Providing clients with on-demand policy and account access is key to providing customers the kind of 24/7 service they have come to expect in this age of electronic connectivity.

By creating such an online connection with both personal and commercial policyholders, agents can boost customer satisfaction as well as client retention, resulting in higher profits for the agency.

For example, an independent agency in Arizona lets customers tend to their insurance business on their own schedules. By not restricting insureds to the nine hours when the agency's doors are open, the Arizona Group offers a level of customer service that says, "You deserve to manage your insurance affairs whenever it's convenient for you."

Account Manager Carrie Brown of the Gilbert, Ariz.-based agency says the online, round-the-clock services it has provided since 2005 differentiate it from other agencies. Insureds can issue their own certificates of insurance and auto ID cards and can view policies and coverages. It saves time for both the insured and the agency. She calls it a win-win.

The online portal, of course, does not replace all services delivered by the agency—just those that can easily and efficiently be handled on a self-service basis.

SELF-SERVICE=SAVINGS

By providing on-demand access to insureds' own policy information, agents turn their websites into effective, secure, self-service options where insureds can find answers to simple questions such as "What is my deductible?"

The time savings resulting from online service allows for agencies to increase internal efficiencies and spend more time providing clients with high-end consultation and support services.

Dean D'Camera of D'Camera Group in Annapolis, Md., says his agency's value proposition includes "empowering businesses."

He says one way the agency does this is by showing clients the benefits of working with an online customer-service tool. The agency demonstrates how the tool empowers them to manage numerous aspects of their insurance needs, such as real-time certificate issuance, replacement auto ID cards or managing auto fleets.

D'Camera says clients appreciate the tool and self-serve more than 90 percent of their certificates of insurance.

He says the economic benefits to the agency are significant as it can redirect its resources to proactively work with its clients to meaningfully impact their businesses.

BETTER BUSINESS CONTINUITY

During severe weather and other disaster situations, many clients require immediate service from their agents. If agents fall short of providing effective service when clients need them most, they could lose business. Those who go above and beyond win client loyalty and renewed business.

On Dec. 27, 2010, Massachusetts was socked with its first blizzard since 2005. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency, and state police urged everybody to stay off the roads. Hurricane-strength winds ravaged the coastal areas, and 60,000 residences and businesses across the state were without power.

Among those affected was Smith Buckley & Hunt Insurance in Brockton, Mass. Colette Revan, the agency's business and systems manager, says that for several days the agency had no power because of the blizzard. But her agency was equipped with an online portal that allowed staff to continue providing immediate service to customers from remote locations.

In addition, because the online portal maintains active policy data, call-center representatives had access to the same policy information.

VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

Online customer service also enables agents to provide value-added services. For example, New York brokerage Dewitt Stern, which services clients in a variety of commercial arenas, including real estate, fine arts, contracting and entertainment, provides clients with a secure client portal connected to the brokerage website.

The firm can load a client's documents right to the portal, eliminating the need for a third-party document-storage provider. Mike Bostley, vice president of IT at the firm, says it saves the agency thousands of dollars a year.

Bostley says the features available to the portal are a great value-added service, providing clients a one-stop service area online with cutting-edge online tools.

Special Reports /

Self-Service Web Portals For Clients Give Indie Agents An Edge

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