Better Call Handling

[InsNerd2be]

Hello,

I am currently in the position of commercial producer in an agency w/ a staff of 8. Besides myself, there are 2 other producers (including principal) and 3 commercial lines CSR's. I have been with the agency in this position for 6 years now and have a real dilemma that I need to come up with some solutions for.

The structure (or workflow) of the agency is I sell the accounts and the CSR's service the accounts, but the problem is I am constantly having clients transfered to me simply because they have asked for me. I have repeatedly tried to address this distracting issue with the principal to no avail, and instead, been instructed to educate clients of the CSR's in the office. Ok, I've been trying that approach and they still call asking for me. I am of the opinion that unless the client is forced to work with and develop a working relationship with a member of the CSR staff, they will keep asking for me. I have additional opinions about other causes but that will be another post.

So here's where I could use some helpful suggestions; short of requesting an automated system to direct the incoming calls, I'd like to come up with some suggested call answering and screening techniques that can help with transitioning clients (and make them comfortable) to the Customer Service department.

I know this may seem trivial to some and maybe a simple fix but I have a hard time finding anything that will stick and it's starting to have an effect on my sales initiatives.

Thanks!

[Josh]

In tech related sales it's typical to have a "dedicated account rep". Sometimes it is even a selling point.

Once the sale is complete, the customer is introduced to their dedicated rep.

This introduction is where you set the rules for future contact and give your clients confidence this person has the capability to help them as much as you have helped them so far.

"James is your dedicated service rep. If you ever need ... just contact James because he's an expert at ... and ... and he has quick access to our systems so he can help you faster than I can."

[Brenda H]

I have asked, very well established clients, would they rather talk to the one in charge, or the one who knows what's going on? My point always is, the Account Manager (I don't like the term CSR) is the one who usually always, has the most current information on the client, is usally more accessible than the producer, and is most the time, more versed in the "system" than the client.

I agree with the above post, you need to seek to educate your clients to your rep's so that they know who to call when the need something. Assure them that you are "kept in the loop" in regards to their accounts, but let them know from the start, that if they need a COI or auto id card, or need to make a change, the fastest way to get that done is to call the Account Manager. On your bigger accounts, sometimes it is nice to take your Account Manager on a visit with the client to introduce everybody. That usually works to make the workflow a little easier. And, the receptionist should be schooled in tell the client, when they call, Mr/s SO & SO (producer) is not available right now, but I can transfer you to his/her assistant, BLAH BLAH who will be more than happy to help you. The receptionist is not put in a position of lying to the client by telling them that you are not available, since there are any number of reasons for not being available. That also does not create the expection of a call back from the producer when he is out of his meeting.

My two cents.

[InsNerd2be]

Thank you Josh and Brenda. Your suggestions are helpful; I am working on a "Jerry McGuire" and plan to implement your suggestions in my agency vision to hopefully make a difference and ultimately make more money for all of us.

Best regards!

[meytai]

I'm curious.. i have had this issue.. on a smaller scale.. because we are just an auto/home agency.. have you instructed your "account managers" to simply take charge and refuse to transfer the call? WHen you say "i can take care of you" to the customer, it's like a light switch, they no longer need to look for that producer and will deal with the "account manager". I think it's all about the "account manager"'s attitude and how they make the customer feel.. if you leave a little wiggle room of doubt that you can't take care of it, then they will want to get transferred.. if they know that you can handle it all then there you go. I wish i knew more detail about your problem.. what your CSRs are or aren't doing.

[michga11]

Hello,

I am currently in the position of commercial producer in an agency w/ a staff of 8. Besides myself, there are 2 other producers (including principal) and 3 commercial lines CSR's. I have been with the agency in this position for 6 years now and have a real dilemma that I need to come up with some solutions for.

The structure (or workflow) of the agency is I sell the accounts and the CSR's service the accounts, but the problem is I am constantly having clients transfered to me simply because they have asked for me. I have repeatedly tried to address this distracting issue with the principal to no avail, and instead, been instructed to educate clients of the CSR's in the office. Ok, I've been trying that approach and they still call asking for me. I am of the opinion that unless the client is forced to work with and develop a working relationship with a member of the CSR staff, they will keep asking for me. I have additional opinions about other causes but that will be another post.

