Build strong broker-client relationships. Even now. 

We have moved into uncharted territory. As the world grapples with a global pandemic, guidance for personal behavior has rapidly shifted, and the news cycle offers minute-by-minute updates that affect the way we live and work. Commercial insurance agencies are also dealing with scores of questions, as businesses seek solutions to manage through these challenging times. 

As an agency, chances are that you and your team are working remotely. That might be entirely new for your company or it may be a practice that has been in place, whether for a few employees or for certain days of the week. If there is any silver lining to this crisis, it may be that it illustrates just how productive we can be when technology, instead of the coffee machine in the break room, connects us. Technology has made it possible to complete tasks without sitting in a shared workspace. 

Broker-client interaction in a time of self-isolation. 

There is one thing that won’t be on most agendas for at least the foreseeable future. 

Face-to-face meetings with clients. 

We’ve never heard people say they’re self-isolating or social distancing before, but we know we’ll be hearing it a lot in the weeks ahead. For many agents, that is unsettling. In a relationship-driven business like commercial lines, connecting on a personal level still matters. 

We know that. It’s why our platform was built to create interaction that strengthens the broker-client relationship—not replace it.  

Fact is, all the technology in the world won’t replace the valuable time you spend with clients—a presentation at their office, a conversation over lunch, a round of golf. Whatever it may be, most successful agents use time with customers to establish trust and confidence. How can you do that when you are not able to meet with your clients in person?

Be the agent with solutions. 

Your clients are dealing with one the most challenging business situations ever. Across the country, all kinds of establishments—bars, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters—can’t even open. Company leaders are trying to manage staff from the dining room table, or they’re figuring out how to keep their supply chain intact and ready to go when things return to some semblance of normal. 

They’re doing all that while dealing with the anxiety of an epidemic that could have serious implications for the health of the people they love. And, for reasons we don’t quite understand yet, some people have to-do lists that included buying 800 rolls of toilet paper or 50 cans of soup. Priorities are, at the moment, most definitely altered. 

So, if you thought it was hard to get customers to respond to insurance outreach before, this crisis has raised the degree of difficulty. Any process that seems overly time-consuming or unnecessarily difficult will not be received well by your clients. 

With that in mind, this is a great time to introduce technology that will enhance the customer experience, while improving communications with your clients. Our platform makes the process of renewals and applications faster and easier for customers, and less time-consuming for agents. 

It also automates many tasks. Instead of emailing to remind someone about an upcoming date  when renewal information is required—the software has already sent those messages—you can call customers as a true business ally, and possibly help them deal with the challenges they face. When this is all over, they’ll definitely remember that kind of outreach. 

More than ever, introducing software that makes the process easier for your customers demonstrates an understanding of their challenges and positions you as an agent they can count on. Long-term business relationships are often forged during the most trying times. 

Make communications efficient and productive. 

So there will be fewer meetings and not as many chances to catch up with clients in person. That changes the dynamic for most commercial insurance agents. 

More than anything, there’s a need to make every exchange with your clients meaningful and productive. A platform like ours won’t replace your personal ability to create trust and establish confidence, but your customers will appreciate how much it simplifies the renewal process. 

Now more than ever.