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April 25, 2016 Know How

Creating a client-centric culture

At Insurance Marketing Agencies, we take pride in our strong, client-centric culture. The agency was founded in 1924 in Worcester. We understand that we are here to provide the highest quality customer service throughout all aspects of the relationship with a client. This philosophy is woven into our DNA.

As all great client-centric companies know, this focus doesn't happen overnight, and it takes constant nurturing.

When looking to create a customer-centric philosophy, keep it simple. A strong and concise mission statement composed with the help of the leadership team, no more than a few sentences, can readily permeate and grow within the corporate structure. Once this tenet is developed, it is vital to communicate it throughout your organization on an ongoing basis. This statement should be reflective of your core values, which will bolster the mission statement. Every member of the organization, from the CEO down to the newest hire, should know it and conduct themselves accordingly.

As we all know, actions speak louder than words. It is important that leadership sets the examples for the others to follow. A client-centric culture is not something you can set and forget. It is vital that this culture is implemented at orientation and reinforced frequently throughout the organization.

How do we give life to this? In order to get true, organic buy-in from your people and ensure that these aren't just merely words on a memo, you must engage everyone at the gut level. Demonstrate the examples of what great service has achieved. Share stories of delighted clients who were positively impacted by the great customer service they experienced by someone in your company. Many companies speak of empowering their employees, but what does that really mean, and how is that truly accomplished?

The first step is hiring the best people and then continuously providing high-quality training to ensure they are providing the most accurate and up-to-date solutions to clients. Giving your people a higher level of autonomy is the last step in this equation. In this environment, the No. 1 rule is to hear what the client is saying or asking for. It is vital that everyone on the team is employing active listening when servicing clients. When this happens, customers walk away feeling that they know they have been heard and understood. The insurance product is a bit of a difficult sale to begin with; it's basically a contract between the insured and insurance carrier, so you need to understand the client's tolerance for risk and then fill those gaps with products that work. Nobody particularly likes it, but they have to have it.

A strong client-centric culture is what separates a good company from a great company. Just as you provide the best service to your customers, it is vital to apply the same philosophy to the teams and people that make things happen inside the organization. This message should permeate every aspect of what you do. From executive decisions regarding the direction of the company to how the phone is answered, the first question should always be: How does this best serve the client? When you let this happen, this culture becomes second nature.

Laura Herman-Strohecker is the CEO of Insurance Marketing Agencies in Worcester.

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