Is “going the extra mile” just a worn-out expression? I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before. How many television commercials tout the phrase, “We go the extra mile for our customers!” Are those just empty words of a salesperson looking to score a deal?
If you’ve been in insurance any length of time, you may appreciate the deeper meaning of the phrase. In fact, you’ve probably stayed after work or kept working right through your lunch hour many days searching for a solution for a customer’s need. It’s what insurance agents do—at least the good ones.
Finding the best solution for an insurance customer may not always be the solution that most benefits the agency financially. Can you take a little less commission to find a customer an affordable product that truly meets his insurance needs?
Putting the customer first also may not always be the most “comfortable” option. Maybe it’s better for you to haggle on the phone with a claims’ representative than your customer. After all, you understand the industry jargon and how the process works. Is your time more valuable than that of your customer?
Customer service is not dead; sometimes, it just gets buried beneath piles of paperwork or at the end of a long chain of endless voicemail messages that need to be answered. No insurance agent worth his salt would ever deliver bad customer service on purpose. Doing that would close your doors sooner than later.
So, how long has it been since you dug a little deeper to keep a customer happy? You’ve got to keep your fires lit to stay in this business. Your customers want and deserve the best you have to give, even if it means going that extra mile…
