Customer Service Focus

Hiring + training = value-added CSR

How to find, evaluate, and train top performers

By Cleva Moore, CIC, CRM, CPCU, AIS, AU, APA

Insurance is a business of sales and service. It takes people to fulfill the promise represented by our product. Customer service representatives are the heart of the agency system and the key people responsible for meeting customers’ expectations.

CSRs’ duties are many and diverse: preparing certificates of insurance, handling endorsement requests, answering coverage questions, making account rounding sales, and processing claims. A successful CSR can maintain a delicate balance, demonstrating both professionalism and a pleasant personality. Unfortunately, there are not enough of these supermen and superwomen to go around!

How does an agency find CSRs who will help the business grow? It is important that we complete our team with like-minded people who understand the needs of the industry and can offer suggestions and ideas to further the success of the agency. This can seem like a daunting task. Hiring people who have experience, job skills, personality, willingness to learn and desire to fit in your corporate culture is both an art and a science.

Job description

Before you begin to look for applicants or schedule that first interview, you will want to have in hand a complete, detailed description of the position you wish to fill. This tool will allow you to determine whether or not a particular applicant’s skills and experience are a good match for your needs.

Finding applicants

The next step in the hiring process is locating qualified applicants. Placing an ad in a trade journal or your local paper no longer may be enough. If you are in a large metropolitan area where there is a pool of prospects, you may find the right fit by looking to one of your insurance companies for people who want to stay in the business of insurance but who are looking for a change. Also, networking may help you identify some applicants.

Internet job sites sponsored by professional organizations provide a database of potential applicants. You can refine your search to identify candidates from your local area.

Headhunters provide a useful service because they pre-qualify applicants.

College job placement offices are another excellent source of talent. Candidates may lack on-the-job experience, but they usually have both the desire and ability to learn quickly and well. When you find a candidate who is a good match in terms of professionalism, personality and goals, you can train him or her in the mechanics of insurance.

Interview process

With job description, interview criteria and applicant list in hand, you are ready to begin the interview process. The first interview with each applicant should be scheduled so as not to be rushed or too long. You will want to visit no less than 30 minutes; however, more than an hour for the first interview should be an exception. Allow enough time between interviews so you don’t have to cut anyone short or make applicants wait.

First impressions do make a difference. Look for applicants who are dressed appropriately and are pleasant and personable. Many applicants will be nervous, so temper your judgment with empathy. The person who can look you in the eye and answer truthfully and confidently at the initial interview is more likely to deal well with your clients.

Because your agency’s success depends on getting people to work together to achieve goals, you will need to hire people who have personal performance goals and also are willing to help the agency achieve its corporate goals. In your interview, you will want to learn about candidates’ relationships with former employers and peers. What are their personal goals? What do they think they can do to help achieve your agency’s goals? What motivates them to succeed? You can’t motivate people who don’t want to be motivated.

If you deem it appropriate to have follow-up interviews with selected candidates, you will want to learn in greater detail how the applicant believes he or she will be able to meet personal goals while helping you achieve the agency’s goals.

You may want to outline hypothetical scenarios and inquire how the applicant would handle the situation. Ask the candidate to perform a certain task, or describe an ongoing work issue and ask the candidate for his or her ideas. This will allow you to assess the candidate’s critical thinking skills and ability to solve problems creatively.

An applicant who has insurance experience should be able to answer questions like:

• How would you explain co-insurance to a client?

• What do I need to do if I have a property claim?

If the applicant seems to be a good fit for the position, a variety of the tools can help validate your decision.

Many agencies use the Caliper profile, a personality assessment of the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses and how he or she might fit into your agency’s environment. Many managers also use basic knowledge tests as a measure of the applicant’s ability to process information. While these tools cannot guarantee success in hiring, they are certainly worth the time and money required to administer them.

The work begins

After you’ve hired the right person, the real work begins. Training and coaching are necessary to help CSRs perform at the level they desire and that you expect.

Professional education helps employees improve performance in their current positions and, more important, helps them prepare for their next positions. Personal coaching helps employees develop their skills in areas such as conflict resolution, time management and presentation.

Set well-defined expectations. Assign roles and responsibilities with prompt follow-up. Establish clear communication lines.

In the business of insurance, talented people are our most important asset. Identifying, recruiting, hiring and retaining top CSRs is a major challenge. If you approach the task with skill and determination, you will find talented, dedicated people to help your agency achieve its goals—and that makes all the effort worthwhile. *

The author
Cleva Moore has worked in the insurance industry as a customer service representative, agent and producer. Currently she is a marketing assistant at The Insurancenter in Joplin, Missouri. Cleva is an adjunct professor of insurance and risk management at Missouri Southern State University and is a member of The National Alliance faculty teaching at the Dynamics of Service program. For more information on Dynamics of Service or the CISR program, call (800) 633-2165 or go to www.TheNationalAlliance.com.