JUNE 2015 | MARYLAND
SET YOUR
AGENCY APART
19 CUSTOMER-SERVICE MISTAKES
IN THIS
ON THE COVER 12
BUILDING A BRAND For many small businesses, the focus is on selling. But the impact of foregoing branding will rear its ugly head all too quickly and painfully.
ALSO 20
19 CUSTOMER-SERVICE MISTAKES It’s the small things that get big in a customer’s mind, and the next thing you know, the customer is gone — for good.
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NO MORE PAPER POLICIES Have you heard of Activity Notifications? If not, you’re missing out on cost savings, efficiency, security, and timeliness of information.
IN EVERY ISSUE 2
Chairwoman of the Board
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Ask Our Experts
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Preventing Errors & Omissions
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Coverage Corner
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State News
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IA&B Partners
IBC My Events IBC Advertiser’s Index IBC Classified Ads
Periodical postage paid at Mechanicsburg, Pa. and at additional mailing offices. Ride-along enclosed. Postmaster: Send address changes to Insurance Agents & Brokers, 5050 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. Primary Agent (ISSN 1543-3110), Permit # 638-620, Issue # 2015-06, is published monthly by IA&B Service Group Inc., a subsidiary of IA&B.
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Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher. The information in this publication is general in nature and not intended to serve as legal, accounting, financial, insurance, investment advisory or other professional advice as to any reader’s particular situation. Users are encouraged to consult with competent legal, financial, insurance, investment advisory and/or other professional advisors concerning specific matters before making any decisions. We disclaim any responsibility for any decisions or actions by readers. Statements of fact and opinion in Primary Agent are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or the members of IA&B. Participation in IA&B events, activities and/or publications is available on a non-discriminatory basis and does not reflect IA&B endorsement of the products and/or services.
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CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD’S MESSAGE
BUILDING BLOCKS OF BRANDING
INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS 5050 Ritter Road | Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 800-998-9644 | IABforME.com
OFFICERS
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Chair of the Board
Diana M. Hornung Hanby, ACSR
gency branding wasn’t a buzz word a decade ago. But the times, they are a changin’.
Vice Chair of the Board
Robert S. Klinger, LUTCF, CPIA Immediate Past Chair of the Board
It’s 2015, and big, nationally recognized direct writers with huge advertising budgets are beating down the doors to independent agencies’ previous strongholds. Hence the focus on independent agency branding.
G. Greg Gunn, CIC
MEMBERS Henry “Butch” Bradley, Jr. Forest Hill, MD
Thanks to consistent member input – and the board’s resulting direction – providing member agents with marketing and branding support is a strategic priority of your agents’ association. And this issue of Primary Agent magazine exemplifies that effort.
E. Stephen Burnett, CIC, ARM
The feature article on page 12 provides insight on why a small business needs to brand, what it means and how to do it. Then on page 20, you’ll find examples of seemingly small missteps that can destroy an agency’s hard-won, consumer-friendly brand. (Consider it your to-not-do list.)
Michael P. Ertel+
Independent agencies like ours have what it takes to create and sustain unique, successful brands, and with some education and nurturing, we can shine. So pay attention in the coming months as IA&B continues its focus on your agency’s branding efforts and unveils additional support. n
Wilmington, Del
Richard F. Corroon, CPCU Wilmington, Del
N. Lee Dotson, CIC, AAI Wilmington, Del Columbia, MD
John B. Hollister Milford, PA
Jocelyn R. Howard-Sinopoli, CIC, CISR Butler, PA
Douglas A. Loesel, CPCU Erie, PA
Michael F. McGroarty, Sr. Pittsburgh, PA
Crag S. Mader
Gambrills, MD
Ann Gallen Moll, CIC Reading, PA
Mark J. Monroe
Until next time,
West Chester, PA
Joseph R. Pastor, CPCU, AAI Oil City, PA
Richard M. Rankin, CIC Lancaster, PA
Diana M. Hornung Hanby Chairwoman of the Board
April E. Ressler, CIC Altoona, PA
Scott C. Rogers, CPIA* York, PA
Glenn R. Strachan
Ft. Washington, MD
Lawrence A. Wilson, CIC, CPIA, CPCU, ARM** New Castle, Del.
J. Marshall Wolff, CIC, CPCU Easton, PA
* Pa. IIABA National Director ** Del. IIABA National Director + Md. PIA National Director
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JUNE 2015
Ask Our Experts This month’s answer was provided by Don Bankus, our legal affairs manager.
Question: A producer just retired. We’re worried about potential liability should a customer report a claim or attempt to modify coverage via an email to her agency email account – with the claim going unreported, or the coverage going unbound. Are there any practical steps we can take?
Answer:
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hether an employee leaves employment with the agency or is simply away for a short or extended period of time, it’s important to establish and implement standard policies, procedures and workflows to address incoming email issues. From an E&O and customer service perspective, you’re right to be concerned; and yes, there are a couple of practical steps you can consider. OPTION 1 Keep the former employee’s email account open for a specified period of time, during which time a customer (carrier, vendor, etc.) who sends an incoming email should receive an out-of-office reply. The out-of-office reply should include additional information, such as the contact information (name, phone number, email address) of the individual within the agency to whom the customer should direct his or her inquiries. As part of this procedure, if your system has the capacity, emails should be automatically re-routed to the agency employee(s) assigned to handle the former employee’s work. In the alternative, the agency would need to implement procedures whereby the former employee’s email account is proactively monitored.
