance.com
Gene L. Sandy, CIC Millennium Alliance Group 534 Broadhollow Road, Ste. 103 Melville, NY 11747-3673 (516) 496-8004 sandy@mag-insurance.com
Richard A. Savino, CIC, CPIA Broadfield Group LLC
68 Main St. Warwick, NY 10990-1329 (845) 986-2211 richs@broad fieldinsurance.com
John Tomassi, CPCU Open Coast Surety Agency LLC 140 W. 31st St. New York, NY 10001-3411 (212) 686-1515 jtomassi@ocsurety.com
J. Carlos “Shawn” Viaña 25 Mohawk Ave. Scotia, NY 12302 (518) 284-1100 sviana@marshallsterling.com
COMMITTEE
VOLUNTEERS
Daniel Abrams RT Specialty Tarrytown, NY
Dina Bruno, CPIA Franklin Mutual Insurance Branchville, NJ
Paul G. Casciaro, CIC, CSRM, CPIA Frank H. Reis Inc. Kingston, NY
Eric T. Clauss E.T. Clauss & Co. Inc. Buffalo, NY
Peter Conte, CPIA, MSRE Honig Conte Porrino Insurance Agency Inc. New York, NY
Matthew Davoult Bank Direct Capital Finance Corp. Garden City, NY
Jennifer P. DeCristofaro Lancer Management Co. Inc. Long Beach, NY
Bruce D. Rowledge Rowledge & Falvo Insurance Scotia, NY
Frances A. Scott
F.A. Scott Insurance Agency Goshen, NY
Monday, Aug. 5, 2024
The Mill River Club, Oyster Bay, NY
Swing
Participants will engage in a scramble tournament alongside fellow insurance professionals, followed by dinner and dessert. Exciting raffles and contests await, with proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Let’s make this event a hole in one!
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