In insurance, customers often have little interaction with their agents. They sign up for a policy and, unless they need to file a claim, they often have little to no contact with their agent until it is time to renew a policy. This is why making an impression during onboarding is essential to building a relationship with your clients to help with client retention.
Here we look at onboarding and how an automated customer onboarding process can help streamline your business while allowing you to provide quality contact with your clients.
What is client onboarding?
Client onboarding is the process of introducing and welcoming new clients to your business. This early connection provides an opportunity to begin building a strong relationship. It is when you can introduce new clients to the services you provide, help them better understand how you intend to help them meet their short-term and long-term insurance needs, address any questions they may have, and outline how you will help them move forward. Keep in mind that, as you build these client relationships, you are creating the trust that could lead to referrals, cross-selling, and greater retention as time goes by.
Benefits of an automated customer onboarding process
The goal of every insurance is to bring on new business, and onboarding is an essential part of it. While many agents opt to do this all manually, adding workflow automation to your new client onboarding process can help you streamline your business and ensure that no client is forgotten. Using industry-specific customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can automate many different areas of the system. This automation offers a wide range of benefits, including:
Enhances your agency efficiency
Adding workflow automation allows you to streamline your existing workflow. If you or your staff have to input information to multiple areas or software programs to perform routine onboarding tasks, you are not working efficiently. Adding workflow automation through your CRM allows you to add information into one central location. This software then captures the data and transfers that data to the necessary locations within the system. This helps avoid missing data and helps ensure that every client is taken care of and doesn’t slip through the cracks.
Address your client’s needs in a timely manner
Manual administration of your onboarding process often works much slower and allows for the possibility of things to be missed. Because of this, many agents lose clients to competitors that offer faster services. The use of an automated onboarding process allows agents to reduce the time it takes to address their clients’ needs and make it easier to advise clients on the best products based on their needs provided by the data in the centralized CRM or AMS system.
Never leave a client feeling ignored
When a customer can get all they need with the click of a button, they expect the same from their insurance agent. Self-service client onboarding through automation allows your clients to get everything they need without getting on the phone. They can ask questions, follow up on policy details, and even track the status of their policy or claim. Clients can update their policy online through this automated system, eliminating the need for staff to manually enter changes that could be subject to error. In the technology-based world of today, an automated onboarding system is essential.
Stay on top of regulatory changes
Automating your customer information allows you to efficiently ensure your customers data is in a centralized repository. The use of an automated workflow also helps ensure you have an audit trail should you need to prove compliance. You securely store documents actions by using centralized workflow automation within your CRM.
How automation can help streamline client onboarding
When it comes to workflow automation for your onboarding process, you can control the level of automation you want based on your goals and needs. For example, you can choose to start the automation process at the policy level and let it take control. On the other hand, you can create separate workflow automation for different scenarios, like new policy thank you automation or policy submission tracking. The choice is up to you and can be adapted to your needs. Some common ways to streamline your client onboarding process includes:
New client welcome
This automation triggers an email or call to a new client. For example, when you enter a new client into your system, this triggers a task to the client’s agent to call and welcome them to the agency. At the same time, the system triggers a welcome email that also provides them with their agent contact information and any other important information you would like to include.
Policy tracking
This option allows you to track every stage of a new policy and trigger tasks when necessary. For example, when a new policy is submitted, the system triggers an email to the agent alerting them to a new policy while at the same time triggering an assignment for them to call and follow-up with the client. An email is also sent to the client verifying submission. Once the policy is approved and active, this triggers an assignment for the agent to call the client. It will also send an email to the client that their policy is active and that they will receive more information from their agent soon.
Regular communication
Automated workflow allows you to continue to contact your clients regularly by setting up actions at regular intervals, such as new policy check-ins and quarterly check-in emails. These actions can also trigger agent tasks to make follow-up phone calls that can help ensure that a relationship is maintained and no client slips through the cracks.
How an insurance CRM can make a difference
Utilizing an automated client onboarding process allows you to achieve more client connections throughout the year much more efficiently. A good insurance CRM software allows you to personalize your automation process to what works best for you and your clients.
For more information about our insurance CRM software and how it can make a difference for your business, schedule a call with Better Agency today.