I'm an independent life and health agent and I've grown my business to the point that most of my time is spent servicing current clients instead of selling. Obviously, I can't continue this way, but I don't know the best way to move forward without sacrificing quality service. I have considered hiring a service rep to help, but how will I give them access to the information they'll need to answer questions and do basic servicing without giving them access to my full accounts (commission info mainly)? What solutions have y'all found for this situation?
How do I keep everything updated??
- Thread starter girlboss
- Start date
- 5,887
There is a balance to service and sales. You must have both, but without sales, you have no new life blood and will die on the vine.
2 simple suggestions that may help:
#1 - make sure you are organized, set aside time for service and dedicate time to sales and keep them in their place. Clients respect that.
#2 - Work on ways to train your clients to conduct their own service with your help. Example - If there is something that you see most clients needing help with, create a professional cheat sheet for that particular issue that step by steps shows them what to do and who to call. Provide that to them, rather than doing it your self.
You may still need help, but if you don't address the service vs. sales issue, you cold find yourself out of business or losing income.
Hope that was helpful.
2 simple suggestions that may help:
#1 - make sure you are organized, set aside time for service and dedicate time to sales and keep them in their place. Clients respect that.
#2 - Work on ways to train your clients to conduct their own service with your help. Example - If there is something that you see most clients needing help with, create a professional cheat sheet for that particular issue that step by steps shows them what to do and who to call. Provide that to them, rather than doing it your self.
You may still need help, but if you don't address the service vs. sales issue, you cold find yourself out of business or losing income.
Hope that was helpful.
What Life Hawk said 100%
Many things I have clients call themselves My agency will deal with issues like misbilling claims issues and such
But they can call to cancel their won cov change their won docs I check the doctors but they can call to change primaries themselves
I do position myself as an advocate on claims and such but I am not a do everything for you agent either
But I choose the most important to put my CS efforts into but I don't let many clients waste too much of my time with things that they can do on their own or just complaining
I do have help my wife is my back office and I am sales first and formost
Def at least in medicare think its very helpful to have at least one person you can trust to help as back-office or assistant
Many things I have clients call themselves My agency will deal with issues like misbilling claims issues and such
But they can call to cancel their won cov change their won docs I check the doctors but they can call to change primaries themselves
I do position myself as an advocate on claims and such but I am not a do everything for you agent either
But I choose the most important to put my CS efforts into but I don't let many clients waste too much of my time with things that they can do on their own or just complaining
I do have help my wife is my back office and I am sales first and formost
Def at least in medicare think its very helpful to have at least one person you can trust to help as back-office or assistant
- 11,471
Alright, here we go:
1) You are in the revenue-generating business. And you are hiring people to help you generate revenue by freeing up your time. Get used to talking about commissions and set up a future bonus schedule for them to keep them long-term. Perhaps after they complete their own licensing? That would allow you to delegate even more to them.
2) Get a CRM where you can set the permissions and roles for everyone you want to have access. You don't want your people being able to erase things out of a contact - contact history notes, documents, the entire contact, etc.
3) You can't grow unless you delegate.
4) This is a great opportunity to ask for and receive referrals for your whole firm. I think Sandy Schussel has the best training for that.
www.sandyschussel.com/products
- Thread starter
- #5
@Life Hawk Time blocking and "client training" materials are both great ideas. Thanks!
@vic120 You're right...I've been coddling my clients and unintentionally set the expectation that I'm available to do everything for them. I will have to find ways to limit what I handle personally vs what they are "empowered" to do themselves. At least that's how I can frame it to not sound like I'm pushing it back to them.
@DHK Thanks for the suggestions and I'll take a look at the videos you attached. I do have a CRM that allows permission setting so a lot of the basic things like data entry, returning calls, etc can be delegated, but if it's something that requires me to look at the carrier website, they can't do it.
Seeing payment history, billing questions, printing a 1095A form, and many other things, can only be done if you have access to the carrier website or something like HealthSherpa (that only allows accounts for licensed agents)...I can't share my own login because they would have full access to everything. Anyone find a workaround for those situations?
@vic120 You're right...I've been coddling my clients and unintentionally set the expectation that I'm available to do everything for them. I will have to find ways to limit what I handle personally vs what they are "empowered" to do themselves. At least that's how I can frame it to not sound like I'm pushing it back to them.
@DHK Thanks for the suggestions and I'll take a look at the videos you attached. I do have a CRM that allows permission setting so a lot of the basic things like data entry, returning calls, etc can be delegated, but if it's something that requires me to look at the carrier website, they can't do it.
Seeing payment history, billing questions, printing a 1095A form, and many other things, can only be done if you have access to the carrier website or something like HealthSherpa (that only allows accounts for licensed agents)...I can't share my own login because they would have full access to everything. Anyone find a workaround for those situations?
- 11,471
There has always been a way to delegate access and permissions from every company I've ever been appointed with.
Just contact the company and ask how to do it. It should be a common enough request that they'll know exactly how to help you.
- Thread starter
- #7
@DHK The ACA products are the most service-heavy thing that I do and many of those carriers (at least in my area) don't have a way to do that yet...those are the ones I've checked on. After getting nowhere with them, I didn't bother to look at the Medicare and life carriers; I just figured it would be the same. Thanks for the info! I'll contact the Medicare and life carriers to get that set up. Hopefully, the ACA carriers will get enough requests that they start offering a way too.
Helpico_Insure
Super Genius
- 145
You can do preventive e-mails with instructions. When you get 2-3 call asking about same thing or close or the same topic, send an e-mail to all your clients with explanation and give them tools to navigate the system. Educate them as much as possible, and it will be a lot easier to work for them. I also use text message to tell them that I sent and email. For one year, you can build a system, uniform letters, reminder letters, news letters, ... this helps a lot if you want to work by your self for your self. If you want more money, you'll need to delegate, but as someone here stated, delegate sales!
- 2,357
I am not a life health guy - but I am a huge fan of setting time aside each day for "service related" tasks. When someone calls you and requires you to work on one of these items, almost always you will do that chore at the "Service Time."
Best of Luck growing your successful practice.
Best of Luck growing your successful practice.
