Ruth E. Phillips, CISR, CPSR, CPIW, of the Morrell Agency in Magnolia, Mississippi, has been named 2004 National Outstanding CSR of the Year by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.

AND THE WINNERS ARE ....

CSR award recipients show strength,
savvy, and super service skills

By Elisabeth Boone, CPCU

When it comes to handing out awards in the independent agency system, most of the goodies go to producers. The fact is, though, that behind—or beside—every successful producer is a smart, dedicated, and hard-working professional known as a customer service representative, or CSR. From soothing clients who’ve experienced a loss, to cross-selling, from marketing complex accounts to mastering the intricacies of automation, CSRs are the linchpin of every efficient agency operation. As such, top-notch CSRs unquestionably merit recognition for their contribution to agency success—but until recently, such recognition was in short supply.

All that changed when The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, in conjunction with the Society for Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) and the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC), began presenting an Outstanding CSR of the Year award in 1991.

Every year since, a national award winner and four finalists have been honored. They are chosen on the basis of their individual contributions to the insurance community and on the strength of their essays on the topic “Four Ways CSRs Can Make or Break an Agency.”

A blue-ribbon panel of judges chose Ruth E. Phillips, CISR, CPSR, CPIW, of the Morrell Agency in Magnolia, Mississippi, as 2004 National Outstanding CSR of the Year. Phillips is a licensed resident agent and a surplus lines retail agent, performing both CSR and agent duties. She is a member of the National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW) and the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) of Mississippi. She was selected as NAIW’s 2003 National Rookie of the Year and is chairman of the education committee of her NAIW association.

In her essay, Phillips chose customer service, knowledge, trust, and personality as the four “make or break” areas that determine a CSR’s success within an agency. As the national award recipient, Phillips receives a cash award of $1,000 and a gold and diamond pin, and her name is inscribed on a sculpture on permanent display at The National Alliance headquarters in Austin, Texas. A scholarship will be awarded to her employer, Morrell Agency, Inc., for participation in any National Alliance program.

In addition to Phillips, four national finalists were chosen: Sarah F. Barber, CISR, Lyman & Sheets Insurance Agency, Lansing, Michigan; Susan Emile, CISR, Liberty Mutual, South Easton, Massachusetts; Dana McDaniel, CIC, CPCU, CPIW, Messer-Bowers Agency, Enid, Oklahoma; and Keri Morris, CIC, CISR, ACSR, AIM, Legacy Texas Insurance Services, Plano, Texas. Each finalist receives a gold and garnet lapel pin.

In talking with Phillips and the four finalists, Rough Notes gained valuable insights into the attitudes, accomplishments, and ambitions of these top-performing CSRs.

Ruth Phillips (left) with her supervisor and mentor, Kerry Morrell.

Considering that she began her insurance career a short five years ago, it’s fair to say that 2004 Outstanding CSR Ruth Phillips has come a long way. “When I was hired as a CSR, I didn’t know anything about insurance except that I had to pay my premium every month or my daddy yelled at me,” she says with a laugh. “My boss, Kerry, who owns the agency, said she’d teach me everything I needed to know, and that’s what she’s doing.” The Morrell Agency was established in 1945 in Magnolia, Mississippi, in the southwestern part of the state. The agency has premium volume of about $1 million, of which 70% is commercial lines and 30% is personal lines. Of the four-person staff, two are CSRs. Phillips, a licensed agent, handles both commercial and personal accounts.

What does Phillips like most about her job? “I like helping people,” she responds. “I have a lot of older customers. Often they’ll call me because they received something in the mail from their insurance company that they don’t understand, and I really enjoy helping them.” On one occasion, she says, an older customer called to say he had received a past-due notice even though he’d paid his premium. “I checked the computer and told him that his payment had been received and he was in good standing,” Phillips says. “He came in the next day, and what he had in his hand wasn’t from his insurance company—it was his credit card bill.” Being calm and patient with customers, especially those who are older, is a hallmark of Phillips’ commitment to her profession.
In addition to the three professional designations she’s already earned (CISR, CPSR, and CPIW), Phillips is currently pursuing the Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI) designation from the Insurance Institute of America. She’ll use the scholarship her agency received from The National Alliance to work toward the CIC designation.

Throughout her career, Phillips observes, she’s been fortunate to have an excellent mentor in her agency’s owner, Kerry Morrell. “Whenever I tell Kerry I want to learn something, whether it’s taking a class or getting a designation, she always supports me,” Phillips says. “When I found out I’d won the essay contest, I tracked Kerry down while she was on vacation in Missouri, and she was just as excited as I was.”

