People, we all have emotions right? Well what happens when your boss is clearly not satisfied? Do you defend yourself? Do you get deflated and give up or do you prevail? Let me start by clearly telling both sides of the story. Let’s use a little scenario…
Scenario: The agency just lost an account that has been with them for 10+ years. The account is considered VIP because it has both personal and commercial lines with the agency. Your agency is owner is clearly upset, disappointing and frustrated. They bring this lost account to you and your team’s attention.
Here is the agency owner’s perspective:
What is going on? I have known these people for 20 years and worked hard to get their business when they became a client. In reviewing the account their rates have steadily increased and it looks like no one called them to review options. If this is happening to them it has to be happening to other people. How can we give service like this? I’ll have to see them at the country club every Friday for dinner. I will wonder who they went with and why? Why can’t my staff understand how important this is? I feel like a broken record. If it was their income going down they may think differently. Where there is one situation like this there are several. We have talked about it a million times.
Here is the account manager’s perspective:
I hate it when people leave too, but what am I suppose to do? I thought he said he was going to call them. Everyone’s rates are going up and morale in my department is so low. All we hear are upset clients about rates. It’s all I can do to keep up with reshops. I’m behind at least 2 weeks and the phone is ringing off the hook. I didn’t know it was an owner’s friend. I wish they sat in this seat for a day to see how crazy it is. We need more people and more help.
Here is the great news, both parties are right and wrong. The agency owner needs to stop and evaluate the processes to ensure they are happening correctly. If they are off track it needs to be worked through. You have to keep on top of the core processes that drive retention. The account manager needs to prioritize and raise their hand when they need assistance. Both parties need to work on team morale.
The moral of the story is when you have an upset agency owner, think about their position.
