Author: Ron Berg and Claudia McClain
It’s in almost every business interaction we have today: the customer experience and how those interactions either set the bar on expectations or fail to meet them. Everywhere we turn in our business dealings, ease of doing business is reinforced by interactions with our financial institutions, online/mobile shopping like Amazon, travel, Uber and Lyft, and endless others. Consumer and customer expectations of agents and brokers are no different, and have been colored by all these other interactions.
The challenges for the small-business agency owner are many: how do I create a robust website, increase my SEO ranking, get started with online chat, and get started with video and website reviews;
how do I even know where to start?
ACT’s Customer Experience (CX) Work Group has created a new online resource to help agents understand the scope of the customer experience, the phases consumers go through as they travel through their insurance research and buying journey, and the technology touch points within each phase.
The ACT Customer Experience website can be found at: https://www.independentagent.com/ACTCX. The main CX landing page sets the stage by using text and video to explain customer experience as a concept and lays out the six phases: Discovery, Evaluate, Purchase, Experience, Renewal and Advocacy.
For each phase, the ACT CX website lists several technology touch points, gives insights into their absolute value to agencies, and lists hyperlinks to resources to get started. Some resources are free through ACT and other sources; some are at cost but are “best practice” providers.
As one example, the “Evaluate” web page lists background and resources for creating solid customer testimonials, validating the quality of your agency through education, gaining easy access to products, and showing your expertise by using blogs.
Likewise, the “Purchase” web page details ways to implement eSignature, offer online chat, develop a streamlined application process, and others.
Across all the phases, the ACT CX website offers over 25 proven ways to exceed customer expectations. But keep in mind an agency does not need to implement each and every one—at least not out of the gate. The goal is to understand your core customer group(s) and their preferences and to begin by implementing the top two or three big-hit items that will meet those expectations.
This website will continue to be updated as additional service providers are identified and as new technologies emerge that can make a significant impact on our distribution channel.
And the ACT CX Work Group isn’t done yet. As a next phase, they will be working to add an agency self-assessment tool so agencies can clearly understand where they currently rank on the CX journey, as well as a project planning resource.
If you’re interested in joining the conversation in the ACT CX Work Group—or any of our work groups—simply drop a quick line here. And as with all other things ACT, you don’t have to be a tech wizard, just have a passion to improve tech workflows for the independent agent distribution channel!
Check out the ACT CX website today!