What would Phillips say to a young person who’s considering a career as a CSR? “First, I’d want to be sure the person had the right temperament for the job,” she replies. “We have to be patient, we have to be sympathetic, and we have to remain calm when a client is upset, especially at the time of a loss.” Phillips also emphasizes the commitment a CSR must make to continuing education. “A good CSR takes classes, gets involved in professional organizations, reads trade journals, and keeps up with what’s going on in the industry,” she says. “Being a CSR is tough, but it’s a great career. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

“Service is not limited to just clients. My time is spent not only with my customers, but the companies that I place their coverage with as well.” —Sarah F. Barber, CISR

A CSR for nine years, Sarah Barber joined Lyman & Sheets Insurance Agency in Lansing, Michigan, in 1999. Established in 1874, the agency writes primarily commercial lines and offers personal lines as an accommodation for commercial clients. Lyman & Sheets has 29 employees, including seven producers and 12 CSRs, all of whom are licensed agents. Barber works with a producer whose accounts are among the more complex accounts in the agency. “A great deal of my time is spent on risk management activities,” she says, “visiting with clients, looking at locations, talking about how we can structure different coverages. My producer and I essentially serve as our two major clients’ risk managers.”

What does Barber like most about her job? “There are three groups of people who make my job great,” she responds. “Number one is the clients. Their industries are so fascinating that every day is a little different. Something new is always coming up, and that’s a learning experience for me. The second group of people who make my job great are my coworkers,” Barber continues. “They’re so talented and experienced, and they’re all-around professionals. “Third are the companies I work with. They have such good underwriters who go the extra mile and make my job easier.” With each of these three groups, Barber observes, “We can all learn from each other and teach each other. That’s what makes coming in to work every day exciting.”

“On a customer’s behalf, it’s very difficult to be irate when you are dealing with a smiling, friendly CSR.” —Susan Emile, CISR

Throughouther seven-year insurance career, Susan Emile has served as a customer service representative. In her position with direct writer Liberty Mutual, she services existing personal lines accounts as well as writing new accounts. In Massachusetts, where auto insurance is heavily regulated, “it’s difficult for companies to compete, because no matter where you go, you’ll pay just about the same amount,” Emile explains. “We have to provide great customer service, because that’s really the only way we can differentiate ourselves.” Asked for an example of providing customer service that goes the extra mile, Emile says, “For clients who are disabled and unable to leave the house, we go out of our way to call on them at home to deliver policiesand explain coverages. I had one customer who was blind and couldn’t read the policy. I took the time to review coverages with her over the phone and reassured her that everything was the way it was supposed to be. Now she calls meevery morning,” Emile says with a laugh. “Being a CSR is a hard job,”she concludes. “It’s very challenging—but it’s definitely worth it.”

“CSRs with a positive attitude can make an incredible impact on an agency. Not only do they get the job done, they do it with a smile.” —Dana McDaniel CIC, CPCU, CPIW

Dana McDaniel, a commercial lines manager with the Messer-Bowers Agency in Enid, Oklahoma, began her insurance career in 1979. Since 1988 she’s been with Messer-Bowers, which is heavily involved in the oil and gas industries as well as commercial agriculture. Premium volume is over $30 million, split 85% commercial and 15% personal lines. The agency has a staff of 37; of these, 25 are CSRs, all of whom are licensed agents.

McDaniel hires, trains, and supervises the CSRs who handle large commercial accounts. Her days are full and fast paced, “and I like it that way,” she says. “I love helping customers and working with my coworkers.” One important way the CSRs help customers, she notes, is by making sure their workers compensation experience modifications are correct. “By finding just a small mistake, we can save a customer as much as $30,000.”

Over the span of her career, McDaniel has observed a significant shift in the perception of CSRs, who not so long ago were often regarded as secretaries or clerks. Today, she says, CSRs are much more likely to be viewed as insurance professionals who contribute substantially to agency success. “I think education has a great deal to do with this change,” she says. “CSRs have so many more opportunities to acquire practical knowledge. The CISR classes are wonderful: CSRs can take what they’ve learned back to the agency and start using it right away. Today’s CSRs are definitely more knowledgeable, and in turn they’ve taken on more responsibility and are setting higher goals for themselves,” she asserts.

“An acronym helps me remember how we need to keep our clients with us: PARK. Professionalism, Attitude, Responsibility, and Knowledge.” —Keri Morris, CIC, CISR, ACSR, AIM

“If our clients stay ‘parked’ with us, then we have done our job!” That maxim appears in the opening paragraph of the essay written by Keri Morris of Legacy Texas Insurance Services in Plano, Texas. A 10-year veteran of the property/casualty business, Morris began her career as a production assistant and joined her current agency in 2003. Premium volume of some $25 million is split 85% commercial lines and 15% personal lines. The agency’s staff of 32 employees includes nine producers and 15 CSRs. A licensed agent, Morris works with all of the producers, marketing both new and renewal business, handling policy changes, and performing account service functions. She also conducts account reviews with producers.

What does Morris like most about her job? “I like interacting with clients and company representatives and building good day-to-day relationships with them,” she says. A key challenge she identifies is keeping current with rate filings in the strict regulatory climate that prevails in Texas. “We’re different from everybody else in the United States, so where somebody from Missouri could go to New York and understand the policy forms there, that same person could come to Texas and be clueless,” she remarks. “As CSRs, we have to have a working knowledge of the forms and rates of each company we represent.”

Asked for an example of service that goes the extra mile, Morris says, “One of our producers was scheduled to present a renewal proposal to a client. The day before the meeting, the producer had a family emergency. I said, ‘I’ve had a relationship with this client for the past couple of years. Let me go out there and do the renewal presentation.’ I made the presentation, and everything went fine.” *