Every agency owner should be asking themselves “How healthy is my agency?  Am I really managing well? Do I need a professional checkup?” If your agency is a little under the weather, make an appointment with the doctor—an agency management consultant.

Before you pick a “doctor,” ask yourself these questions:

• Are you happy with your workflow, turnaround times, output quality and ability to meet client service deadlines?
• Are your clients aware of the great job you have done for them, not only lately but over a period of years?
• How satisfied (or dissatisfied) are your clients?
• What are the best and least expensive ways to create employee job satisfaction?
• If you pay bonuses, are they based on individual effort, team effort or overall agency results? Are the bonuses motivating your people?
• Do employee performance evaluations include salary discussions? Should they?
• Is new business production or retention more important? Does your operation reflect your decision?
• Have you implemented cross-selling strategies that really work?
• Do you use claims service as an image builder for new clients who haven't yet had a claim?
• Are your business goals developed, measurable and communicated to your employees?

Unless the answers to these questions are all positive, you need to contemplate how to make your agency operations better. Agency improvement can only be achieved by a concerted attempt to make things better.

Read last month's For the Manager column, “Speed vs. Human Nature” by Lisa H. Harrington.