If your insurance agency isn’t running as it should, it likely comes down to one of three things. You have a problem with people, processes, or policies. Diagnosing and addressing the problem can help you turn things around for your insurance agency. Let’s take a closer look at each of the three P’s, so you can improve your agency.
People
Insurance agency issues often come down to problems with personnel. You might have recruited and hired insurance agents who don’t fit into your company culture. When one employee doesn’t fit, the company can lose its identity. This can cause other agents to miss performance goals month after month.
On the other hand, you might have hired the best agents for your company, but you didn’t properly train them. You will need to provide the necessary training for them to reach their full potential. Training should be ongoing, so your employees can also perform at optimal levels.
It’s also possible that your agents are assigned to the wrong roles. You need to make sure each agent has the right job, so you can optimize strengths and minimize weaknesses. Assess your staff and their roles and determine if you need to make changes.
Make sure you are open and honest about what you are doing when you make these changes. Your agents could become fearful of losing their jobs if you suddenly make personnel changes or switch roles. Having an open line of communication will help you calm their fears as you look for ways to improve your agency. With open communication, it will become a group effort, and your agents will become invested in making your agency more productive and profitable.
Processes
What if you have amazing employees who do their jobs well, but your insurance agency is still treading water? If so, it’s time to consider your insurance agency’s processes. You should have processes for referrals, new customers, sales, cross-selling, handling claims, and more. You need to define the processes for each aspect of your business clearly. Outline the expectations and continuously review each process to ensure you are up-to-date with the best practices.
You also need to pay special attention to your processes when someone makes a mistake. That is a cue that you need to review your processes to see if it was human error or an issue with your system. Often, mistakes are signs that something is wrong with the process and not the staff member. You can change the process to avoid future mistakes. This also shows your staff that you trust them, and when they make mistakes, you will look for ways to make processes easier to follow.
You can also get help with processes by utilizing the right insurance agency management system. The software will handle various processes for you, minimizing the work required of insurance agents. It’s also much easier to follow all the processes correctly when you use the software.
Policies
Finally, you need to analyze your internal policies to see if they are holding your agency back. First, consider how flexible your agency is. Insurance agents tend to thrive when they have some flexibility in their jobs. This could include the ability to work from home from time to time and the option to take off early on Fridays. While you don’t want to become so flexible that you lose productivity, some flexibility will help your agents and agency. Consider different ways you can make your agency more flexible. Don’t be afraid to ask your agents what they would like before adjusting the policy. Their input could help you create policies that allow agents to thrive.
Second, ask yourself if you are providing your agents with the tools they need to do their job effectively. Just as with processes, you will find that having the right insurance agency management system will help with this. The right software allows agents to attract and nurture leads while also managing their current client list. It can even help them identify cross-selling opportunities, which can lead to larger commissions.
Finally, you need to evaluate your policy to keep agents up-to-date on industry knowledge. They need to stay on top of new coverage options and policy changes so they can better serve their customers. Far too many insurance agencies expect them to do this on their own. However, adding it to your list of internal policies will allow you to ensure that everyone receives the necessary information. Your agents will then be better equipped to serve their clients.
Get Help With the Three P’s
You will find the insurance agency management software from Jenesis Software can help you address many of the problems you come across in your business. From drumming up business and managing clients to helping you optimize your internal policies and processes, the right software will benefit you in numerous ways. Request a free demo to find out how Jenesis Software can help your agency.