When independent agencies consider their customer serviceobligations, they might want to remember what the greatphilosopher, 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 manycompanies have gotten into the bad habit of delivering poorcustomer service. Indeed, I am often frustrated when trying to getservice in today's fast-paced environment, and just as oftendisappointed to find it's nobody's job to help!

Independent agents need to avoid this minefield to keep theircustomer 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 witha company. The majority, he said, quit doing business because ofthe attitude of indifference toward them by the owner, manager, orsome 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 yourcomplaint file is thin, Mr. LeBoeuf warns that a typical businesshears from only a very small number of dissatisfied customers. Thevast majority just go quietly away, and most of them never comeback.

This is understandable. Most customers want to avoid adversarialsituations. Since they have a choice, they simply begin doingbusiness with competitors. By the time the business owner findsout, it most likely will be too late to salvage therelationship.

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

For any agency, no matter the size, customer service is anecessary part of every process and should not just be seen as anextension 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 bycontinuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friendsand associates--something that has long been a foundation of anyagency's strategic marketing plan. It is also a way to quicklydifferentiate your agency in the competitive marketplace.

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

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

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

The answer should involve developing a fully-empoweredorganizational unit within the agency that, in effect, takes overevery aspect of the client relationship once the sale ismade--sales staff get on with selling (their priority, and oftenthe principal's focus), while the customer relationship departmentdevelops further opportunities and creates goodwill and growthinternally (their priority).

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

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

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

Before you empower your service department with making everycustomer's experience with your agency a positive one, you have todetermine what your customers value most when making insurancepurchase 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 asquality, price, convenience, your procedures, etc.--and conduct asurvey within your current customer base. The method, written orverbal, can be a simple and cost-effective way to get the basicinformation that you will need to get started. Another method maybe to ask specific questions relating to a recent transaction.

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

o How do your processes and procedures measure up against thecompetition?

Customer value is the primary tool that people use to choosebetween your product/service and your competitor's. This type ofquestioning can be sensitive and make some customers feeluncomfortable discussing it with you.

To avoid this discomfort you could do some simple networkingwith your peers and ask them how they feel they are doing in theareas identified by your customers, or you may want to ask for someassistance from your carriers to determine what they may know aboutcompetitors.

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

If you elect to go hire an outside firm to handle some of yoursurvey needs, you may want to consider asking some questions thatdelve deeper into critical importance areas and help uncover theroot cause of your weak areas as perceived by your clients, as wellas identifying your strengths.

o Do you have a workable action plan that demonstrates you areserious about building loyalty and delivering superior customerservice?

Once you have analyzed all the information and can objectivelyaccept the findings, you are ready to address the challengesidentified.

If, for example, there is a consensus among your customer basethat they feel they are treated simply as a number and you don'thave time for them, you can take steps to make your customer feelthey are important--perhaps by reaching out to them regularlyinstead of waiting for them to call.

You can establish methods and procedures that empower yourservice staff to make sure each client knows that your agency trulyappreciates and values their business and that you are fully awarethey have other choices.

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

After a specified period of time--which should be determined bythe types of changes necessary in your service operations based oncustomer feedback--conduct the same survey and measure yourprogress.

Just as your accountant audits your financial conditionannually, you should survey your customers at least annually toinsure you are retaining current customers and obtaining newcustomers, and that everyone is happy!

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

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

When you begin seeing your customers as members of a kind ofquasi-research and development team, you will be able to see realbenefit that their continued goodwill brings to your futuresuccess.

If have questions about this approach, consider this: When wasthe last time a firm that you do business with took the time toshow you genuine interest and concern in their standards ofservice?