OPTION 2 Shut down the former employee’s email account completely, after which any customers sending an email to the former employee should receive an undeliverable notice. As with the option above, the undeliverable notice should include additional information, such as the contact information (name, phone number, email address) of the individual within the agency to whom the customer should direct his or her inquiries. Following is a sample template for inclusion with either your out-of-office or undeliverable notice reply: Thank you for emailing [former employee’s name] at [agency name]. [Former employee’s name] has left employment with [agency name]. You are directed to contact [insert name, phone number, email address of new contact person], or you may contact the agency at [insert primary phone number for the agency]. It’s also important to make sure outgoing emails include appropriate disclaimer language notifying recipients that coverage can’t be modified, or a claim submitted, via email, and that any requested changes will not be effective until confirmed by a licensed agent.
In conjunction with these options, it also would be prudent to communicate directly with affected customers via regular mail, advising them (1) that the agent is no longer employed with the agency; (2) as to whom within the agency the customer should contact if they need to discuss anything (to include an applicable phone number and email address); and (3) that emails should no longer be sent to the former employee’s email address. Whatever practice you decide to implement, it’s never advisable to leave customers in a position where they believe someone within the agency has received, and is appropriately handling, their email request.
Have a question? Ask our experts! Rely on our experts to answer your most perplexing questions. Visit the Ask Our Experts section of IABforME.com (find the link in the website footer) to submit your question and review answers to other frequently asked questions. Or email your question to us at IAB@IABforME.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
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PREVENTING ERRORS & OMISSIONS
HOW DO YOU HANDLE REJECTIONS? Utica National E&O Program
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very day, agencies provide prospects and customers with proposals on coverages addressing a multitude of exposures. Some proposals are provided at the anniversary of the customer’s insurance program, while others occur during the policy year, more of a mid-term situation. While it would be nice if the customer bought coverages that were proposed, unfortunately, that is not the norm. Quite possibly, the customer does not see the need for the coverage or the premium could be an issue. Since customers will probably reject
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certain elements of a proposal, the degree to which the agency has documentation of the rejection is a key element in the event of an uncovered claim. GOOD, BUT NOT ENOUGH Most agencies have an expectation for handling the issue of rejected coverages. Yet, this could mean that one producer at your agency handles it one way and another producer at your agency handles it differently. This potential lack of consistency can lead to problems. It is important that the agency staff recognizes
JUNE 2015
that, if there is an uncovered claim, it is possible that the customer will take a strong position that it was his or her understanding a specific coverage was requested, not rejected. It will now be up to the agency producer to provide some element of proof that the coverage was, in fact, rejected. It might not be enough if your proof solely involves the documentation you have in your agency management system detailing the discussion between the agency producer and the client. While
it’s better than nothing, the potential inadequacy of this approach is that the documentation in the file is your agency’s recollection of the conversation. The customer may allege that he or she had an entirely different understanding of the conversation. One often-applied approach is for the customer to sign the proposal acknowledging which coverages he or she desired and which coverages he or she rejected. If that is your agency’s procedure, how confident are you it is being applied consistently? If there is not a notation next to a specific type of coverage (cyber insurance, for example), will the courts construe this “lack of a signature” as an indication that the coverage was requested, not rejected? Moreover, what about those situations where the proposal was not personally delivered and the rejection of coverage was provided verbally? What proof will you be able to provide? While the agency can ask the customer to send them an email detailing the conversation, many agencies have become increasingly frustrated by customers’ delays in honoring these requests. WRITTEN CONFIRMATION The suggested approach for those situations where a customer does not purchase all of the proposed or suggested coverages is to provide that customer with some element of written confirmation of his or her decision. A variety of approaches can be undertaken. A vital element is that the written confirmation should be sent electronically or delivered without delay. Losses have occurred shortly after the binding of coverage and prior to actual policies being delivered, so it is not suggested to wait until policy delivery to review what coverages were bound and which were rejected. The essence of this approach is for the agency to confirm its understanding of the customer’s final decision, essentially
requiring the customer to advise if this information was not correct. This will help heighten the agency’s desire for the customer to be accountable for his or her buying decision.
include clear instructions detailing what is needed to put coverage into effect. If and when the customer rejects the proposed coverage, the agency should provide detailed documentation of the discussion, the decision and the date.
A SOLID DEFENSE Agents will often provide a copy of the proposal (manually or electronically) noting what was purchased and what was not. If the customer “wants to think about it,” the documentation on the proposal should note “no coverage bound at this time.” A common and effective approach is for the agency to send a “thank-you letter” to the customer that includes the necessary detail/decision on each coverage proposed. This serves two purposes: The agency is thanking the customer for the business, and it memorializes the various details. Imagine if an uncovered loss occurred and the customer alleged that he or she thought coverage had been ordered. A detailed written document would provide solid defense for the agency. While the previously mentioned scenarios involved a new business or renewal meeting, the same approach can be used when the customer makes a mid-term request for different limits or additional coverages. When the agency provides the proposal, the proposal should state that “no coverage is bound at this time” or
A DUTY Since it is not possible to pinpoint exactly which agency file will be the next one to have a loss, it is paramount for the agency to have standards and expectations on how the declination/rejection of coverages will be handled. Ensuring that these standards and expectations are consistently applied is equally important. This is where the auditing of files can bear tremendous benefit. While producers have a responsibility to sell, they also have a duty to ensure that the agency has a solid defense if something happens that results in errors-and-omissions litigation. n
The Utica National E&O Program supplied this article. Our sales center is the exclusive agent for the Utica E&O program in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. For questions regarding this article or your E&O coverage, contact IA&B at 800-998-9644 or IAB@IABforME.com.
