pivotal roles of customer service professionals, The

Rough Notes, Feb 2003 by Cuprisin, Jim

CUSTOMER SERVICE FOCUS

CSRs will play a more important role in the future as their responsibilities expand

They sit in the hot seats, as directors of their agency's "Command Central" or as the company problem-solver and sounding board. Today's insurance customer service professional (aka the CSR) is required to have the answers when clients call and is expected to treat each customer as if his or her account is the only one that matters at that moment in time.

Customer service representatives comprise approximately 46% of all independent insurance employees, according to the "2002-2003 Growth and Performance Standards" study published by The Academy of Producer Insurance Studies. Their position is the most customer-critical in an agency. On the phone or faceto-face, CSRs play a vital role in the growth and profitability of insurance organizations of all sizes. It is this reality that has resulted in the introduction of a regular Rough Notes feature"Customer Service Focus."

To keep a finger on the pulse of this profession, The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research will contribute articles on the management and/or technical and service aspects of the job. This month's premiere article offers an overview of how the roles of CSRs are changing-for the better.

Advancement

Some of the other areas include positions in automation or computer management, risk management, employee benefits, employee training, and consulting. Some CSRs are also considering career changes into underwriting or claims adjusting jobs with insurance companies.

CSRs foresee advancement because many of them are optimistic about the opportunities within the industry. Specifically, 40% of CSRs surveyed believe there is more opportunity for them in the insurance industry now than three years ago. Many CSRs have proven themselves over the years by providing superior service and performing well when given the opportunity to move into management, sales, or some other type of position. Agency owners and managers would be wise to allow CSRs to reach their full potential by giving them the opportunity to grow professionally. The CSRs and the agency will all benefit.

Sales

Agency owners are always searching for new producers and need to look to their CSRs more often for possible sales potential. Many CSRs already do a limited amount of selling, and some have the experience, knowledge, personality, and motivation to be successful insurance producers.

Of the CSRs surveyed, 83% are active in sales. They are not full-time producers, and the servicing work is still their number-one priority.

However, they do contribute to agency growth and profitability with their sales efforts. CSRs with the greatest sales ability should be allowed to work more in the sales arena, with others being assigned to more of the servicing functions.

Regarding sales, 80% of all CSRs are active with cross-selling and/or account rounding. Cross-selling and account rounding help to increase agency revenues as well as improve overall retention. A client with several policies with the agency is more likely to remain with the agency than a person or business that has just one policy with the agency.

Skills

Customer service representatives spend about half of their day talking with clients and insurance company personnel. The other half of their day is consumed with paperwork and computer duties; but even here, writing letters and the increasing use of e-mail demand first-rate communication skills. Both good verbal and written communication skills are essential to provide top service for agency customers and the insurance companies the agency represents.

The roles of CSRs are expanding because CSRs are taking the initiative with professional development opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge. They can offer better service to their clients and increase their servicing volume to become more valuable to their agencies, increase their compensation, and open doors of opportunity.

Determining customers' needs, handling complaints by solving their problems, following up on all details of an account, and listening to their clients to properly address their needs ranked as the most important skill areas where CSRs are trying to improve. Success in these areas can lead to further development of accounts, higher account retention, and customer satisfaction.

Skills such as dealing with stress and criticism and managing their time are not unique to CSRs, but are important nonetheless. CSRs must know when to say "no" if they are to work on their top priorities and manage their time well, or if they receive unreasonable requests from clients, underwriters, or producers that simply cannot be met. CSRs also want to boost their selling skills, whether they just do a small amount of cross-selling and rounding accounts, or whether they plan to advance to the role of a producer.

Knowledge

In addition to improving their skills, customer service representatives are working hard to increase their knowledge. One way to do this is through earning professional designations. The Academy's survey was skewed towards the more experienced CSRs, and of this group, 79% had obtained the Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation. Another 11% had achieved the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. Other designations that many CSRs have earned include CPIW, ACSR,and CPSR.