1. Customer Service: Relationships
David Tucker & Elizabeth Paul
July 27, 2016
Thank you all for coming
David Tucker – 8 years with LWCC. Underwriter, Marketing, and now bleassed to be AVP of Production Operations.
Elizabeth Paul – Director of Field Services

2. What type of company do you want to be?
Profit Maximizer – Making $$ without risking capital
Lowest “Feasible” Cost – A blend of money, relationships, and industry reputation
Lowest Cost – providing lowest cost by the law of the numbers without eroding surplus
Your corporate strategy will dictate how much you want to focus on customer service
Maximizing Profits by making the best decision for your companies security and longevity.
Focus on lowest feasible cost—what can you bear to give the PH, agent, or employee
Lowest cost—how sustainable is it for long term strategic planning; can it be done?

3. Strategic Plan
Create a strategic plan that will achieve your ultimate goal of the corporate strategy
Operational Excellence
Market Driver and/or Leader
Exceptional Customer Service
Cyclical in nature and can change.
Operationally Excellent – This may not be the best option but it assures that all tasks are taken care of. Alabama football – Nick Saban and trust the process
Market Driver or Market Leader – Are you the company that owns the majority of the market? Do you have any influence on where the market goes? Do you even want to be that?
Exceptional Customer Service – Understanding that operational excellence may decline but overall, you build loyalty and a reputation of educating, respectfulness and fairness.

4. What is Customer Service?
Insurance as a Service
Basic vs. Value-Added
Moment of Truth
Direct & Indirect Service Providers

5. Who Is Your Customer? Identify and understand who is your customer
Employee
Policyholder
Agent
Identify who they are and their concerns
In order to provide exceptional customer service experiences, you have to identify the customer, define what they want, and make a decision about what you can best provide for them. Understanding them is key and can be viewed from three aspects: Employee (Internal Customer), Policyholder, Agent

6. Employee Aspect
Interdepartmental customer service experience within an organization ultimately effects our external customers
Provide an atmosphere that fulfills your employee’s needs for productivity and effective interdepartmental relationships.
Employees are not just responsible for their interactions with external customers but they too depend upon a level of service within the organization; to work together across units to ensure they are providing accurate, timely and proper information to external customers; employees need to feel empowered to offer the proper experience and understand the significance of effective interdepartmental interactions as a means of seeing the complete picture and delivering proper service to others.
Transition to Strengths Based Leadership – Appreciation of others strength within an organization is one tool to show belief in other areas as well as exude confidence to other customers that all obstacles can be overcome. This may be education to some folks but is eye-opening to one-self….
Common Courtesy is Free….

7. Policyholder Aspect
Comprehensive approach to understanding customer needs and managing interactions
Ask them
Discuss Reality
Discuss Options
Set Expectations
Deliver
PH experience—pay what’s owed; reduce fraud; can provide them accessibility; sharing knowledge with them through audits, loss control and safety efforts, claims management
Common Courtesy is Free….

8. Agent Aspect Client’s best interest Education
Underwriting/Maintenance of a Policy
Claims Management
Loss Control/Safety
Investments/Dividends
If we’re not handling our agents with the right service, we can’t expect them to discuss us in a positive manner with others. (May be able to add a little more based on our experiences)
Agent experience—agents do care about more than just commission—commission dollars do matter but they’re not always the ultimate driver for what they want from an insurance carrier; true partners want to know we’re talking to insureds about ways to help and offer assistance, rehabilitation, and protect their clients’ pocketbooks when someone is injured
Common Courtesy is Free….

9. The Bottom Line
Common courtesy is free! Manners can make or break a customer experience.
Be conscious of your “Moment of Truth”
Set expectations and deliver
Common courtesy makes the customer service experience from a consumer standpoint. Make sure we’re courteous and respectful and handle interactions accordingly. Some personal flare is not a bad thing. Common courtesy has no cost and doesn’t infringe upon productivity. Want people to be accountable and make decisions the right way.

10. Questions