The primary purpose of any company in hiring a call center or an answering service firm is to hold on to customers and jump start the sales process. This is exactly how answering services can turnaround an insurance company's business. There is fierce competition, and too many insurance agents in the market for customers to wait on calls or call back if they did not get through the first time.
A highly competitive insurance industry
Competition is fierce and an insurance company needs to make sure every call is attended and pursued. A skilled and trained call center or answering services firm can help insurance agents by making sure every call is attended and pertinent information retrieved from the customer.
Answering services firms make sure each call is received
An outsourced call acceptance service ensures no call goes unattended or is transferred to an automated service. The call center personnel are trained on the opening questions to collect important information from customers. Call centers cannot close customer deals on their own, as they are not skilled or licensed to do so. But they can collect information that is critical in deciding whether the lead should be followed or not.
Collecting crucial information at the start
The service answering calls can collect important details from the caller to prepare the insurance provider for the first communication with the customer.
One of the critical details an answering service can get from the customer is what state they are calling from. This is extremely important, as insurance providers do not have the license to operate in all states. Asking this question at the beginning eliminates follow-up of callers that cannot turn into prospective clients. The answering service personnel can inform the caller that a quote cannot be generated for them due to licensing issues. This saves time for both the agent and the customer.
The insurance agents need to make sure the service is aware of the states the agents have a license for, and other details that help them ask relevant questions. Some other questions than an effective call center or answering service can ask customers are:
* What is the estimated value of the house?* Who is the existing insurer of the customer?* What is important to the customer in the insurance quotes - the cost, coverage, etc.?* Can the homeowners quote be combined with other insurance options such as vacant home insurance, life insurance, auto insurance, seasonal properties insurance, etc.?
Improving the customer experience
Customers hate repeating themselves to various executives of the same company. Answering services collect preliminary data that prepares the insurance agent for the first interview with the customer. When a prepared agent calls a prospective customer, the customer is happy to see the agent is well informed on what has already been exchanged. This tells the prospective customers that the insurance agent is professional and keen on their business.
A skilled call center can radically improve the productivity of insurance agents. Effective answering services help insurance agents bring a professional touch to their business and increase their earnings.Before you hire a vendor, compare multiple small business answering service quotes at a business network. For further information, read our answering service advice.
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