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COVERAGE CORNER
THE “GOING AND COMING” RULE Jerry M. Milton, CIC
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s a general rule, employees commuting to and from work are deemed not to be in the course and scope of their employment, and therefore are not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This is known as the “going and coming” rule. However, if an employee is deemed to be a “traveling employee,” as opposed to a stationary employee with a fixed place of work, the scope of employment is much broader, and the employee is
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entitled to a presumption of coverage while commuting, unless the employee’s actions at the time of injury constituted an abandonment of employment. Mr. Holler was employed by TriWire Engineering Solutions as a cable technician, responsible for installing cable and network services at customers’ homes and businesses. He began each day reporting to Tri-Wire’s facility, where he checked in, received his assignments for the day and picked up his equipment. He
JUNE 2015
then spent the rest of the day traveling to and working at various customer locations. Holler was allowed to take a company vehicle home each evening and then use it to return to work in the morning. He was prohibited from using that vehicle for any purpose other than commuting or traveling between customer locations. On the morning of Aug. 13, 2010, on his usual commute to work, Holler was seriously injured when his vehicle ran
off the road and struck a utility pole. He was life-flighted to the hospital and was unable to return to work. In Holler v. WCAB (Tri-Wire Engineering Solutions), the Workers’ Compensation Judge and the Appeal Board denied workers’ compensation benefits on the basis of the “going and coming” rule. However, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court reversed the Appeal Board’s decision and awarded benefits, noting that Holler was more accurately described as a “traveling employee,” despite the fact that he briefly reported to Tri-Wire’s office each morning. Therefore, the “going and coming” rule was inapplicable, and Holler’s morning commute to the office was presumed to be part of his work and his resultant injuries were compensable. Mr. Simko was commuting to his employer’s premises for a safety meeting. He was a member of the safety committee and was required on a monthly basis to report to work one and one-half hours before the start of his regular shift. Attendance was mandatory, and Simko was paid for this time. Additionally, “stand-down” meetings were held when serious accidents or fatalities occurred. On the morning of his accident, Simko was headed in to a combination monthly meeting and stand-down meeting. The Workers’ Compensation Judge held that, although Simko was a stationary employee and therefore subject to the “going and coming” rule, an exception exists for “special missions” that further the interests of the employer, and Simko was engaged in such a “special mission.”
In Simko v. WCAB (U.S. Steel Corp.), the WCAB and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court reversed the decision, holding that meeting attendance is deemed to be part of an employee’s regular work duties and that traveling to and from such meetings is not a “special mission.” Simko did not dispute that the safety meetings were treated as part of his regular duties and pay and that the meetings were held on the same premises where he performed his regular job as a strand operator. Let’s save the best for last. Carla Burdette was a casino employee in Atlantic City, N.J. After work she was driving her car off of her employer’s property, when she pulled out directly in front of oncoming traffic. There was a collision, and Ms. Burdette was injured. “Going and coming” rule. No workers’ compensation. Right? Well, hold on. At the time of the collision, 12 inches of Ms. Burdette’s car (the rear bumper) was still on the employer’s property. One foot! Therefore the New Jersey Appellate Court determined that Ms. Burdette was entitled to workers’ compensation benefits because the back of her car was still on company property at the time of the accident.
The crux of this case centered on the “Positional Risk Doctrine” which applies a “but for” test. Under this doctrine, the question is, “But for the employment, would the injury have occurred?” If the answer is “no,” then the claim is compensable. When are you “going and coming”? I’m not sure I know. As usual, the courts will tell us. Y’all take care! n
Jerry M. Milton, CIC, teaches and consults on industry issues. The legal profession recognizes him as an expert on insurance coverages. He also serves as our education consultant, working with our CISR, CIC and continuing education programs. Catch him at one of our upcoming seminars: IABforME.com/MyTraining.
Ms. Burdette was not injured in the scope and course of her employment, she had clocked out of work, and she was performing no useful service for her employer. But she still got paid for an injury that had nothing whatsoever to do with her employment.
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STATE NEWS
MEMBER AGENT TAKES NATIONAL CSR AWARD Kudos to Sarah Sun, CPIA, of Klinger Insurance Group in Germantown, Md. PIA National honored her as Customer Service Representative of the Year at an awards ceremony this spring in Washington, D.C.
BUILDING CODES UP TO SNUFF Maryland scored 78 on a scale of 100 for the strength of its residential building code systems in a new Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety report. The report looked at 47 items relative to building codes and enforcement for hurricane-prone states. While research shows that maintaining modern building codes make a significant difference in reducing severity and frequency of losses in high-wind events, updated codes also could increase homeowners’ Ordinance or Law exposure. As a reminder, Increased Cost of Compliance due to Ordinance or Law is typically a built-in coverage in homeowners’ (and commercial property) policies. However, the standard coverage amount can be insufficient if it doesn’t take into account where and when the building was constructed and whether a building code was in force at the time of construction. Our online resources on Ordinance or Law exposure explain how coverage works and what it means for producers and even includes a sample letter to send to customers. Our Marketing Center also includes a consumer education flyer dedicated to answer frequently asked questions about Ordinance or Law coverage. IABforME.com/ordinance-law
Bob Klinger, president of Klinger Insurance Group, nominated Sun for the award, which honors the professionalism and unique contributions of an outstanding CSR. Klinger relied heavily on Sun to keep his agency operating while he was deployed overseas.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS APPLIED INSURANCE SERVICES INC. Sparks, MD AMERICAN PREFERRED INSURANCE CENTER INC. Silver Spring, MD INSURANCE HOUSE Silver Spring, MD
IABforME.com/consumer-education
WILLIAM T. HUNT INSURANCE Cambridge, MD
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JUNE 2015
RIDESHARING BILL PASSES IN THE LAST HOURS OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION
PROGRESSIVE TO IMPLEMENT PAP CHANGES IN MARYLAND
A ridesharing bill that once looked like it was on life support was revived with a last-minute deal, passing the General Assembly in the final hours before the 2015 session adjourned.
