MANAGE MARKETING & LEAD profitability and individual productivity .
5 Reconsider what can be touchless . Many of us have had the experience of “ contactless ” delivery during the pandemic . In some cases , we didn ’ t feel deprived as long as the provider created a positive buying experience . Even physicians found ways to diagnose and treat their patients without the need for an office visit . Perhaps it ’ s time for us to discover what specific services can be provided more effectively and efficiently using remote tools while still recognizing that insurance is a relationship business . Obtaining a Certificate of Insurance or an Auto ID card are tasks that can be provided to our clients on a self-service basis , and they may prefer it . That allows our producers and account managers to deliver high-level risk management services that require human interaction to ensure the best result .
5 Improve your skills and knowledge . It turns out our clients didn ’ t care from where their needs were being met , but rather how things were being handled . If you , like many agencies , have figured out that working-from-home does not equate to not working at all , then you ’ ve saved your staff members a significant amount of time and money that was previously being spent on commuting to your office . Why not take that time and devote it to learning ? At the very time when we need the most highly skilled and knowledgeable colleagues , it seems that less and less is being spent on professional development . Rethink the notion that these are expenses and instead calculate the ROI on education and training .
5 Be flexible . If we ’ ve learned nothing else over the last nine months , it ’ s that being rigid and doing things the same way we always have will not get us anywhere . We marvel at how businesses and organizations have adapted to the current environment and made the best of what could have been a true financial disaster . Wineries and breweries make hand sanitizer , clothing manufacturers are creating face coverings , and auto plants are building ventilators . While we may long for “ the way it used to be ,” that won ’ t propel us toward tomorrow ’ s success . Now is a time to be more agile and adaptable than ever before . Innovation may never have been a hallmark of the insurance industry . Still , if we ’ ve been paying attention , we can recognize that the marriage of insurance and technology seems to be one that will last . That doesn ’ t mean throwing out what has made us successful to this point but changing and evolving to meet the customer ’ s needs better .
5 We ’ re in this together . Alright , we ’ re all probably tired of hearing this cliché , but don ’ t things become cliché because they are generally true ? Your agency is part of an ecosystem inhabited by your staff , clients , carrier partners , and others . Choosing who gets in – and who stays- is a critical business decision . We often ask agency owners a simple question : if your current agency suddenly no longer existed and you had to start another from scratch , who would you invite ? Of the myriad relationships you are trying to manage , which ones provide the highest value ? Without which ones can you not even fathom a successful organization ? Many agencies are in their third , fourth , or fifth generation – and that ’ s a great thing ! But too much institutional memory sometimes creates a fog through which it ’ s difficult to see the true , shining stars .
While we ’ re all anxious to put some of the events of 2020 behind us , let ’ s not be too hasty . Let ’ s determine what good may have come from some bad situations and carry those things forward into the new year , committed not only to survive but also to truly grow and prosper .
Cheryl L . Koch , MBA , CPCU , CIC , ARM , AAI , AAM , AIM , ARP , AIS , API , ACSR , AINS , AFIS is an agency management consultant , educator and speaker at a variety of industry events . She is the CEO of Agency Management Resource Group located in Lincoln , CA .
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