One part of our Agency Assessment program is the dreaded insurance secret shopper call. Yes we have all sorts of little insurance ninjas across the country that delicately place new business calls to agencies to just simply see how a piece of new business is really handled. Many agencies have the physical quote down pat but in our experience there is often a great deal of room for improvement on the sales process itself. These secret shopper calls help give us a window into what’s really happening and how agencies can perform at a higher level with the work they are already currently doing.
Our secret shopper call is part of our Agency Assessment Program. During this program we do everything from run your retention rate, new business and closing ratios, to an anonymous survey of your team and onsite interviews. This gives us a whole view of the agency but my personal favorite part is the secret shopper call. Why? Well how a potential prospect is handled says a lot on how the agency runs.
Here are some common areas we see consistently and routinely come up in the secret shopper call:
- The receptionist is not confident or friendly, so the call starts off on not a positive note
- The calls can often be routed to voicemail, which for new business is a big no no
- When we speak to someone they treat us like an application not a person
- On many of these calls there is no excitement. Almost all of our call scenarios are someone buying a new home – that should create excitement!
- There is little to no explanation about the agency or why to do business with them
- Cross selling attempts only occur sometimes; it’s not routine
- Very few calls we make have expectation setting as part of the process, so it’s we will get you a quote whenever
- Often times quotes are emailed to the prospect with little explanation, call to action or care or concern
- Quotes generally need to be followed up on. If they are not received by the secret shopper in 48 hours we follow up and often get them still a few days later
- After receiving the quote there is little to no follow up
What’s common is we see an account manager who is also servicing and handling new business too. Now this can work but there needs to be a clear process. If the closing ratio on call in business (right, people who proactively called you) is in the 40% range we know we can do better, and we need to. One of the common excuses we hear is time. Well when we are quoting but not selling it is a waste of time. So we end of up on the hamster wheel of I’m too busy but I’m not effective. Quoting insurance is not the job, selling it is.
In addition, we rarely see in personal lines anyone even trying to get a quote over the phone. It is possible but it needs to be practiced. We don’t practice what is not mandated due to discomfort. Learning something new is hard.
When we look at the secret shopper call, no one is in trouble. In fact for many people it’s because the agency has no clear processes around sales. Without structure, scripts and tracking it can become a bit like the wild west. However, as an agency leader you have to remember this is your reputation and your brand out in the community. When we aren’t on top of being a well oiled machine we throw off a bad image to our team and prospects. While the secret shopper call may be uncomfortable, we should remember that this is one moment in time. If our team caught 3 calls that are off track from your expectations imagine the true compounding effect. That’s why we continue after the agency assessment with a 3 -12 month partnership to continue to workout the kinks.
If you are interested in learning more make sure you contact us!