Agents with customers insured through Progressive should have received recent notification regarding changes to the carrier’s Personal Auto Policy. Policy changes include:
Your IA&B government affairs team participated in the many hours of negotiations it took to reach a compromise. In a win for agents, we were able to secure language in the final version of the bill that requires a transportation network company (e.g. Uber, Lyft) to notify their drivers (“operators”) in writing before they can accept a request for a ride that the operator should contact his/her personal motor vehicle insurer or agent:
• The addition of “rated resident” to the contract (a non-relative roommate or domestic partner, when appropriately listed on the policy and who drives the insured vehicle, will be afforded broader coverage);
1. To advise the insurer or agent that the operator will be providing transportation network services
• Capping roadside assistance usage (Progressive will pay for three roadside assistance claims per six-month policy period, per covered vehicle – the number of claims was previously unlimited);
2. To determine the coverage, if any, that may be available from the operator’s personal motor vehicle policy The final bill places ridesharing companies under the oversight of the Maryland Public Service Commission, which already regulates taxi companies in much of the state. But it does so under a new regulatory framework for the so-called “transportation network services” that separates them from the taxi industry. The bill also lays out the insurance requirements for the transportation network operators and companies: • A transportation network operator, a transportation network company on behalf of the transportation network operator, or a combination of both must maintain primary motor vehicle insurance that recognizes that the individual is a transportation network operator or otherwise uses a motor vehicle to transport passengers for hire and covers the operator while the operator is providing transportation network services. • While an operator is providing transportation network services, the insurance must provide coverage limits of at least 50/100/25. • The insurance also must provide uninsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection coverage as required under current law. • If insurance is provided by both the transportation network company and the transportation network operator, the insurance maintained by the transportation network operator is primary.
• Aligning the rights of lienholders and insureds (if Progressive denies applicable coverage to an insured, it will also deny coverage to the lienholder);
• The Duty to Report Changes section has been modified, such that an insured will be required to report “material changes” within 30 days of the change (the current policy simply requires changes to be reported “promptly”); • The Payment of Premium section has been modified whereby coverage will be void from inception if an applicant’s initial premium payment is not honored by the financial institution; and • The Automatic Termination section has been modified to provide for automatic termination of coverage for an insured vehicle if it is sold or transferred. The policy changes affect both new and renewal business, as follows: • New business customers, with policies effective on or after May 27, 2015, will receive the new policy contact; and • Starting on May 27, 2015, renewal customers will be provided with a notice outlining the policy changes, as well as their renewal documents and new policy contract. Changes will not go into effect until the renewal effective date. Progressive’s agent notification also will include talking points agents can reference in the event they receive inquiries directly from Progressive customers.
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PLATINUM PROFILE
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ccording to ACUITY’s President and CEO Ben Salzmann, there’s a reason the company has experienced strong sales growth in Pennsylvania since opening its doors for business in the Keystone State in 2010. “Independent agents know that they can rely on ACUITY as the ‘go to’ company for the type of business we like to write,” says Salzmann. “We provide agents the products, technology, and services that help them write business with us.” ACUITY’s product portfolio is expansive: a wide array of monoline, package, and portfolio policies, as well as many important and unique coverage enhancement endorsements designed for Pennsylvania accounts. In personal lines, ACUITY provides true tiered rating programs in both auto and homeowners. In commercial lines, ACUITY offers monoline and commercial package policies and businessowners’ (BOP) forms as well as endorsements designed for target classes of business, such as contractors, truckers, mercantile, and manufacturing accounts. In delivering technology solutions agents can use, no company can claim a stronger commitment than ACUITY, which has earned more awards from ACORD than any other P&C carrier in the nation. ACUITY’s ease-of-business solutions for agents include real-time, online policy quotation and application and automatic issuance and delivery of policies to agents within seconds in both personal and commercial lines. ACUITY also has a lead generation program for independent agents in personal auto, whereby consumers can obtain quotes for coverage online with ACUITY and are then referred to local Pennsylvania agents for follow-up. ACUITY’s value-added services for agents include a wide array of educational offerings through ACUITY U. Offered free to independent agents, ACUITY U has provided agents with over 100,000 continuing education (CE) credits through both in-office and online
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courses. ACUITY’s online courses include Work Comp – The Next Frontier, Ben’s Industry Update, and Wally’s Word, with new courses being regularly introduced. A strong commitment to independent agents has driven ACUITY’s growth in the state. The mutual insurer finished 2014 with a sales increase of greater than 25 percent in Pennsylvania, wrapping up the year with $33.7 million in written premium. Through April 2015, ACUITY is growing in excess of 31 percent in the state. Importantly, this has been profitable growth, with the company running a combined ratio of just 94.9 in 2014. Additionally, ACUITY knows the bottom line is vitally important to agents. “We pay more in contingent commissions as a percentage of written premium than our peers,” said Wally Waldhart, Vice President Sales & Communications. With strong growth and profitability, ACUITY offers independent agents remarkable financial stability. A fiercely independent company firmly committed to remaining mutual, ACUITY is also remarkably well-run: the company is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s and has been named to the Ward’s 50 Top Performers for 15 consecutive years.
Insurance Agents & Brokers proudly recognizes ACUITY as one of its Platinum Partners. IA&B Platinum Partners dedicate the highest level of sponsorship to our organization.
FOCUSED ON RESULTS FEATURED PARTNER
ACUITY PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ACUITY also offers independent agents stability in staffing. Ranked the number 3 large company to work for in America, ACUITY maintains a remarkable voluntary turnover of less than 2 percent.
Ben Salzmann
As a result of its comprehensive and well-rounded strategy, ACUITY, which generates over $1 billion in revenue and manages over $3 billion in assets, provides consistency and security in an industry marked by wide market swings and financial uncertainty.
“A+” (Superior)
“We are a healthy, strong, and truly regional mutual carrier,” Waldhart says. “We are thankful to Pennsylvania agents for the trust they have placed in us, and we are confident in our future thanks to our strong agency partnerships.” n
JUNE 2015
COMPANY LOCATION
Sheboygan, Wis. A.M. BEST RATING
PARTNERS PROGRAM
Listed below are those companies that strongly support the independent agency system and Insurance Agents & Brokers. Thank you for your continued sponsorship.
