4 Winning Client Interaction Strategies for Insurance Agencies

How is your insurance agency interacting with your client base?

More than likely, there are opportunities you are leaving on the table every day, with untapped potential right in front of you.

As an insurance agency, you likely manage your client data and policies in your Agency Management System (AMS). Some popular examples include Vertafore, Applied Systems, and EZLynx, to name a few.

And while yes, that’s exactly what the technology is there for, you can take it so much further.

Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand the strategies that insurance agencies have taken, and in building a system that taps into their AMS data, and combining it with smart marketing automation, they have seen 5% client retention growth year over year on average.

Here are the top 4 winning strategies you can take to leverage the data you already have with technology that gives your agency a competitive advantage.

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What is smart automation?

Before we dive into the tactics, you first need to understand what smart automation is and how it makes all the difference in your level of success in using these strategies at scale.

The best way to understand smart automation is this: imagine having to write an email to each of your clients right now, you’d probably have to manually go through your book of business, identify who needs to get that email (also likely manually), and send out an email to each of them.

With smart automation, you can completely skip the manual steps and instead, have your client communications seamlessly be sent out on your behalf based on automated campaigns you can set up, with triggers to know when to send something out, as well as audience segmenting to break down who gets what message.

The best part is this: smart automation that also can integrate directly with your Agency Management System, like our Fuse marketing automation platform does, allows you to access a whole new level of seamless client interaction.

By having a deep AMS integration to your marketing automation platform of choice, the system can pull client data such as policy types, birthdays, customer since dates, policy expiration dates, and much more to enable you to set up marketing campaigns that can trigger based on that criteria.

For example, because your smart automation system knows the information from your AMS, it’s able to know who and when to send messages to, such as reminding clients around their policy renewal to make sure there are not lapses in coverage—all while taking the extra work of the initial communications from your team so you can reinvest time saved into your business in places where it matters more.

So now that you have an understanding of smart automation, let’s jump into the strategies that you’ll want to take for your own business.

Strategy 1: Send welcome kits to new clients.

Making the best first impression matters—especially when it comes to the insurance industry.

As an insurance agency, you know better than most that insurance is less about the policies you provide, and more about the client relationship that you build and nurture over time.

So, it’s not surprising at all when the top strategy for enhancing client interaction is in how you communicate with brand new clients right after they sign up.

Agencies are taking this into account and creating a seamless welcome experience by setting up automated workflows to sync up with their AMS database, lay out a series of client communications (typically a mix of email, text messages, and even postcards sent by mail), and use smart automation triggers to identify when a new client signs up so they are accurately sent right time, right place communications.

So let’s break down what a winning new client welcome kit strategy should look like:

• First welcome email: An initial email on the same day a new client signs up. This would include messaging that thanks them for their business, and introduces the agency and team they’ll be working with.
• Follow-up welcome email: Two days later, a second email is sent that includes information of who the new client should contact as their main point of contact at the agency, and includes a phone number, email, and other details, such as a number they can send a text message to.
• Informational email: Three days after the last email, another message is sent that provides information and tips they should know about the coverage they have, as well as advice on how to file a claim should they ever need to, so they can refer to that in the future.
• Handwritten letter from the agency owner: A week or so after the client signs up, they get a postcard in the mail that was signed by the agency owner expressing gratitude for their business, and sharing additional information to make them feel welcome and informed.

Strategy 2: Send timely policy renewal reminders.

For the most part, the only times that clients are engaged in their policies are when they sign up, and when they need to renew their policy. While your agency might be thinking about their coverage over the year, your clients are living life—which is how it should be.

However, policy renewals and reviews are important times in your client’s journey, and their coverage hinges on them renewing based on changes throughout the year. Getting ahead and staying on top of this process for your clients not only makes sure there are not lapses in coverage, but it also streamlines your agency’s workflow to be able to reach out to each of your clients come renewal time.

A smart automation approach to handling this otherwise herculean task is to have triggers set based on the expiration date of the policy, so that you can have messages ready to send to your clients precisely when they need to throughout the year and leading up to their policy renewal to keep your clients’ in the know.

