Insurance is a multi-faceted industry. Landing new accounts takes a significant amount of time and money, a skilled sales team and diligent work ethic. New accounts are very important to an insurance company for continued growth.
However, once those new accounts become established clients, it is equally important to have a skilled customer service team to keep them satisfied. An unsatisfied client is likely to look into other options, which means your sales team has to work even harder to land new accounts to replace those that are lost due to customer service complaints. Every insurer should have a customer service team who all possess five specific skills.
Communication
Being able to effectively communicate is an important skill in most jobs, but specifically as a Customer Service Representative. A CSR must be able to handle a variety of communication styles, ranging from phone calls to email to social media. Clear communication can be difficult, especially if you are dealing in industry terms and lingo that the client may not understand. Some complaints or requests may be difficult, but by simply conveying the status of the request to the client, you will likely keep the client in good spirits.
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photo credit: imagerymajestic
Patience
With that said, there are some instances in which a client will be angry, and that anger may unfortunately be directed at the CSR as the front line of communication for the insurer. Here, it is extremely important to be able to keep a calm demeanor. By staying calm, you can ultimately diffuse an angry or disagreeable client and bring the situation back into a more relaxed realm. Being encouraging and helpful to a client with a policy question or concern is also important. At times, a client may not fully understand the extent of a policy, and may request information on coverage not available through the plan they possess. In that case, the CSR should assist the sales team and provide a quote for the coverage being requested.
photo credit: Michelle Meiklejohn
Organization
A CSR may field hundreds of calls, emails, or social media notes a day. That is a lot of contact and a large number of customers. Each client will have a specific policy that you will need to access in order to assist him or her in the best way, but each client will also be requesting different information. While you may amass a certain amount of information by memory, having quick access to everything is important. Having a good organizational system which will allow you to find any information quickly will not only make a CSR's job easier, it will also keep the client happy.
photo credit: Stuart Miles
Documentation
Data entry is another important facet of a customer service job. With so many people in need of assistance each day, documenting their requests and the ways their needs were met is important not only for improving customer service for the future, but also for keeping good records of your clients. In addition, if an instance may arise in which a client is unhappy with the way a situation was handled, having documented written or recorded proof will be necessary for the sake of a contract.
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Enthusiasm
Having all of the above skills is good, but without being enthusiastic about helping clients, these skills can only go so far. A customer service representative should be excited about getting clients the help they need, even if they run into a disagreeable client. While it certainly is not easy to handle complaints all day, the ability to stay enthusiastic and positive through every complaint will make a customer much happier once the issue is resolved.
Each of these skills is important to have in their own right, but it is a combination of them that makes for a truly effective customer service team. By being efficient in these five skills, you will see more satisfied customers and will take a great load off of your sales team. Most importantly, though, the insurer will come to be known for providing great customer service, which is valuable in any industry.
Muhammad Yasin is a public speaker, e-book author, and Director of Marketing for HCC Medical Insurance Services. In his role, Muhammad Yasin is responsible for the customer care and brand management strategy of several dozen social media accounts with over a quarter of a million followers. His background includes call center management in small call centers as well as centers with over 1,500 seats.
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