The Best Practices series “The Customer Service Experience: An Independent Agent's Guide to Serving Today's Consumer” continues with its third installment this month—helping you learn more about your agency through a streamlined process.
The key is understanding your agency from the customer’s perspective. You need to know what customers perceive as distinctive about your agency and why it matters to potential clients. Independent agents, unlike many captives and direct writers, can craft personalized stories and control telling them at every point of service.
Follow these four steps to become a customer-centric agency:
Define who you are. This should include agency culture, core values, vision, mission and goals.
Market your difference. If any part of your sales message—company logo, marketing materials, even your name—doesn’t highlight what you define, it may be time for change.
Be consistent. You might become bored with your message or feel you need to constantly change what you’re saying, but resist the temptation.
Serve. Reinforce that service is a mindset—and everyone’s job.
Visit the “Know Your Agency” area for a worksheet, checklist, sample vison and mission statements from IBM, Disney, Kellogg, related resources from Ernst & Young and access to articles like “9 Keys To Keeping A Service Minded Attitude.”
The Customer Service Experience will serve as a long-term guide in adjusting and enhancing your customer service focus, combining information and hands-on guidance to help your agency clearly define customer service goals and focus your efforts on achieving them.
Follow the series each month in News & Views as it becomes available. For more information, contact Best Practices staff.