How to respond productively to slow underwriting service

3:15 p.m. Five client meetings and a handful of peanuts for lunch later, you receive a voice mail from the underwriter's assistant asking, "What was the name on the quote you needed?" Calling back propels you into a seemingly never-ending game of phone tag. You sigh and return to the towering stack of files on your desk. There must be a better way!

Finding knowledgeable underwriters who provide quality service is not always easy-and working with those who don't meet that description is stressful. But it doesn't have to be this way! By following eight time-saving principles, I've found that I can get the best service possible, no matter what company I'm dealing with. If you follow these tips, you will be able to focus on sales, rather than spend a frustrating amount of time on the underwriting and quoting process. As an added bonus, these suggestions can help you build better relationships with underwriters.

1) Know what they want. The first step in building relationships with underwriters is to identify the risks they are willing to accept. Why spin your wheels completing a myriad of applications for classes of business a company is no longer writing? You can quickly check a carrier's appetite via the company's Web site or a search engine, or by contacting the company's marketing representative. Of course, you can always ask underwriters what they are writing, but they might direct you to marketing reps anyway.

By ensuring you are submitting a class of business that a company is writing, you make life easier for everyone. Not only do you increase the chances of receiving a timely quote, but you also show underwriters that you know their markets and are not just "shotgunning" submissions.

2) Cull the herd. Thirty-six percent of the respondents to the 2004 American AGENT & BROKER Readership Survey have appointments with 10 or more insurers. How many companies do you do business with? Make a list, including what markets each company offers along with any specific negative or positive attributes it may have. Do you notice any overlapping markets or companies you can eliminate? Granted, having numerous market options can be helpful at times-but it also can be an unbearable drain on time and resources. Instead of spreading yourself thin with a wide range of company contacts and underwriters, try concentrating on just a few insurers that collectively cater to all of your business needs. Such focus will enable you to become more familiar with the remaining underwriters and possibly to receive premium credits or profit-sharing for consolidating your book with fewer markets.

3) Organize your info. Create a reference binder or folder that includes each company's applications, underwriting guidelines and contact information. You can get most of this information from marketing reps, underwriters or company Web sites. You may wish to organize it according to market type-e.g., builders risk, contractors liability, homeowners, etc.-or you can file by company. Either way, the key is to make the guide easy to use. When a client asks for a quote, you want to be able to open the binder and in a matter of minutes know not only which company to solicit, but also the underwriter's name, contact information and any supplemental applications required for a submission. If completed correctly, the quick-reference binder can save you hours of frustration.

4) Stay on the case. In an ideal world, you wouldn't need voice mail because underwriters would be eagerly awaiting your call, ready with a smile and a winning "would-you-like-replacement-coverage-with-that?" attitude. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world, and getting a quote-or even a return phone call or e-mail-sometimes can seem impossible. What can you do to prevent your submission from "disappearing" from an underwriter's "in" box? Simple. Be persistent!

I know, I know; you are probably shaking your head and thinking about that one annoying client who calls you twice a day just to make sure you removed the red car from his auto policy but not the blue one. To be persistent with underwriters does not mean to call, e-mail and fax every hour, on the hour. It means to check up on your quote once a day, unless the underwriter gives you a specific date or time to expect it. Just a "friendly reminder" is usually enough to keep your quote request near the top of the pile.

Also, make sure that you are not contributing to the hold-up by being unreasonable. Although you may have a client who tells you at the last minute about the need for a policy, that does not mean that you're going to get special treatment from an underwriter who already has a mountain of work on his or her desk. The "I-just-found-out-about-this-closing" excuse, while sometimes true, is overplayed, and using this line to get a "rush" order on your submission almost never works.

Under normal circumstances, if your submission is complete and does not require special approval, there is no reason for a quote to take more than 48 hours to be processed. Some insurers have implemented impressive "in by 2, out by 5″ procedures: If a risk falling within the underwriting guidelines is submitted with all necessary information by 2 p.m., the agent receives the quote that day.