Here’s a winning strategy of how to make account reviews and renewals seamless:

• Mid-year check-in: 6 months after a client has purchased a policy, send an automated email to check in and see if they have any major life events that would warrant updating their insurance coverage.
• Renewal reminder message: 2 months before a client’s policy renews, send an automated policy renewal email that includes all of the policy details, and encourages them to connect with your agency to make adjustments as needed.
• Renewal reminder follow-up: 1 month before a client’s policy is about to renew, send an automated email that checks in with the client for any last minute adjustments, as well as an automated text message to ensure they are aware of their policy coming up for renewal.
• Renewal thank you email: On the same day the client renews their policy with your agency, send them an automated thank you email that closes the loop of the renewal process until next time.

Strategy 3: Account rounding communications.

Account rounding, the practice of cross-selling additional policies to your book of business, is not just something that helps your clients by getting protection for their loved ones, possessions, or businesses—it’s also a vital tool for your agency growth and retention rates.

And even though it costs 9 times more to win a new client over vs. retaining an existing client, many agencies don’t have the time or capacity to pursue account rounding strategies at the level where it moves the needle.

A winning approach to engaging in cross-selling passively and through smart automation is to use a system that can target a subset of your audience (say, clients who have an auto policy but not a home policy), and targeting them with communications throughout the year leading up to renewal time, so that when you engage in the policy review process, they are already primed, informed, and more likely to add additional policies with your agency.

Here’s how agencies leverage smart automation to cross-sell more policies, using an auto to home client as an example:

• Educational email: 4 months before their policy expiration date, send an email that includes information about why it’s important to bundle home with auto, as well as exploring the coverage factors for home insurance with a visual, interactive graphic.
• Re-engagement email: 3 months before their policy expiration date, send an email that focuses on the benefits of bundling and the discounts that could be available for doing so, as well as providing a link to a home insurance page to learn more.
• Final follow-up email: 2 months before their policy expiration date, send a final email that reminds the client about their current coverage, and the benefits of including home insurance and the seamless approach to switching under one agency, which also includes a link to a quote form.

Strategy 4: Prompt claims follow-up and follow-through.

Insurance claims are the last thing a client wants to think about, but you can make the process easier for them, and your team, by leveraging an automated process to claims communications.

In fact, it’s easier than you might think, especially when you are using a system with deep integrations into your AMS database.

A tried and tested method of incorporating smart automation into the claims process involves setting up a trigger for when a claim is filed to immediately add them to a campaign that will walk them through the process to get your agency the details you need, all while taking care of the client.

Here is a strong strategy for handling the claims process through smart automation and your AMS data:

• Initial acknowledgement of the claim: After the claim is made, send an automated text message letting th eclient know you’ve received their claim request and set expectations that your agency will be in touch, as well as providing contact information should they need it.
• Follow-up on claim request: 2 hours later, send a detailed email that gives a run down of what your agency recommends they do to handle the claim, and offering to talk through the claims process further with their agent.
• Check-in message: 3 days later, send an email checking in with the client on their claim and the progress that is being made to ensure they are taken care of.
• Follow-up on feedback: 21 days later, send an email asking how the claims process went, and ensuring that the client was taken care of along the way, and to gather feedback to process and take action as needed.

Take the next step to using these winning strategies.

Unlock the full potential of your Agency Management System (AMS) with these top strategies to enhance client interactions and drive agency growth. By integrating smart automation with your AMS data, you can achieve seamless communication and operational efficiency.

Discover how to implement winning tactics like automated welcome kits, timely policy renewal reminders, strategic account rounding, and prompt claims follow-ups. These approaches not only streamline your processes but also strengthen client relationships, ultimately boosting retention and business success.

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Want to learn more?

If you’re ready to take the next step, our complete insurance marketing platform offers the tools and features your agency needs to stand out and succeed.

From marketing automation that keeps you connected with clients and boosts retention, to insurance websites designed to drive growth, and a suite of marketing tools to meet your needs, Agency Revolution is everything you need after your AMS.

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