WHAT IS IA&B PARTNERS? The IA&B Partners program gives company and allied businesses the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment of support to independent agents and receive maximum market exposure. As an IA&B Partner, you will also realize the benefits of IA&B membership to help you succeed in the insurance industry.
PLATINUM LEVEL
BRONZE LEVEL
ACUITY
Aegis Security Insurance Co
Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group
Agency Insurance Company
Donegal Insurance Group
AmWINS Program Underwriters Inc
Erie Insurance Group
ARI Insurance Companies
Harleysville Insurance HM Insurance Group Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group Inc
To become an IA&B Partner, choose the sponsorship package that matches your commitment of support. Contact the Member Sales Center at 800-998-9644, 717-795-9100 or visit us online at IABforME.com to get started.
Bailey Special Risks Inc Brethren Mutual Insurance Company
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Briar Creek Mutual Insurance Company
MMG Insurance Company
Conemaugh Valley Mutual Insurance Co
Millers Mutual Group
Countryway Insurance Company
Millville Mutual Insurance Co
Encompass Insurance
Mutual Benefit Group
Foremost Insurance Group
Penn National Insurance
GMI Insurance
Swiss Re
Goodville Mutual Casualty Company
The Main Street America Group
Guard Insurance Group
United Fire Group
DO YOU SEE YOUR NAME?
Auto-Owners Insurance Company
Utica National Insurance Group
Insurance Alliance of Central PA Inc Insurance House Insurance Placement Facility of PA
GOLD LEVEL
Keystone Insurers Group Inc
Progressive
Lackawanna Insurance Group
Westfield Insurance
Lebanon Valley Insurance Company Merchants Insurance Group
SILVER LEVEL
Mercury Casualty
Access Insurance Company
PennPRIME Municipal Insurance
American Mining Insurance Co
Reamstown Mutual Insurance Company
Cumberland Insurance Group
Rockwood Casualty Insurance
Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Western Pennsylvania
State Auto Mutual Insurance Company
Frederick Mutual Insurance Co
TAPCO Underwriters Inc
Juniata Mutual Insurance Co
The Motorists Insurance Group
MAPFRE Insurance
The Mutual Service Office Inc
PSBA Insurance Trust
Travelers
Selective
Tuscarora Wayne Group of Companies
The Philadelphia Contributionship
Zenith Insurance
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JUNE 2015
BUILDING A BRAND by Kerri Konik
“Once I’m up and running, I’ll invest in building a brand.” Does this sound like you? It’s a common mindset among small business owners who focus on marketing and selling, converting leads into customers. We set up a business but fail to see a business as both a business and a brand. Defining a brand, what? Hey, I’m good. I have a name, a logo and a website. Let’s sell.
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s owners, we wear many hats throughout the day and night. Strapped for cash and time, many small business owners go the DIY route: assembling a mishmash of images and graphics, whipping up a website and some messaging, and combining disparate images in order to start selling. The focus is on getting it done and getting started on sales. After all, that is where the revenue is generated, right? THE PITFALLS TO THIS APPROACH Foregoing branding means your messages may be getting through loud and clear, but produce undesired results and create long-term problems. While not immediately apparent, the impact from this approach will rear its ugly head all too quickly and painfully in various ways: • You’re getting more questions than sales • Audiences are not clear on what you’re all about • Potential customers buy from your competition
Foregoing branding means your messages may be getting through loud and clear, but produce undesired results and create long-term problems.
Customers today are very sophisticated, and they innately expect a lot from a brand before they decide to align with them and “vote” with their dollars. They demand to know who you are and where you fit in the world, and they’re impatient. If your brand information isn’t readily shared with them, they will decide on their own what to think of you.
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JUNE 2015
Customers today are very sophisticated, and they innately expect a lot from a brand before they decide to align with them and “vote” with their dollars.
COMMUNICATING YOUR BRAND “Brand strategy aligns with business strategy, and when clearly defined, it easily informs all internal and external communication strategies.” – Kerri Konik, CEO of Brandscape Atelier
Big brands with big budgets have conditioned customers to expect to understand a brand and to feel a strong connection with the products, services and the companies before they decide to buy from them. There is a decision point at which customers select which brands to become a part of. Customers form a connection and a relationship with their brands, and if they are happy in the relationship, brand loyalty is born.
IF DELIVERING value to customers, educating them on their insurance exposures and coverage options, and forging trust-based relationships are at the core of your agency’s brand (or what you know your brand should be), you’re not alone. Those are the characteristics that set independent insurance agencies apart from direct and captive writers. And those are the reasons that IA&B offers vetted consumer content on timely issues.
In order for small businesses to compete, we must create and cultivate emotional connections with our audiences though our messaging, marketing and engagement. To succeed, we must elicit the desired perceptions and be able to evoke the desired emotions and feelings about our brand to convert prospects into customers – loyal customers.
Visit our website for a consumer education library, where we store answers to frequently asked questions on nearly two dozen timely coverage topics. Then download raw text or fully designed (yet customizable) flyers to support your branding efforts.
AUDIENCES MAKE MEANING OF EVERYTHING When we market, we are communicating. When we communicate both intentional and unintentional messages, our audiences are in turn generating emotional responses and automatically developing perceptions. Our brains are designed to do this.
IABFORME.COM/MARKETING
These meaning-making events are experiences with our brand. These brand experiences happen right from the start with our target audiences, our competitors and in our industry landscape. Branding later is not an option.
