Blog
The latest insights and thought leadership for independent insurance agents.
Throughout the years, the insurance industry has struggled to keep up with the changing times. Products and services offered by top companies have improved in many ways to make things easier and faster for today’s customers. Think about Amazon, Uber, Walmart, Tinder… That’s exactly what customers expect: easy, fast and accessible products and services. Customer expectations are now higher than ever.
In the insurance industry, customers can now research and buy a policy in a matter of minutes. Their coverage often starts immediately as well. The piles of paperwork have been replaced by simple online forms, and there is never any need for a consumer to interrupt their busy schedule to make an appointment with an agent. While this is all convenient for the consumer, what does it mean for you as an independent agent? How can you meet the changing expectations of consumers?
Building trust should remain your top priority. To compete with popular insurance companies, you should meet their customers halfway. Keep offering in-person meetings for those who prefer face-to-face meetings (or why not, video-meetings!). But most importantly, support flexible online sales and service. In other words, make things easier for your clients.
Your physical agency has limited servicing hours, why not giving your customers a flexible online service too? There are many web solutions to help you provide support and service 24/7. Consider adding a chatbot on your website. It can answer customer inquiries around the clock, and can even provide insurance quotes. This tool significantly boosts webpage conversion rates and engagement levels. Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated and can now connect with your CRM, email, and quoting systems automatically. Intercom and Drift are two services that can help you get a Chatbot up and running in no time. Does your independent agency offer a mobile app to your policyholders? An app makes it easy for customers to access the information they need whenever and wherever they need it.
Consumers are used to interacting with brands digitally and through their mobile phones. They like to follow brands on social media and influence other consumers through online reviews, tweets, and comments. Keeping a positive and current online reputation is essential! Make sure your website looks professional and engages visitors. Be active on social media, encourage potential clients to reach out to you on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Experiment with other channels, for example, have you already heard about voice search? Consumers are now willing to use digital assistants at home to manage their insurance needs and perform tasks such as making payments and requesting ID cards.
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes and adjust your agency to their real needs. You can run surveys and interviews to learn more about their pain points and expectations. And you can implement regular brainstorming sessions with your team to gather useful insights.
Segment your client’s base and create buyer personas, so you can offer unique solutions and products to each of your clients, which results in providing a superior customer experience.
The digital age has made its mark on the insurance industry. By focusing on the positive side of these digital options and implementing a customer-centric mindset, you have a stronger chance to rise above your competitors and grow your independent agency with happy clients.
Independent insurance agents use Agentero to boost their revenue, save time, and deliver a superior customer experience. We integrate with your current technology to modernize your operations and position you for growth. Check out our website to learn more.
