When independent agencies consider their customer service obligations, they might want to remember what the great philosopher, Aristotle, once said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

While contemplating this article, I thought of how many companies have gotten into the bad habit of delivering poor customer service. Indeed, I am often frustrated when trying to get service in today's fast-paced environment, and just as often disappointed to find it's nobody's job to help!

Independent agents need to avoid this minefield to keep their customer base healthy and their firm growing.

In his book, "How To Win Customers and Keep Them For Life," Michael LeBoeuf highlighted why customers quit doing business with a company. The majority, he said, quit doing business because of the attitude of indifference toward them by the owner, manager, or some employee. Customers stop doing business because they "feel" the company does not value them.

Is this inexcusable? Yes! Is it avoidable? Absolutely!

If you think you don't have a problem just because your complaint file is thin, Mr. LeBoeuf warns that a typical business hears from only a very small number of dissatisfied customers. The vast majority just go quietly away, and most of them never come back.

This is understandable. Most customers want to avoid adversarial situations. Since they have a choice, they simply begin doing business with competitors. By the time the business owner finds out, it most likely will be too late to salvage the relationship.

When an independent agent considers that it takes five times the effort to obtain a new customer as to retain the one they have, the agency's future could then hinge on the ability to deliver superior customer service consistently and retain the customers the agency worked so hard to obtain.

For any agency, no matter the size, customer service is a necessary part of every process and should not just be seen as an extension of it. An agency's most vital asset is its customers. Without them, agencies would not and could not exist.

When you satisfy your customers, they not only help you grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates--something that has long been a foundation of any agency's strategic marketing plan. It is also a way to quickly differentiate your agency in the competitive marketplace.

As an agency owner or manager, it is advisable to maintain the mindset that your current customer base is your most valued asset. Simply, you should treat your clients as if they were your primary lifeblood, because that's exactly what they are to your business. Responding to their needs should take priority over prospecting for new clients.

That can be a hard reality in today's high-pressure sales environment. You might strongly disagree, especially if your business is strongly sales oriented, as are most agencies on a growth-track. It is only natural that an attitude of "onto the next sale" dominates the culture of your business.

So, if it is not smart to attach less importance to past customers than to future ones, what then is the best solution in a very busy agency trying hard to grow its business?

The answer should involve developing a fully-empowered organizational unit within the agency that, in effect, takes over every aspect of the client relationship once the sale is made--sales staff get on with selling (their priority, and often the principal's focus), while the customer relationship department develops further opportunities and creates goodwill and growth internally (their priority).

Before you establish a self-sustaining customer service department, you may want to measure where you are now and establish a benchmark plan for future success.

There are many steps in the process that will allow you to make the transition from simply answering e-mail and phone calls and putting out the daily "fires," to really creating successful relationships that generate continued agency growth.

By establishing certain success metrics, you can help all employees make the critical culture shift that will allow them to understand the importance you have placed on customer care. Establishing these metrics are essential to measuring progress and to making changes as needed to ensure your agency's ongoing success.

Before you empower your service department with making every customer's experience with your agency a positive one, you have to determine what your customers value most when making insurance purchase decisions or when requesting service on their account.

o Do they value quality more than cost?

One way to determine their needs is to list 10 values--such as quality, price, convenience, your procedures, etc.--and conduct a survey within your current customer base. The method, written or verbal, can be a simple and cost-effective way to get the basic information that you will need to get started. Another method may be to ask specific questions relating to a recent transaction.

Then, ask them how your agency is doing in the areas that they deem most valuable. If you ask, they will tell you. Don't assume you know. This can be accomplished during the same survey process noted above.

o How do your processes and procedures measure up against the competition?

Customer value is the primary tool that people use to choose between your product/service and your competitor's. This type of questioning can be sensitive and make some customers feel uncomfortable discussing it with you.

To avoid this discomfort you could do some simple networking with your peers and ask them how they feel they are doing in the areas identified by your customers, or you may want to ask for some assistance from your carriers to determine what they may know about competitors.

It may also be time to work with a professional research firm to survey your client base and get useful responses.

If you elect to go hire an outside firm to handle some of your survey needs, you may want to consider asking some questions that delve deeper into critical importance areas and help uncover the root cause of your weak areas as perceived by your clients, as well as identifying your strengths.

o Do you have a workable action plan that demonstrates you are serious about building loyalty and delivering superior customer service?

Once you have analyzed all the information and can objectively accept the findings, you are ready to address the challenges identified.

If, for example, there is a consensus among your customer base that they feel they are treated simply as a number and you don't have time for them, you can take steps to make your customer feel they are important--perhaps by reaching out to them regularly instead of waiting for them to call.

You can establish methods and procedures that empower your service staff to make sure each client knows that your agency truly appreciates and values their business and that you are fully aware they have other choices.

Now that you have a benchmark, you know what is important to your clients. You know what they want, and you have data on how you are currently delivering on those desires. You also know where you have weaknesses and where you need work.

After a specified period of time--which should be determined by the types of changes necessary in your service operations based on customer feedback--conduct the same survey and measure your progress.

Just as your accountant audits your financial condition annually, you should survey your customers at least annually to insure you are retaining current customers and obtaining new customers, and that everyone is happy!

Agency owners may now lament, "This is really complicated and I don't have time for this."

However, the point is that if you don't commit the time now, you may have a lot more time later when your customer base begins to shift to the agencies that are rediscovering the art of customer service.

When you begin seeing your customers as members of a kind of quasi-research and development team, you will be able to see real benefit that their continued goodwill brings to your future success.

If have questions about this approach, consider this: When was the last time a firm that you do business with took the time to show you genuine interest and concern in their standards of service?

Special Reports /

Agents Who Ignore Customer Service Won't Have Too Many Clients To Worry About

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