So here's where I could use some helpful suggestions; short of requesting an automated system to direct the incoming calls, I'd like to come up with some suggested call answering and screening techniques that can help with transitioning clients (and make them comfortable) to the Customer Service department.

I know this may seem trivial to some and maybe a simple fix but I have a hard time finding anything that will stick and it's starting to have an effect on my sales initiatives.

Thanks!

Tell them that you are too ignorant to answer anymore of their questions and that you were only interested in the sale in the first place. That should solve the problem.

[mclureins]

Hello,

I am currently in the position of commercial producer in an agency w/ a staff of 8. Besides myself, there are 2 other producers (including principal) and 3 commercial lines CSR's. I have been with the agency in this position for 6 years now and have a real dilemma that I need to come up with some solutions for.

The structure (or workflow) of the agency is I sell the accounts and the CSR's service the accounts, but the problem is I am constantly having clients transfered to me simply because they have asked for me. I have repeatedly tried to address this distracting issue with the principal to no avail, and instead, been instructed to educate clients of the CSR's in the office. Ok, I've been trying that approach and they still call asking for me. I am of the opinion that unless the client is forced to work with and develop a working relationship with a member of the CSR staff, they will keep asking for me. I have additional opinions about other causes but that will be another post.

So here's where I could use some helpful suggestions; short of requesting an automated system to direct the incoming calls, I'd like to come up with some suggested call answering and screening techniques that can help with transitioning clients (and make them comfortable) to the Customer Service department.

I know this may seem trivial to some and maybe a simple fix but I have a hard time finding anything that will stick and it's starting to have an effect on my sales initiatives.

Thanks!

Tell them that you are too ignorant to answer anymore of their questions and that you were only interested in the sale in the first place. That should solve the problem.

Yes brilliant idea! At least you can write them for one policy period before they go with another broker. If that

[michga11]

But you're missing the important factor; that this poor little Producer not be bugged by his client's any longer.

[Shagster12]

InsNerd,
You've been given some good suggestions about 'training' your clients to rely on the capabilities of your service staff.
I have one more small suggestion which I believe will help, and then a final comment.

Firstly, when you meet with the prospect for the first time selling the 'services' your agency provides should include the ability of your Account Managers to handle the day-to-day servicing of your clients needs. I always make a point of this by letting them know that I spend a good deal of time in the field and i DON"T answer my phone when I'm in meetings so their best bet is to call the office and ask for their Account Manager which would be..(insert name here)......... This way the immediate expectation is that they will be using the support staff rather than ALWAYS relying on you for help or answers.

Second, as part of the sales process you are creating the relationship of being the resource for the prospects answers to their needs. As such you are 'expected' to be available to them when you are needed. So in creating this relationship if you have NOT proactively worked on educating the client on the service processes within your agency, then you should expect to get exactly what you are getting, the client relying on you for answers. This is not a bad thing, but as you are now experiencing can be a distraction and/or disruption to your day when dealing with issues better managed by your AM.

So my recommendation is to set the ground rules of service right from the start by outlining how your agency can take care of the needs of the client and you will find that the client reliance shifts to the AM where it belongs for the day-to-day service issues, but you will still get the call when the need is more urgent/important and their 'Expert' is needed....

Just my food for thought.
Shagster

[yoyowordup]

It's really just training your clients to feel comfortable that the CSR is capable of handling their account. They bought the insurance from you because they trust you and are comfortable that you are looking after their best interests. They don't know the CSR's.

Usually if you tell them ". . .oh, CSRxyz handles ID cards, let me see if she has a minute to talk . . . " or "Let me have CSRxyz check the company billing system and give you a call right back. . ." Then once they have dealt with that CSR they will feel more comfortable asking for them in the future.

You also need to make sure that the CSR's are doing what you told you client they would do.

