BEST PRACTICES: SOLICITATION OF FEEDBACK

Customer, Agent, Employee

Customer

  1. Comment cards:
  2. In any outgoing mail to a policy holder, include a card that contains a request for confirmation of correct policy information.
  3. Send a customer service response card after any customer service action is completed, asking ‘how did we do?’.
  4. Send a special comment card out with the Privacy Statement.
  5. Follow up with a card to ask why a customer cancelled their policy.
  1. Input on advertising:
  2. focus group
  3. internet survey
  4. grandmother test
  1. Customer survey sent out with a new policy or 30 days after the policy is delivered.
  1. Survey responses scanned or copied into the policy file.
  1. Telephone survey questions can be added to a routine application underwriting telephone call.
  1. Complaint form that is sent to the customer after a verbal complaint. The form asks, among other things, ‘what would you like us to do for you?’.

Agent

  1. Agent survey
  1. Annually, by hard copy, email or internet, on a regular basis (at least annually). Rewards for completion help get more responses.
  1. Quarterly, designed to be completed in five minutes or so, breaking desired feedback into four topics (e.g. ease of working with company, advertising, training needed, and product comments).
  1. Agent/Agency appraisal worksheets used as a standalone or prior to an agency visit or audit.
  1. Report of “problems” Engender trust in the agent relationship so issues are reported before they become complaints.
  1. Input on advertising:
  2. Focus group at regional or national meetings
  3. President's Council
  4. Agent Advisory council
  1. Training feedback: request consistently and follow through on improvements.

Employee

  1. Training feedback: request consistently and follow through on improvements.
  1. Follow up survey after Training in home office.
  1. Suggestion box or other solicitation for suggested improvements. Reward the behavior visibly and meaningfully in order to encourage it.
  1. Employee survey by hard copy, email or intranet, on a regular basis (at least annually). Rewards for completion help get more responses.
  1. Input on advertising:
  2. focus group of non-insurance savvy employees
  3. intranet survey
  4. grandmother / 8th grader test
  1. Interviews for company newsletter Spotlight one to three employees each month, interviewing them about how compliance impacts their job (or how their job impacts compliance!).
  1. Compliance award Ask employees to nominate another employee who has demonstrated compliance throughout the year. Reward the winner selected by a panel of employees.
  1. Annual Review input As part of each employee’s annual review, ask them to write one paragraph about how they have demonstrated compliance the past year. This may include specific incidents where they made a difference to a customer or agent or internal department by practicing compliance or best practices.