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Without clarity and a focus for messaging, small business owners use images, language and content that are not on strategy. Sending inconsistent, mixed messages with the wrong signals generates unintended perceptions among prospects, wreaking havoc on our businesses. FLIP HOW YOU SEE BRANDS, AND BRANDING Usually as business owners, the way we think about brands is upside down. When we define our brand as our branding – the logo, colors and images – we are really talking about our design and implementation. In this definition, branding’s role is a support to marketing, not a business driver. Small business branding is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Investing time to ensure clarity and development of a professional business brand is essential. A brand is the critical business driver to all communications, and it’s what impacts every aspect of the business. Try this on: Flip the concept of strategic branding being a part of delivering the marketing and sales strategies, to being a top-line business communications strategy – one that is defined by the business model. This flip unleashes the brand to be an appreciating asset that you should protect, nurture and help evolve. This is why you hear big brands speak of their brand as their most precious asset. It is the same for the small business owner. Brand strategy aligns with business strategy, and when clearly defined, it easily informs all internal and external communication strategies. It develops and cultivates meaningful relationships – internally, with leadership, teams and talent partners, and externally, with prospects, customers, the industry, influencers, investors and the media. THE PAYOFF Your brand is the most valuable asset in your business, yet it is an invisible asset. When branding is delivered right, the benefits and ROI are visible, measurable and immediate. When you communicate what your brand stands for, you resonate with your audience. They feel inspired by you, your products and services, and as a result, they connect, engage and willingly choose to become your customers who are proud to be part of your brand. You are trusted, and your industry sees you as an authority. Your brand is one of the governing pillars of your business, and when constructed well, will support your customer relationships, company growth and expansion over time.
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JUNE 2015
Define the solutions you provide to match the problems your customers have – not the specific features and benefits of your awesome product, but the transformation you enable for your customers, from A to B.
THE EXCITING NEWS Even companies with the smallest budgets can define their brand, design a brand look and feel, and develop key messaging. This lets them resonate with and inspire their perfect customers and successfully deliver experiences that cultivate connection and community, close big business, foster relationships and create loyal customers. Now that’s branding.
By adding in one critical step to the process, you’ll be on your way to a knockout brand and branding strategy. By inserting the clarity component to the front of that train, you will transform your business and your brand, not to mention your profits. DEFINE Every small business owner must prioritize the investment in branding as part of business ownership. As a business grows and matures, brand evolution is part of the business plan.
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A LITTLE CLARITY GOES A LONG WAY Anyone can get clear on definition and articulation of their business. Then, creating on-target branding is a cakewalk. Engaging customers and providing extraordinary customer experiences is fun, rewarding and profitable. 5 BRAND CLARITY KEYS YOU MUST DEFINE: • Define the business model. Keep this simple. Describe how you envision the customers, the offerings, the size, revenue goals and the team in one, three, five and 10 years and beyond. • Define the solutions you provide to match the problems your customers have – not the specific features and benefits of
your awesome product, but the transformation you enable for your customers, from A to B. • Define who your perfect customers and target audiences are. Define who they are, what drives them, what transformation are they seeking, where they shop, their values, their personality and their preferences and attitudes. • Define the why for your organization. The reason you exist, the problem you want to solve, what you wish to bring to the world and why it matters. • Define the emotional solution you deliver to your customers and the emotional result they experience from being part of your brand.
SPEC IALIZED CO V ER AG E F O R
DESIGN Armed with your clarity, you’ll find that designing the brand and messaging is fun and easy. Keep it simple, as less is more. Planning the build is only an investment of time and focus. Here are a few simple ways the small business owner can DIY the design phase: • Create an image collage for the “who.” If there is more than one, do one for each. • Create a visual collage of the big iconic brands you resonate with. • Collect samples of words and articles of the written tone that is your brand. Cut out magazine articles and ads from the big brands that market and message to your perfect customers. They have done the research and know what performs. • Select colors and images that communicate correctly, and generate the responses you desire in your audiences. • Consider all channels in your design process – online platforms, traditional media, all communications and all interactions with the world, such as phone, fulfillment, speaking, teaching, podcasts and videos. The biggest challenge is to stand for something and to be brave enough to state it boldly. We tend to be cautious in our claims. However, you must stake your claim, and declare your value. Then demonstrate it.
From
THE FARM INSURANCE EXPERTS AT AIMS
Agricultural Insurance Management Services Bow, NH 877.552.2467 • www.aimscentral.com Underwritten by member companies of Great American Insurance Group, 301 E. 4th St, Cincinnati OH 45202
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JUNE 2015
DEVELOP With your design plan, you now can develop your assets. What’s brilliant is you can develop it right the first time. Build the assets, platform and tools with an investment that is right-sized
for your stage. Even the smallest budgets can develop on-brand messaging. Just be sure to remember these key points: • Free tools and resources are great; it’s how you use them that matters. • Less is more. Invest in the primary assets, and add as you go. • Level up your communication assets as you level up your business. DELIVER Branding is not about you; it’s about a relationship with you. It’s about hosting interactions with you that are valuable. Shift from selling to engaging with your audiences. Adopt the mantra it’s not a transaction, it’s an interaction. This doesn’t cost anything. • Smile. Even when you’re only on the phone, or in a webinar. • Be interested. Care about customers, their goals and their journey. • Respect them and treat them well. • Think about how you can surprise them. How you engage with your audience is your brand. The way you interact and how you make them feel is your brand. Your brand lives in the hearts of your customers. Deliver extraordinary experiences. Wow them, care about them, and they will love you back. n Printed with permission from Infusionsoft.com/blog.
Kerri Konik is a seasoned senior branding executive who has committed her expertise to bringing big agency strategies to small business owners so their brands can resonate, compete and prevail. Kerri is the CEO of Brandscape Atelier, a women-owned boutique agency specializing in strategic branding for small business. They develop brand identity, messaging and marketing that creates emotional connection, increases sales, drives growth and profits and results in sustainability and enabling a greater impact in the world.
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little things
THAT DRIVE
CUSTOMERS
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With all the talk today about the need to create a great experience for customers, why are so many companies overwhelmed with a tidal flood of customer complaints?
