Four Ways Remote Workers Can Improve
Your Agency’s Performance
Sharon Emek, Ph.D.
T
he eternal struggle most agencies face is
balancing profitability and productivity. In a soft
insurance market, that struggle is elevated as
agency owners and managers look for ways to
improve profit margins while making sure current staffing
levels can handle additional business.
The future, at least in the short term, could bring more
of the same for agencies. According to Deloitte’s 2017
Insurance Industry Outlook, an uncertain economic
picture, along with regulatory reform, changing trade
policy, and a proposed new tax structure, will impact
insurer growth. Lower-interest rates are putting pressure
on investment income, says the Outlook, and both
homeowners and auto lines of business could be impacted
by the economy.
All of this change at the top level of the industry puts
additional pressure on agencies already struggling to
grow and expand while keeping administrative costs in
check. Yet too often, agencies overlook an area of business
improvement that can add significant improvements
without breaking the bank – hiring remote workers.
The Challenge of Virtual
It stands to reason in today’s virtual world that workers
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need not be sitting in a cubicle in order to contribute. Yet
it’s an alternative to the traditional employment model
that many agencies have yet to embrace. Those that have
are reporting agency improvements such as eliminating
a backlog of work, improving accuracy, meeting short-
term hiring needs, responding faster to changing market
conditions, and being better positioned to compete in a
tight market.
Yet finding the right caliber of worker has been
challenging. The pool of talented candidates available
locally, depending on the agency location, can pose an
even tougher challenge. Then there’s the cost: most
agencies simply don’t have the budget for professionals
with the right amount of experience they’re requiring.
Likewise, many off-the-shelf types of staffing options do not
offer the type of specialized skills that insurance agencies
need. Traditional staffing options fall far short of sourcing
qualified, experienced workers who understand agency
operations, much less how to accurately resolve claims or
handle underwriting issues.
The Remote Specialist
That’s where specialized remote workers can become an
agency’s secret weapon. Many retiring or retired insurance
KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | March - April 2017 |