One of my constant concerns is "staying in touch." Since I am out of the office--and out of town--much of the time, remaining "accessible" is very important to me.
PRODUCER-RELATED ISSUES
By Michael J. Weinberg
Hand-held devices allow the agent to keep in touch
with the office and with the client
The greater access we have to knowledge and information,
the more valuable we become to our clients and our agencies.
One of my constant concerns is "staying in touch." Since I am out of the office--and out of town--much of the time, remaining "accessible" is very important to me.
I remember when I got my first beeper in the late '70s. I thought that this was a wonder because anyone could reach me 24/7. I no longer had to worry that someone was unsuccessful in trying to locate me.
Then in the mid 1980s I got my first cell phone. It was a brick but it was transportable (and weighed about three times what my current laptop weighs). For the first time ever, I was able to keep in constant communication by phone with anyone at any time. It was a lifesaver. (I can still remember the frustration I would feel when I would be on my way to an appointment, stalled in traffic, and unable to call the client and explain why I was running late.)
As time went on, gadgetry became more and more sophisticated. Now, I am in touch remotely by phone and e-mail, and can access my agency management system as well. I feel like I'm constantly on an airplane going somewhere, and one of the disadvantages of travel is down time. Today, I am able to sit in an airport and do the same work I can do in my office. What a welcome change!
Let's first look at my cell phone. I used to carry a cell phone, a PDA and a wireless e-mail device. Today, my cell phone functions as all three. In addition to receiving calls and voice mail on my cell phone (something I personally find invaluable), I can send and receive e-mail with attachments, browse the Internet, obtain the latest news and stock quotes, and access my calendar, my things-to-do list, my notes, and my "rolodex" of over 3,000 names. And it weighs only a few ounces! The only disadvantage I find is that it does not have a regular keyboard (although there are models available with a built-in keyboard). There is no way that I am going to carry that little roll-up keyboard around and try to set it up every time I need to send a message. (For that reason, I am thinking about a BlackBerry® system for 24/7 e-mail.)
In years past, it was frustrating when, during a visit at the client's office, the client would ask a question about the account. He or she would often ask about balances and payment history, specific policy limits, premium due dates, etc. I was unable to answer without access to our management system. And, as my client list grew, my inability to remember all of the facts about all of our clients became quite commonplace.
We added a Citrix® network several years ago, which facilitates remote connectivity. This is effective both for our branch offices and for our agents in the field. Recently we supplied each of our agents with a laptop and a wireless cellular card so that they could reach our computer system from virtually anywhere. Today I received e-mails from two agents who are traveling--one in New Orleans and one in Hong Kong! Talk about staying in touch!
Recently, I added a new and expanded dimension to our remote field connectivity solution by purchasing our first tablet PC. I avoided going to tablets until both their development and maturation made it a practical choice to do so.
One of the things that really bogs me down is meeting with a client, taking notes and then having to come back to the office and transcribe those notes into memos and e-mails for the staff to handle and follow through. Now, I can "write" my notes in my own handwriting, use the software to convert my handwriting to text, and then e-mail the notes to our account managers and have this all done before I leave the client's office. That is efficiency!
Another problem that I have is that I am incessant note taker. When I am in a staff meeting or at a client's office, I write down everything that seems important to me so that I will have it for future reference. The problem I usually encounter is twofold. First, I often can't read my own notes when I get back to the office--which is often days later. Second, even when I can read the notes, what do I do with all of that paper? I have files full of handwritten notes that must be stored and (I hope!) retrieved if they are ever to be meaningful to me.
With the tablet PC, I can write my notes, convert them to text, and store them by topic on the hard drive. Not only is this a more efficient way of storing but from now on I will have all of my notes on every topic available to me at all times. All I have to do is open the correct file on my computer. And if I wish, I can easily e-mail the files to my desktop computer.
The important idea is the concept and thought process and not the specific devices. For many, a PDA is all they wish to carry. Today, PDAs can run on Windows and be fully compatible with desktops. The power that we can carry around on our belt is far greater than what we used to have in the first desktop PCs.
I have often voiced the opinion that as insurance agents we're no longer product sellers but knowledge sellers. And the greater access we have to knowledge and information, the more valuable we become to our clients and our agencies.
Some readers may think that this sounds like a lot of gadgets and is more high-tech than they desire. But for me, bring on the gadgets and keep increasing my access to information and to clients. And, of course the reverse is true--keep increasing the ability of my clients and my agency to reach me as well. *
The author
Michael J. Weinberg, nationally known columnist, speaker and seminar leader, is the managing director of Gateway Insurance Agency where he spearheads the agency's marketing/sales and automation efforts. His e-mail address is mweinberg@gatewayins.com.