As an insurance agent, you correspond with a lot of people.
Your agency probably makes hundreds of phone calls each month and the amount of information you handle is substantial.
When scheduling appointments or implementing any customer outreach calls, make sure you keep diligent records.
15+ years of customer outreach has shown us that the information you have and keep record of directly correlates with positive interactions and higher success.
Information to Track
Time and Date of Calls
Call Results and Action Items
Updated Information (spouse name, bad phone number, etc.)
Call Back Requests (specific times)
Specific notes about what was said or discussed
The easiest way to keep track of this information is by using dialing software that automatically tracks calling metrics and keeps records of your calls.
These kinds of systems may be expensive or difficult to implement, but are standard at most outside vendors like Engagex.
However, you may try to have your staff track information manually in customer files, it will just take more time and effort.
Information Improves Efficiency
By tracking the day and time of each call, you will have better success with outreach and scheduling appointments in the future.
For example: When you open a customer’s file and notice that you’ve called them on weekday mornings with no answer, you will know to try another day or time.
You'll also find that conversations will go smoother with your clients when you are able to refer back to the conversation you had last time.
When I started working at Engagex back in 2017, I was an appointment scheduler.
When I would call a customer back at the time they requested, it was a much smoother call when I referred back to our earlier call.
For example: "Hi, last time I called, you said you wanted to talk things over with your spouse about setting an appointment, is now a better time to set that up?"
Or if they were on vacation last time you called, you can ask how their vacation went. Having these small pieces of information will make a big difference.
By paying close attention to what is said on the call, you may also be able to gather missing contact information such as spouse’s name, additional phone numbers, employment, etc.
Failing to keep records can actually undermine your client outreach efforts.
Let's say one of your staff members reaches out to a customer about coming in for their annual review.
During the interaction, the client informs your staff member that they're not interested in coming in yet, but in another 6 months they'd like a call back to schedule something.
If for some reason, this staff member fails to document this phone call and the action items associated with it, another staff member might call this customer next week or next month.
Your client now feels angry at worst, and at best, they have a little less trust in your agency's ability to communicate. Both and all cases in between will negatively impact your business.
At Engagex, our list scrubbing tool has the capability to scrub out customers we've scheduled appointments for, customers who weren't interested within the last X number of months (customizable by you), duplicate customers (within a single list AND within previously used lists if you choose), and many other options!
Agents who outsource their customer outreach to Engagex are able to run and access reports of these important interactions.
Whether you outsource to Engagex or handle the outreach in-house, keeping diligent records will save you time and help you retain more customers - this will save you money in the long run.