Relationship Building is Key

Think of the customers you have that you are great friends with. You know the customers you golf with, and lunch with frequently. When they want insurance, they know you are going to take care of them. When their premiums go up they probably are not very happy, but they don't blame you because you have built a relationship with them.

Now think of the customer that you have had for years. Never complains, always pays on direct bill, and never had a claim. What kind of relationship do you have with this customer? What are the chances that this customer will move his business to an agent that is systematically presenting his agency benefits on a regular basis? Probably a lot better than you think.

The insurance world is changing. With the recent downturn of the economy, many consumers will be looking for ways to reduce their overall insurance costs. Shopping their insurance will definitely be a part of this cost savings. There are lots of places for your customer to look, and all of the competition would love to have your customer.

 Cartoon images saving the world from expensive car insurance and pollution, computer generated lizards with accents, people standing on red dots, and of course spokesman promising not to raise your rates when you have an accident. The internet isn’t making the competition any easier. Now with online comparative quoting, direct writers, carriers selling direct, everyone is after your hard earned customer.

Losing a customer is more expensive than you think. Acquiring a new customer can cost 6 to 7 times more than retaining an existing customer. Over a 5 year period businesses may lose as many as 1/2 of their customers. It just makes good business sense to keep your existing customers and keep them happy. So what is the solution to retaining customers? The answer is building a solid relationship with your customers..

Agency Commander is a customer relationship management system designed for small and medium size insurance agencies to help them do just that, build solid relationships with your customers and provide outstanding customer service. The key is providing your staff with the information and resources necessary to deliver the best customer service possible to your policyholders. This is accomplished by centralizing all the policyholder information in one easy to access place. From the first cold call to the monthly email newsletter, Agency Commander gives you a quick and easy way to keep your name and your message in front of your policyholder.

Agency commander also allows you to keep track of all the little bits of information that make a difference during a conversation. Things like the child's baseball team that won the championship, a sick relative, a recent marriage, a new promotion. When you mention this personal information in future conversations, it makes the customer feel like you are a friend and really care. Relationships are the the key.

 

Ways Agency Commander Can Help You Build Relationships With Your Customers

• Send targeted emails to specific groups of customers
• Send monthly email newsletters focused on community activities for your geographical area
• Send birthday emails to all members of the household.
• Periodically send emails about new and often overlooked coverages and policies.
• Send anniversary emails.
• Send emails about holidays that contain recipes ideal for the occasion.
• Email surveys to new customers focusing on their opinions of your agency and staff.
• Keep notes of personal information discussed in friendly conversations and mention them at your next contact
• Schedule telephone calls to thank them for their business on a regular basis
• Send newsletters with traceable links to your website to identify interest in other policies and other types of  coverage.
• Keep track of all the members of the household and their birthdays and other dates.