T H U R S D A Y ,  A U G U S T   1 0 ,   2 0 0 6

    Industry News

IIABA News

Register for Habitat Project by Aug. 23

Want to help rebuild New Orleans? Take part in the Big "I" 2006 Leadership Convention Community Project. The Big "I" is coordinating two building shifts in partnership with Habitat for Humanity on Sept. 8, one from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the second from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Anyone can volunteer! Participants must complete a separate registration form. Opportunities are limited to the first 300 registrants, so sign up early.

While progress in New Orleans has been made, more work remains to ensure that everyone has a place to call home. Habitat for Humanity, with the help of more than 30,000 volunteers, hopes to build 1,000 homes by mid-2007---and you can help.

Not sure about your construction skills? No problem! Volunteers at all levels of construction experience, from first-time builders to experienced professionals, are welcome. For more information, contact Madelyn Flannagan at 800-221-7917;

madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net.

Special thanks to the following sponsors of the Big “I” Community Project*:

Applied Systems

Encompass Insurance

Fidelity National Insurance Services

RLI

Safeco Insurance

Swiss Re

The Hartford

Travelers

Zurich   North America

Independent Insurance Agents of Louisiana

Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina

Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents

*Contributors as of Aug. 9, 2006.

If your company or organization is interested in contributing through sponsorships contact Beth Montgomery at 800-221-7917;  beth.montgomery@iiaba.net.

Best Practices

Customer Service Made Simple

As Miss Manners eloquently stated: “True service can only be provided by thinking people who have the imagination to put themselves in the place of the customer, figuring out what he needs and how it can most easily be done, and who have the largesse and grace to be pleasant about it.”

Thinking. Imagination. Figuring out. Easily. Largesse. Grace. Clearly great customer service is more than a smile, answering the phone by the third ring, making sure invoices go out and hanging a nice mission statement in the lobby. But it isn’t rocket science. “Put themselves in the place of the customer” is the key, and that is a relatively simple procedure. Aren’t we all customers? Yet, a Big “I” branding study found “85% of personal lines customers believe having professional standards met by agents is important; however, only 30% of independent agents surveyed thought consumers cared about such standards.” Seems like more than a few agents haven’t put themselves in customers’ shoes. What is it your customers want that you may be missing?

A previous IIABA Future One study found that 52% of all insurance policyholders are relationship buyers. They want to form long-term relationships with an established agent who insures others they know. In other words, over half of the marketplace is exactly the type of buyer all agents know and love. But have you formed the kind of relationship that is key to their loyalty?

According to several national studies, both in and outside of the insurance industry, companies rated highest in service share several characteristics. How many apply to your agency?

• Design products and services to maximize customer satisfaction.
• Create and manage customer expectations.
• Obsessive about knowing what customers want.
• Set impossibly high standards for themselves.
• Commit energy and resources to deliver quality products and customer service.
• Make customer satisfaction the business of all employees, not just the front-line people.
• Hire, train and motivate employees to serve customers well.
• Constantly ask customers to rate their performance.
• Invest heavily in smart technology to support customer service.
• Carefully monitor competitors’ customer evaluations and marketplace actions.

Commit now to incorporate all of these characteristics into your agency. If you need specific ideas and suggestions on methods and materials, consider obtaining a copy of IIABA’s Best Practices guide, “Customer Service Made Simple: An independent agent’s guide to superior customer service.” Click here for an order form. For more information on the Best Practices program, click here.

Young Agents

Attend the Leadership Institute in New Orleans

The  2006 Young Agents Leadership Institutewill take place Sept. 8 through 10 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. This exciting event features numerous opportunities for Young Agents to learn new leadership and business development skills.

Keynote speakers Keith Harrell and Brian Bagley will share their insights into the independent insurance industry. Harrell will offer ways to tune up your attitude and improve your professional and personal life. Bagley, who contributed to the New York Times bestseller “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t,” will discuss how companies grow and attain superior performance---and how good companies can become great companies.

The Leadership Institute features breakout sessions focusing on membership development, political involvement and communications. In addition, the Young Agent Committee Awards will be presented and attendees are invited to join the Young Agent event on Bourbon Street.  Click herefor updates and to register online.

Young Agents also will have the chance to participate in the afternoon session of the Big "I" Leadership Conference Community Project, volunteering their time and skills to assist with a Habitat for Humanity homebuilding project that gives back to Hurricane Katrina victims. Spaces are limited.  Click hereto register.  For more information, contact Katie Cosgrove at; 800-221-7917; katie.cosgrove@iiaba.net.

InsurBanc

Exclusive Mortgage Offer

While mortgage rates are still low, InsurBanc, the only bank completely dedicated to the insurance business, has a unique offer that makes mortgages even more affordable.

As a limited-time, exclusive offer to Big “I” member agencies and employees, InsurBanc is offering:

• Offering no application fees, and
• A $250 rebate after closing ($100,000 minimum loan amount required).

The offer is good until Oct. 2, 2006, so apply now and take advantage of InsurBanc’s wide variety of mortgage programs, including: traditional fixed and variable rate options, no and low down payment programs, no income verification programs and a less than perfect credit program.

Other InsurBanc Mortgage perks include a best-price guarantee and on-time closing guarantee. For more information, click here.

Organized in 2001 by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America and the W.R. Berkley Corporation specifically to serve independent insurance agents and their clients, InsurBanc is the only bank with a full-time focus on the insurance industry. The bank is member FDIC and an equal housing lender.

Big “I” Markets^SM

Wedding Season is Here

Exhibitors, sales vendors and food vendors that are part of a larger event can now obtain coverage through the event liability product on Big "I" Markets. Exhibitors who don’t sell anything will qualify for a rate of $130. Vendorsselling anything except food will be charged $140 and the price for food vendors is $160. The minimum prices noted above are for three days. Additional days can be purchased. Products liability is excluded for all vendors except food vendors. Ineligible categories are: jewelry, cosmetics, tattooing, body piercing, body painting (including face painting), health foods, vitamins, dietary/herbal supplements, massage and exercise equipment. Additional details are available on the event liability page on Big "I" Markets. To learn more about this product or to complete the free registration process and become a Big "I" Markets agency, visit www.bigimarkets.com, or e-mail a Big "I" Markets team member at bigimarkets@iiaba.net.