Service that truly makes a difference

Rough Notes, Apr 2003 by Boastick, Suellyn

Agency employees reach out to others

While we are concerned with helping our clients in today's volatile insurance environment, we must also stand ready to extend our help to the community at large.

When they think of customer service, most people picture the cashier at a local store, a teller at a bank, or the person behind the returns desk at a department store. As customer service representatives in the insurance industry, our job is to do more than assist in making changes to customers' policies and processing claims. We have to be prepared to evaluate their current coverage needs and anticipate future needs through risk management. We must update our clients by communicating how these changes affect their accounts.

At the same time we are concerned with helping our clients in today's volatile insurance environment, we insurance professionals must also stand ready to extend our help to the community at large. Over the years, our agency has responded by making monetary donations to programs, such as "Coaches vs. Cancer" sponsored by the University of Illinois Rebounders Club, one of our clients. Our agency's donations have also allowed children to attend our local MDA Summer Camp; and through the Developmental Services Center's Tree of Hope campaign, we have provided free housing, therapy services and occupational training for persons with disabilities. We annually sponsor a couple of youth baseball teams, enabling them to purchase uniforms and equipment and pay for tournament fees. Some insurance carriers with which we place business have also given us production awards in the form of contributions to our local charities.

Not all of our contributions have taken the form of cash donations. Our insurance agency, along with other agencies in the community, have collected items to make food baskets for needy families, and purchased clothing and toys for disadvantaged children at Christmas. For our local Make A Difference Day, agencies have collected personal care items, as well as hats and mittens for a low-income daycare center.

Many on our staff have contributed their own time and energy on behalf of our community. For example, our agency sponsored a team for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Some employees are active in programs through their churches, while others have their own special charities. Memberships in business and fraternal organizations, such as Rotary International and the Chamber of Commerce, have offered a wide variety of opportunities for involvement as well. One of our producers, Sarah Marshky, has served on the Chamber of Commerce's Young Leaders Program for several years and recalls helping build a wheelchair accessible ramp. My own love for young children has led me to volunteer each week at The Crisis Nursery where I as assist in providing comfort and security to children whose families are experiencing difficulties.

Sometimes "community service" extends past the borders of our town, our state and even our country. The former owner of our agency, Dennis Lewis, accompanied a team of plastic surgeons from Operation Rainbow on a medical mission to Mexico. There, he helped provide support to the families of children who were undergoing corrective surgery for cleft palate and similar deformities.

It has long been an accepted practice for businesses to participate in community events as a way of developing customer relations, getting publicity and securing personal recognition. Not only was our agency named the Small Business of the Year in 1999, we also received the Sam Walton Business Leadership Award as a result of our positive support via community involvement and strong customer service.

I can tell you, though, from personal experience, that "service" goes a lot deeper. Some of the most rewarding ways of helping others are often done anonymously, or at personal sacrifice. I remember spending one night caring for six-week old twins with sleep apnea so that their parents could have an uninterrupted night's sleep. The next morning as I drove to work, with only a few hours of sleep myself, I had the satisfaction of knowing that I'd made a difference in that family's life-even though the confidentiality of the organization will prevent them from ever knowing my name.

Another important aspect of community service is the networking with other volunteers and event participants, where friends become clients and clients become friends. This helps us keep abreast of public concerns and the changing needs in our own backyards.

Industry publications tell us what is happening nationwide and worldwide in insurance, but they cannot tell us how and when these trends will affect our clients. As we serve on committees, coordinate programs and participate in events, we hear about new businesses coming to the area long before public announcements are made. We know which businesses are expanding and which ones are having financial difficulty. We learn what new ideas are popular and what ones experience opposition. We will become aware of how businesses similar to those of our clients are addressing financial and insurance concerns. We can get marketing ideas, share solutions to problems already experienced by our clients and GROW, both professionally and personally-that is how we'll make a difference.