Group items tagged

In most agencies, holding customers accountable seems to be one of the bigger frustrations. Have you ever thought or said "why is it always our fault when a customer has a loss that is not covered? They knew that they didn't have that coverage." For agents serious about minimizing the potential of their agency facing an E&O claim, achieving a high level of customer accountability is a great goal to strive for. To achieve this goal may require some hard work and some new initiatives. Documentation is a key but documentation is more than just words in the system. Any agency will be hard pressed to hold their customers accountable without a file that is well documented. However, documentation by itself will not get it done. Agents need to fully understand that when an E&O claim happens, the E&O carrier will look to secure the actual file in question (paper or electronic) to see what it looks like and what it contains. Solid documentation that is handled promptly, is accurate and professional will make the E&O carrier's job much easier. Conversely, a file with sketchy documentation could prove to be a problem in an E&O matter. Effective handling of client interactions is very important. Every day, customers are asking questions, modifying coverages, etc. The questions (and the answers provided) should be fully documented in the agency management system. In addition, requests to delete or decline coverage or to modify coverage in some manner should be documented as well. But documentation only in the system may not be enough. The agency should have a procedure for confirming / memorializing the discussion. Without this, mistakes can occur. Possibly, what the agency heard is not what the customer requested or possibly what the customer advised is not what they really meant. Let's take the scenario that the agency has provided a personal lines umbrella proposal and the customer calls to advise your agency that they are not going to purchase this coverage. W

Do you 'throw away' too many referrals? A producer I was working with was ecstatic one hot summer day because he had just obtained 10 referrals from a client. I was excited too and the producer was going to begin working those new referrals right away. Well, in tracking the success of those 10 referrals, only one got written. Is that good or just normal? Let's just say, both of us felt it should have been better. So, analyzing what took place led to the following results: * 2 were not reachable; the producer never connected with the decision-maker. * 2 were messy businesses that the producer realized would be declined if submitted * 3 had strong to severe loss issues * 1 failed to provide all the needed information * 1 was presented, but not sold * 1 was sold Could this one out of 10 scenario have been prevented? That is what we took it upon ourselves to evaluate. The first evaluation made was really there were only three the producer was either able to, or wanted to, quote. So, of that group, he was really one for three. But, what about the rest of the referrals - the ones not quoted? Preventable? In our analysis, many of those were preventable so that you wouldn't end up with 70 percent being "thrown away." The two that the producer was unable to reach were determined to be a problem based on the "introduction" he got from his client to those two prospects. (Note: You do ask to be introduced, don't you, when you obtain a referral?) The person calling their customer (our prospect) from the business was not someone known to them and thus, the call carried little weight. It was not a powerful introduction; it wasn't even a lukewarm introduction, so it was not surprising the producer couldn't get an appointment following that call. The five that were either messy businesses or had heavy losses weren't quality businesses. Was that the luck of the draw and he just accepted that when he asked for referrals, or could

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD has begun offering Homeowners and Personal Umbrella coverage (click here) in Pennsylvania. Targeted markets include one- to four-family dwellings, renters, and condo unit owners. In addition, the product can accommodate situations where business and personal insurance needs overlap, providing coverage for residences owned by corporations or LLCs; dwellings held for rent (written under a Homeowners policy with an endorsement for rental units); home-sharing services (e.g., Airbnb); and residences where incidental business activities occur.