Getting feedback is crucial for any business – especially insurance agencies. There are likely areas for improvement that you are not aware of, and you can’t correct them if you don’t know what the problem is. When looking for feedback, be sure to get it from both your clients and your team.
Why Ask for Feedback?
We already touched on the main reason to ask for feedback: so you can address issues you may not be aware of. But feedback can also do much more than that.
Feedback can help you improve your client experience, as you will know what clients want from your agency. You can improve marketing by better understanding your clients’ needs and motivations for buying insurance. You may discover another type of insurance to expand into based on client demand.
Feedback from your team can do many of the same things. After all, you will get feedback from the team members themselves and hear anything that clients may have told them. On top of that, you get additional perspectives and ideas. Employee feedback can also help you with recruiting and retaining new team members.
Encourage Reviews
One excellent source of feedback is customer reviews. As a bonus, taking advantage of Google reviews should be an important part of your local SEO strategy. Encouraging reviews lets you get feedback while boosting your agency’s visibility and reputation.
Encourage Surveys
You can also encourage both your team members and clients to complete surveys as a way to collect feedback. For example, you could send an email with a survey after onboarding clients to ask about that specific process. Or you can send the occasional survey to team members about the tools and processes you use.
Don’t forget exit surveys as well. If a client cancels, ask them why. This will give you the opportunity to prevent future cancelations.
Make Feedback Cards
A traditional method of getting feedback is via suggestion or comment cards. You can easily do this for both customers and your team members. In the case of team members, put the blank cards and a collection box in the staff or break room. In the case of clients, put them in the reception area. A digital solution can be implemented simply by adding a link to a web form in your email signature.
How to Encourage the Feedback
No matter the type of feedback you want from clients or your insurance agency team, there are a few ways to encourage it.
- Emails: Emails are an excellent way of asking anyone to provide feedback, whether it is a review or survey.
- Use Social Media: Think of social media as an easy and casual way to solicit feedback. As a bonus, some social media websites even let you create polls right on your profile.
- Text Messages: Another modern option is to send your clients a text asking for feedback. The text can even include a link to a survey or review website. You can do the same with your employees.
- Phone Calls: Some customers will prefer to give feedback over the phone. One perfect example of when to use this method is as a follow-up after onboarding. Use it to see how your new clients are doing so far or to find out what they thought about your onboarding process. As a bonus, this also gives them a chance to ask lingering questions.
- Snail Mail: Depending on your clientele, you may also want to send a questionnaire in the mail. Just remember to include an envelope with paid postage so it is easy for clients to send the survey back to you.
- Thank-you Notes: You can also send clients thank-you notes using any of the above methods, such as email, snail mail, or text. This can be a follow-up to an appointment with you or a team member and also offer a chance to ask for feedback.
- Offer Incentives: Perhaps the most effective way to get someone to give you feedback is to give an incentive for doing so.
You could send them a small Amazon.com gift card for taking the time to answer a few questions, for example.
Conclusion
Feedback serves many purposes. Whether it comes from team members or clients, it helps you spot room for growth or improvement in your insurance agency. Online reviews from clients have the added benefit of helping your local SEO and online reputation, making them a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy.