Customers expect great service and they’re willing to pay for it. In a survey by American Express, 70 percent of American consumers were willing to spend an average of 13 percent more with companies that could provide excellent customer service. This is no surprise to those who work in luxury markets where consumers routinely pay more for excellent service when it comes to vacations and fine dining.
However, does the same willingness to spend more hold true for disability insurance? Would your clients pay 13 percent more to work with you?
Despite the belief that insurance is a commodity, many successful agents have proven that it’s possible to capture more business and retain disability insurance customers longer by combining “old-school” customer service theories with today’s online capabilities. It seems that in addition to offering a choice of carriers and guidance on insurance coverage, the art of building personal relationships is a silver bullet for insurance agents.
Consumers that choose to work with independent agents usually do so because they feel they’ll be receiving a high level of expertise and customer service – all with a local presence. They feel they’re being a taken care of by real person and not a corporation, mascot, or hotline.
Below are five “back-to-basics” tips to inflate your value to insurance clients:
1. Provide easy answers. Visitors come to your insurance website looking for answers. Provide good customer service by anticipating the information needed and making it easy to find.
2. Make it easy to contact you. Does your website make it easy for prospects to get in touch? Is your phone number buried somewhere beyond the homepage? Besides your online contact form, be sure to provide other methods that include your email address, live telephone support, or chat operator.
3. Answer the phone. Your prospects want answers and they want them fast. If a prospect has been on your website, picked-up the phone, and decided to contact you, there’s a good chance she is ready to do business. If you put her through a frustrating phone tree labyrinth, she’ll be calling your competitor in no time.
4. Respond with urgency. Studies have shown that the sales professional who responds to a request first usually earns the sale. Treat every request with urgency and remember to respond to online inquires within 24-hours.
5. Train your staff. Who do your prospects interact with when you’re not available? Train your team to demonstrate care and make prospects feel important. Your team should extend hospitality and superior service on your behalf.
Top-earning disability insurance agents deliver exceptional value before, during and after the sale. If you want to reach the next income bracket, take a close look at your customer service practices. Are you delivering a luxury experience? There should be no doubt that clients would pay 13 percent more to work with you.
Have a great tip about how to provide top-drawer insurance service? Post a comment and share your idea here!
One way to provide easy answers is to include a disability insurance quote engine on your website. If you don’t have one, request our FREE DI quote engine here.