[Island Girl Agent]

It's really all about building relationships...and that starts from the producer level, with introductions. I disagree with the comments about not wanting to answer questions or talk to the customer once the sale has been made. It's about directing the service calls to the service staff, and saving the producer's time to continue to develop the relationship with client visits and phone calls that YOU make to them that have nothing to do with collecting money or renewals. Many good suggestions on how to introduce your staff to the new client, utilize those and continue to contact that client from time to time and just ask them how things are going, are they getting what they need from your staff, etc. We still have some clients who will always call the producer, that's never going to change no matter what you do, so the best thing to do is just take down the info and pass it on to your service staff and use the call as a PR opportunity. But for the most part, most clients are more than happy to get connected with the person who can cut to the chase and handle their request...we in the industry just need to communicate this in a palatable way to the client. Face to face introductions are the absolute best whenever possible. People are much more likely to trust working with someone they actually met. Good luck.

[Rainmaker]

Such great posts on this string! All great comments. I think it will be possible for you to mitigate the number of calls either flowing to you directly from clients or being passed to you from your Account Managers but it would be an exercise in futility to attempt to shut them down in the entirety, nor would that, in my opinion be advisable. Here are some things to consider:

1) A team chart in a capabilities proposal, or as part of a new client onboarding protocol can be very effective. Team charts should have everyone on the team, their contact info, title, and a few bullets on their role. In other words, for "XYZ" you call me, for "ABC" you call this person, for "DEF" you call this one. In the past I would encourage clients to print it out and pin it up near their desk/cube wall/whatever so it was handy. A lot of these basic claim/administrative service issues flow to the producer because they don't have an understanding of who does what and how to contact them directly!

2) For the calls flowing from the Account Managers to you, this issue is pregnant with a lot of possible reasons: a) workflow issues and roles are not clearly defined, b) perhaps you need to communicate to your team the circumstances/nature of a call that needs to pass to you - all others they handle (some call this the 'vital few'), c) it's also possible that the AM's have not established a relationship sufficient to warrant the client's confidence in handling basic issues, and part of this as well could be that you have not promoted their quality of work product with your client thus instilling some confidence with your client about your team's ability to help them, d) it could be that sometimes you just get someone who wants to speak with you as the 'go-to-guy' and based on their perception of the 'uniqueness' or perhaps even 'urgency' of the problem they want to go to the top and let you triage the situation and either handle it yourself or kick it down to the AM's.

3) I would also add that when working with AM's, it really helped me to meet with them every week and discuss every client/activity that occurred that week. Statistically, with 5 business days per week, you'll be aware of any event in 2.5 days of it occurring - enough to intervene or give something a push. I would share that with clients, and impress upon them that even though you are running around going to meetings, attending seminars, whatever, that your day to day staff handling service issues will do a great job, but, you'll also have your 'finger on the pulse' of everything going on because you will be meeting with them every week. This gives them some assurance that they can use the day to day team but those activities will still be reviewed and supervised by you during those weekly meetings - so if something's not going right you can diagnose it and fix it.

Overall, I think purchasers embrace/understand the necessity of working with teams having different roles in servicing a client as long as the developer/salesman/whatever you want to call it, isn't 'out of touch' with the 'goings on' with the account. This sentiment will be more common as you move up market - so smaller Mom & Pop business to a lesser degree, mid-market to a greater degree, and large market virtually 100%. I am not sure what marketspace you are in or what size accounts you are pursuing - but factor that into your consideration of this issue as well.

Good luck!

[mclureins]

Rainmaker and Island Girl got it absolutely right on this one!!

[RandyOlson]

I completely second Island Girl. She has got it correct. Service industry is all about handling human relationships and behavior. Patience and politeness is the key. If you have these attributes you can definitely lead your customers as per your convenience.

[JasonBHBCo]

Great points all, and I'd like to emphasize something that has been touched on a bit.
If the expectations, and introductions, are set/made up front, you will find that you spend much less time trying to get your clients comfortable with the idea that someone else will handle their service needs. They should also know that they are free to ask for you if they feel they need to, but that yes, there is a dedicated and talented service staff that can take care of their needs much more quickly throughout the day.
Contact with your clients should not be forgotten completely however (not assuming that it ever would), and the role that the producer plays at renewal should be well defined to continue the strong relationship that you established with them in the beginning.
Regards,
Jason