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M
uch of it is little, picky stuff. But small things get big in a customer’s mind, and the next thing you know, the customer is gone – for good. Spotting the little stuff that upsets customer is the first step. The next one is to doing something about it. Here are examples of little stuff that drive customers crazy – and away: 1. “We make it easy for you.” For many customers, these words are a red flag. They’ve been duped too often. What’s easy from a company’s viewpoint may be complicated and confusing to its customers. Check with them before using “easy” or “convenient.” 2. Counter-intuitive websites. If visitors get confused when trying to navigate a website, they leave, unwilling to spend any time trying to figure it out. Websites are a marketing tool that must make sense to users. 3. Making excuses. “Sorry you had a problem. I gave that to my assistant to take care of….” Or, “I meant to get back to you, but I was in meetings all afternoon.” Such words
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JUNE 2015
Small things get big in a customer’s mind, and the next thing you know, the customer is gone – for good.
inflame customer rage and send the message that someone is disorganized, distracted or incompetent. Companies should be an Excuse-Free Zone. 4. Slow is a killer. Amazon’s one-click, Apple pay, and four-hour (or less) delivery all point in one direction: Fast is never fast enough, as customer expectations go higher and higher. Slow, by whatever standard, isn’t tolerated. 5. Having to repeat your story. It’s not only frustrating and drives customers out of their minds, but there’s no acceptable reason why it should occur. Yet, it happens all-toofrequently. “Isn’t this information already in your computer?” a customer asks. The response is often an unsatisfactory excuse. 6. Being put on hold endlessly. There is nothing worse than having to hear the same words repeated endlessly: “Your call is important to us. A representative will be with you shortly.” After 25 times the voice adds, “We’re sorry for the inconvenience.” The message the customer hears is different: “My call isn’t important to you.” Customers retaliate by leaving. 7. Getting differing answers. “The salesperson assured me…,” says the customer when making an inquiry a week later. “Oh, we’ve never done that,” according to someone else. It raises the question, “Can I trust this company? Am I going to get what I expected?” Creating doubt drives customers away.
8. Putting customers on the defensive. When they asked why something occurred without prior notice, the manager said, “We sent an email to everyone and posted the notice.” That’s how to make customers feel stupid. A better approach may have been, “I understand how you feel if you didn’t get the email. I’ll make sure that’s corrected.” 9. Lack of knowledge. Even five years ago, having to deal with people who lacked knowledge was irritating, but often ignored. Today, with instant access to endless sources, customers won’t tolerate it. If customers want help, they’ll find it. Ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s lost customers.
10. Faking answers to questions. Customers may not know everything, but they figure it out fast when someone makes up answers. It sounds basic, but employees should be empowered to get accurate information. 11. Getting passed around. After telling your story, there is nothing more aggravating than to be told, “You’ll have to talk to Martin about that. I’ll transfer you.” Then, you hear that Martin is away from his desk or helping other customers. Today, we get one shot at satisfying customers. 12. Inconsistency. It’s a lack of consistency that upsets customers. It applies to all types of change,
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from phone options, to personnel, website navigation, discounts, return policies, and product/service availability. So, prepare the way with customers before making even small changes. And, remember, customers are smart, so don’t tell them a change is to improve service. They won’t need any help in making that decision. 13. Not using communication options. Whether it’s texting, a chat line, or a help line, making it convenient for customers to get information or get their questions answered, technology helps maintain customer relationships. 14. Making things complicated. The CVS clerk rang up the purchases and keyed in the coupons, until he came to the $6 “good
customer reward.” Pointing to a coupon dispenser, he said, “You need to get it from the machine over there first and come back.” Not good. Customers want everything as simple as possible. 15. Not answering inquiries. The button on the restaurant’s website, said, “Send us a message,” noting that it will be answered within an hour. Three weeks later, still no response. The story is repeated when the name of this restaurant comes up. Tending to customers is as important as working the grill. 16. Making changes without telling customers. Let customers know why, and when you’re making changes. The city was buried in snow, but the Boston Globe emailed its home delivery customers letting
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JUNE 2015
them know the Sunday edition would come at night when there was less traffic. Result: happy readers and a lot fewer complaints. 17. Lack of follow through. Broken promises are indelible; they don’t go away. They influence how customers feel about a company from then on, and it’s even worse when customers take the initiative to find out why and are told one or more of the following, “I’m sorry, but I got busy,” or “It slipped through the cracks,” or “I thought I did that,” or “I’m just getting around to it.” Customers deserve timely responses. 18. Not showing appreciation. No customer likes feeling ignored or, worse, taken for granted. Relationship building begins with finding thoughtful expressions for saying “thank you” and “you’re important to us.” 19. Ignoring social media postings. With so many customers checking out businesses online, negative and inaccurate reviews can be damaging to a brand if ignored. Such examples make it clear that the little stuff that aggravates customers is a big deal. n
John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategist-consultant and business writer. He publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com.
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JUNE 2015
NO MORE
PAPER POLICIES Electronic policy and other attachments via Activity Notifications by Mele Fuller
T
here’s been movement to eliminate the agent copy of personal lines policies. Most agencies do not receive a physical “agent’s” copy of a policy anymore. They receive ACORD standard policy download to maintain current personal lines data in their management systems (although many carriers provide access to the full policy on their agency portals). With personal lines being almost exclusively direct bill, the carrier sends a printed copy of the policy to the policyholder. But commercial lines is still working to catch up. Carriers still print, collate, and mail paper policies to the agency – both the agent’s and the insured’s copies. The upshot is the agency then mails the insured’s copy to them. Agencies on the whole want to eliminate their
dependency on paper copies of policies, but they may feel a need for a copy in order to service their customers. At the same time, many of their customers are interested in receiving electronic copies rather than paper. A carrier can use ACORD XML standard Activity Notification messages to electronically send a full copy of a policy to an agency. These notification messages are very simple in format and can include a PDF attachment of the policy when needed – which the agency can then store in their agency management system. For the carrier, this eliminates the cost of the printing infrastructure and postage – which can be very high on commercial policies. As an added benefit, the Activity Notification process works to eliminate paper storage in the agency.
