All too often, agent experience is at the bottom of the list when it comes to IT investments by insurance companies. But not at Pa.-based Erie Insurance, which in March named Mark Hammerstein vice president of agent experience.
Recruited from his position as manager of an agency in Canton, Ohio, Hammerstein discusses his role in facilitating better communication between agents and clients.
What are your duties as vice president of agent experience?
I'm responsible for improving the agent experience. My primary responsibility focuses on agent-[centric] initiatives across our organization. It's basically managing the impact on and minimizing disruptions to agents as we deploy new technology. We're doing that through improved planning, communication and change management. Additionally, I am fostering and developing a better understanding of and sensitivity to the agent experience as it relates to how agents do business with us. My role is what I refer to as "boots on the ground." If we create a positive agent experience, agents are happier. If we make it easier to do business with us, they give us more business.
What are your top requests from agents?
First, make doing business with Erie easier, faster and simpler, in a way that drives costs out of their agencies. Second, make changes that make sense for the way agents do business. These two points guide my thinking in my new role. For example, on a recent project, we discovered the importance of the tab order on a data-entry screen. Something that could have been overlooked and created negative agent impact was resolved because we were engaged in understanding how agents do business.
Did you come from a technical background?
While I didn't have a formal IT background, I worked for nearly eight years as an independent agent representing six to seven major carriers including Erie. In my early years at the agency, I was the IT person in the office, installing our first network and early rating software. While you don't need a deep technical background, experience in agent technology and how agents use it is a must.
How do you train agents to use new systems?
Do they generally welcome these changes? If we build systems that are simple and intuitive, we won't need training, or it will be minimal. When we do train, we evaluate the complexity and scope of the initiative, as well as the potential impact on agents. Then we design a training plan accordingly, using a wide variety of methods—everything from online tutorials to on-site agent meetings.
Whom do you consider Erie's customer—the agent or policyholder?
For Erie, it's both. Strong customer service plays a critical role in supporting retention, referral generation and creating a foundation of value that agents rely on to confidently recommend Erie to their customers. As an independent-agency company, we consider agents "the customer" as well. Without them we wouldn't have policyholders. We work diligently to strengthen our agent relationships; it's always been that way at Erie. This new role and our focus on agent experience provide new opportunities to create more effective ways for our agents to do business with us.
—Interviewed by Anya Khalamayzer
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