Competition can be fierce. Nowhere is this truer than for the independent insurance agency. So, how can you stand out and become the agency of choice? Glad you asked!
There are several ways you can go about this. You could make providing outstanding customer service part of your agency’s mission. You could have your office open during the hours your competition is closed. One of the best strategies to help you stand out is by harvesting your customers’ opinions and feedback.
We all know that many customers will take time to give negative reviews. They will go on social media and post their sentiments, or they will call in and demand to speak to someone in management. Are you collecting that information and acting on it? If not, you need to be!
You should be listening to every single unhappy customer, and not just the ones who scream the loudest. They can all prove to be of equal value. By creating a mechanism for them to easily and quickly submit feedback, you will be sure to capture enough data to make informed decisions to improve your service.
A great way to do this is by asking the right questions the moment the customer calls to complain, or when they call to inform you they want to leave. The employee who answers the customer’s call must be prepared to quickly seize the moment by asking objective and open-ended questions that will prompt the customer to respond with candor, and also give them an opportunity to vent.
Here are some examples of questions you can ask:
- Why do you want to leave?
- Are you going with another agency?
- What is it about the other agency that you like?
Asking such questions may leave you feeling vulnerable, especially when you ask “why” questions. When you ask “why,” customers are more likely to reveal how they truly feel. But, when you care about the answer, when you show empathy and let people know that you not only care about them but you want to be better, people respond.
Make sure to collect and document all the feedback from these conversations and review it regularly and frequently with your team. In paying attention to bad reviews you will find opportunities to improve your organization and make better decisions. And, by acting on what you learn, you will have more delighted customers going forward.
