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Marc Warrington |
The insurance industry has never been known for customer service. Carriers are infamous for a “Press 1 to do this,” “Press 2 to do that” way of doing things. Delivering a great customer experience has never been a priority; many just hope to stink less than the other guys.
Today, many carriers will tell you that pathetic attitude has changed. They’ll talk about how focused and service-minded they’ve become all of a sudden. Let me tell you, it doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve made service a focal point of this company for years, and it’s nice to see those efforts being recognized by our two key customer groups.
A recent survey by JHA revealed that brokers who write disability insurance rate Assurant Employee Benefits significantly above average in overall carrier customer service.
Even more indicative is a recent survey of plan administrators conducted by LIMRA. They ranked us
as follows:
- No. 1 in overall
carrier satisfaction.
- No. 1 in providing a level of service that exceeds
their expectations.
- No. 1 in the percentage of policy- holders who are willing to recommend us.
- No. 1 in the percentage of policyholders who are likely to consider us for additional coverage.
- No. 1 in being easy to do
business with.
All those accolades, and particularly the last one, serve to validate exactly the reputation we’ve been trying to build and uphold at Assurant Employee Benefits.
We can attribute the high customer-experience scores to a number of factors, but it all starts with a company-wide mindset: We may not own the problem, but we own the solution.
Whenever we survey brokers, you tell us time and again that carrier performance is equal to, or more
important than, product performance. Well, I’m giving you both. You shouldn’t have to choose, and neither should your clients. I know price is a sensitive issue in this economic climate. But service still matters. Because it helps you keep business on the books.
Small business customers don’t have giant HR departments. Exceptional service makes it easy on them. When you recommend any carrier, and you’re asked how they are on service, chances are you say “pretty good.” When you present Assurant Employee Benefits, now you can tell them we’re the best. We have the numbers to back you up.
