While everyone wants to feel empowered and cared for by their insurance agent, few things can squash those happy vibes like getting a little too much attention. And once your client’s enthusiasm starts to fade — once she starts to question your motives — you run the risk of losing her to a competitor.
Here are three things to keep in mind if you want your clients feeling engaged without suffocating them:
1. Create an accessible content repository.
Sometimes, the best support comes from a distance. Try setting up a blog or an FAQ page that explores more pervasive questions and trends, not just within your company but within the insurance industry altogether. In an ever-changing and complex environment, a well-curated blog can go a long way to help your customers learn what they want to learn when they want to learn it. In the process, you prove that you’re going above and beyond to help your customers understand their situation — and who wouldn’t want that?
2. Experiment with going interactive.
This goes hand-in-hand with the first point. While a blog or FAQ page can do wonders to provide answers, sometimes a personalized approach can be more effective for more complex situations. Try scheduling a recurring event, like a webinar series, to answer your customers’ nagging questions in real time. Not only will they feel more taken care of, but it will also allow them to make contact whenthey are interested in learning more.
3. When responding 1-to-1, track your metrics.
When nothing but the personal touch will suffice, be sure that you’re educating and empowering your customer without becoming a nuisance. After all, the best advice is meaningless if it falls on unresponsive ears. Consider using a message tracker like Sidekick to track your email’s opens and clicks, and use this information to gauge if your customer is still interested. If too many emails have gone unopened, it may be best to reduce the frequency of your messages.
Tracking your emails can also help you send a perfectly timed follow-up: if you see that your client is reading your message from a few days ago, why not check in to be sure she doesn’t have any more questions? Since her focus is already on you, you’ll be that much more likely to get a response and keep the conversation going.
Just like insurance is an investment in the future, so is stellar customer service — it’s an investment in your client’s continued engagement and even in your company’s longevity. Providing answers and support (but not too much, and not too often) is the hallmark of a dependable, trustworthy company: and that’s a company that people will seek out. But be sure that you’re not overinvesting: just like you advise your clients on the best policy for them, be sure that you’re handing their communications in a personalized way.