ACORD notification messages are used today by a number of companies to send copies of policies to their agents. The messages are currently sent via the IVANS network, just as policy download is sent. The policies are sent separately and do not replace the policy download. Shares Susan LaBarre with Liberty Mutual: More and more of our agents are receiving their policy copies (agent, insured, or both copies) through daily ACORD Activity Notifications. They love the fact that they no longer have to scan, index, and shred paper copies in their offices. The documents are automatically delivered to their agency management system daily. Even those agencies not receiving commercial lines download are excited about Activity Notifications because there is no chance of the transaction overwriting any data in their system, and they receive them much faster than through USPS.
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These Activity Notification messages are an ACORD XML standard developed to provide secure communications between carrier and agency. While historically carriers and agents have shared documents via email attachments, email is not as secure as the use of ACORD notification messages. It is becoming increasingly obvious that focus must be put on securing data as it travels over the Internet. Activity Notifications can also be used for more than policy attachments. Typically today, carriers send pending cancellation notices (e.g., late payment notices), renewal lists, and policy activity. Additionally, they can send claim updates if they are not using claims download or also to supplement their existing claims download. This information is often available on a carrier’s website, but an agency must interrupt daily work flows to log in to
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their individual carriers to see this data – and then manually key the information into their management system. Using ACORD notification messages, the agency management systems can process this data automatically in to desktop activities. Caleen Alexanderson of Agencyport elaborates: Activity Notifications messages are also a great way to send agent policy updates for lines of business they don’t receive in their carriers’ policy download. They then make the updates to those policies in their management system without having to log into a carrier’s system and see what changes were made. For example, in renewal situations, it can reduce the changes of policies ending up in an expiration list because they receive the renewal policy when carriers generate the renewal. The agent then goes into their system and renews the policy with any necessary updates. This is a big time-saver, and can also reduce E&O.
JUNE 2015
There are many benefits for carriers and agencies in using the ACORD XML Activity Notification messages: cost savings, efficiency, security, and timeliness of information. If you are not using ACORD Notification messages, talk to ACORD (standards@ACORD.org) about how to get started. n This article reflects the views of the author and should not be construed as an official statement by ACT. Mele Fuller, AAI, AIM, ACE, AIS, AIT, ARA, ARM, FIDM, FLMI, provided this article on behalf of the Agents Council for Technology (ACT). Fuller is the managing owner of MLF Data Services LLC, which provides ACORD data standards implementation and development consulting.
CLASSIFIED
My Events June & July 2015
DATE TOPIC
LOCATION
JUNE 2-3
James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar
Annapolis, Md.
2-4
P&C Licensing Study Course
Allentown, Pa.
3
Flood Insurance Reviewed and Updated-2015
Philadelphia, Pa.
3-4
DAIAB Convention
Ocean City, Md.
9-11
L&H Licensing Study Course
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
10
CISR Personal Lines Miscellaneous
Altoona, Pa.
10
William T. Hold—Writing Commercial Accounts
Lancaster, Pa.
11
CISR Personal Residential
Hagerstown, Md.
15-18
CIC Agency Management Institute
Erie, Pa.
15-18
CIC Personal Lines Institute
Lancaster, Pa.
16
CISR Personal Residential
Philadelphia, Pa.
18
CISR Personal Residential
Pittsburgh, Pa.
23
CPIA: Position for Success*
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
24
CPIA: Implement for Success*
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
24
Power Hour Webinar—Insuring Home-based Businesses
25
CPIA: Sustain Success*
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
*Attend all 3 CPIA seminars to earn the CPIA designation.
A DV E R TI S E M E N TS SOUTHEAST PA PRODUCERS & AGENCIES Professional agency since 1926 located in Feasterville, Bucks County, Pa. Call for confidential information and a review of our services. Contact Ray Reinard at 215-357-8600, Ext. 119.
SALES AGENT/PRODUCER Community Insurance, a thriving independent insurance agency in Lancaster, Pa. is seeking a motivated sales agent. Ideal for a newly licensed agent looking to take that next step or a seasoned producer seeking the most competitive markets in the industry. Bring your P&C and/or Life & Health talents to a proven industry leader. Forward resume and cover letter to: Tom@CommunitySure.com
JULY 7
CISR Elements of Risk Management
Baltimore, Md.
7-9
P&C Licensing Study Course
Philadelphia, Pa.
8
CISR Personal Auto
Philadelphia, Pa.
8
CISR Agency Operations
Reading, Pa.
8
E&O Risk Management
Dover, Del.
9
CISR Agency Operations
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
9
CISR Agency Operations
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
14
William T. Hold—Writing Commercial Accounts
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
14
Time Element Seminar
Baltimore, Md.
15
William T. Hold—Writing Commercial Accounts
Frederick, Md.
15
E&O Risk Management
Erie, Pa.
15
Time Element Seminar
Philadelphia, Pa.
16
CISR Commercial Property
Pittsburgh, Pa.
16-17
James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar
Allentown, Pa.
21
CISR Commercial Casualty I
Lancaster, Pa.
21-23
P&C Licensing Study Course
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
22
William T. Hold—Writing Commercial Accounts
Salisbury, Md.
23
Flood Insurance Reviewed and Updated
Pittsburgh, Pa.
28
Time Element Seminar
Dover, Del.
29
Time Element Seminar
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
If you would like to place a classified advertisement, please contact Laura Gaenzle at Laura.gaenzle@theygsgroup. com or (717) 430-2351.
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