5) Project, and expect, a positive attitude. Hopefully, your matchless organizational skills and positive attitude will help you forge strong business relationships with companies and underwriters who routinely provide impeccable service. Realistically, chances are you will encounter at least a few individuals who are in desperate need of a personality transplant. How can you handle these unpleasant individuals without losing your temper? First, put the situation into context. Is this underwriter habitually behind on quoting? Do you often receive bad service, or is this incident a fluke? Try to remember that underwriters are human and susceptible to a bad day on occasion. However, if an uncooperative attitude becomes the norm, you must handle the problem swiftly and professionally: Move it up the chain of command.

But don't pick up the phone just yet. First, make sure you have documented your complaints and be prepared to offer a solution. Nothing makes a manager crankier than a whiny or loudmouthed complainer who never seems to be satisfied. So speak in a calm, professional voice while clearly explaining your grievance. Include specifics and suggest how you would like the situation resolved. If your conversation does not produce the desired change, you have two choices: Continue moving up the chain (this can be time-consuming but often gets results), or terminate your dealings with the company. Many agents tend to forget that they, too, are insurers' customers and deserve efficient, polite service and honest business practices.

6) Stay informed. Don't assume that an underwriter knows more than you do about a particular line of business. Many underwriters are highly qualified and hold prestigious designations, but this doesn't hold true across the board. Working with an underwriter, regardless of how qualified he or she is, does not relieve you of your duty as a licensed professional to be well-informed about pertinent insurance forms and industry trends. An appalling number of agents expect underwriters to explain basic ISO forms and endorsements to them. Not only does such a situation scream out an E&O warning ("But the underwriter TOLD me that the peril was covered"), but it also is downright embarrassing for agents everywhere. So read and check all policies as they come in, choose worthwhile CE classes (not just the ones that will get you the most hours). A wealth of knowledge is available on your computer and even around your office. Take advantage of it and learn the forms. Know the financial ratings of the companies you represent. Strive to earn industry designations, even if you only take small steps at a time.

7) Focus on your best accounts. One guideline that has stood the test of time is Pareto's Principle (aka the 80/20 rule). Learn to focus on the 20% of customers who generate 80% of your profits. Not only will you eliminate most of your time-consuming problem clients, but you also will "weed out" many borderline risks that underwriters often reject. If underwriters receive consistent high-quality business from you, they will take notice. And chances are good they later will give you a little leeway on a risk or premium, if they trust that you've applied your own set of stringent underwriting guidelines to a risk prior to submission.

8) Be honest. An important commercial client who owns and manages a shopping center informs you that he's just signed a lease with three new tenants: an Italian restaurant, a furniture store and an exercise studio-all contiguous. You know the underwriter will have a fit and quickly conclude that your client has just rendered himself ineligible for his current insurance program.

The best thing to do (after restraining the urge to bonk the client over his head) is to call the underwriter and break the bad news. Even if your client no longer meets the company's underwriting guidelines, the underwriter may know of other available markets or can perhaps apply creative underwriting to get the coverage you need. You never know until you ask.

The bottom line is to just tell the truth! Include all pertinent information, even if it looks unfavorable. Send appraisals, loss runs, CLUE reports, MVRs, anything the underwriter can use to paint a clear and accurate picture of the risk. Explain any facts that may seem ambiguous.

Your honesty will pay dividends in the form of high premium volume and larger bonuses. Not only will you gain underwriters' trust, but you will also avoid potential scandals when a client has a loss. If all parties involved are aware of everything from the get-go, everyone is better off when a claim occurs.

Relationships with underwriters are critical to an agency's success, but they sometimes can unravel. By following the preceding suggestions, you can build or re-build these important relationships. As a result, you'll experience better service and a lot less stress.

Kim Miller worked for about 10 years at a family owned independent agency, where she held numerous positions, including CSR, personal-lines agent and commercial-lines producer. She also has worked in personal lines for Burns & Wilcox. Currently, Ms. Miller is working as a freelance writer while pursing a bachelor's degree in risk management. After obtaining it, she plans to return to the insurance business.