The insurance business is a relationship business and the first 45 days of a new client relationship are some of the most important.
Not only do you run the risk of a client being lured back to their previous agent once that agent receives notification that their client’s policies are being transferred, but you have a tremendous opportunity to set the foundation for a long and profitable client relationship.
Customer service and client relationships are paramount to everything we do at GiiG. We take a holistic approach to insurance and personal finance needs and look for opportunities to provide true value-added service to our clients that create deep relationships and genuine loyalty. One way that GiiG demonstrates its commitment to customer service is in our 45-day client onboarding program, which is designed to surprise and delight clients.
Our client journey begins day one of the new client relationship with automatic messages welcoming them to the GiiG Family. GiiG is a family run business, and we emphasize that clients are now a part of our family because it demonstrates our lifelong commitment to them. First, we sent a text that prompts the new client to check their email, where they’ll find a message thanking them for choosing us and inviting them to take a simple one-question survey. The survey asks them to rate how likely they are to recommend GiiG to their friends and family on a scale from 1 to 10. If they don’t complete the survey within 48 hours, they receive an automated reminder email. After they complete the survey, an additional pop up invites them to write an online review of GiiG on Facebook and Google. If the client writes a review, the agent sends a thank you email right away.
On day two, we send a handwritten thank you card from the producer, welcoming the client once again to the GiiG family. We try and introduce new clients to different members of the team, and so, within the first week, our office admin also calls to thank them and tell them that we look forward to serving them in the future.
During the second week, GiiG sends a mailed welcome kit packed with fun GiiG SWAG like a fidget spinner, agency t-shirt and a balsa wood glider. As soon as the kit is in the mail, we tag it as sent in our system. This triggers an automated text telling the client to keep an eye out for the kit in their mailbox.
Also in the welcome kit, clients will find a card in the shape of an iPhone asking them to take a photo in the GiiG t-shirt along with an item they are insuring and share it to our social media channel. We believe social media is a great way to get to know your clients and deepen your relationships in a fun way.
Along with the fun SWAG, the welcome kit also includes a roadmap for protecting the client’s family, offering opportunities for cross-selling. Four days after the kit goes out, we sent an automated email asking the client if they received the kit and if they have a few minutes to chat about the roadmap. As trusted advisors, we always look at ways to deepen our relationship, so this email comes from someone in our agency who may have an additional service our new client would be interested in—this could be another PL product, a wealth management product, or assistance with Medicare insurance.
Equally important, we make sure that our clients receive carrier paperwork within the third week. And in week four, around the 30-day mark, we send a welcome email from our president, in which he shares our overall business philosophy providing an overview of who we are and why we do what we do.
Then, in week six, we send an email introducing the client to our service team, including pictures and contact information for each team member. By this point in the onboarding program, the client has met at least eight different people on our team.
This series of highly personal touch points is designed to reinforce GiiG as a true partner working toward the financial success of our clients. At the end of the 45-day onboarding program, we send a referral request asking our clients to recommend us to their friends and family – referral programs are a key lead generation activity for independent agencies.
This onboarding program has proven to drive growth for our agency. In fact, we have seen a 31% increase in new business written premium, 8% policies in force growth, and 38% loss ratio compared to the industry average of 68%. In addition, in less than a year, our onboarding program has generated 71 five-star reviews on Google and 44 five-star reviews on Facebook.
One reason that I am happy to share this information with other independent agents is that I truly believe in collaboration and that independent agents are better together. As a founding member of the Insurance Agency Owners Alliance, the fastest-growing association of Independent Agency Owners, I have seen firsthand how collaboration, innovation and selflessness can move your agency forward. In addition, my commitment to customer service has earned me the distinction of being an Endorsed Local Provider for property and casualty insurance from Dave Ramsey, and I am proud of the work I do for our clients.
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I find this practice very innovative and different. I would encourage any business, in the position to do so, implement something very similar.
It’s important, in today’s environment, to adapt to how clients of younger ages care to do business. This “touch” program integrates every way including phone, text, email and mail.
This is well thought out and right on.
Nice
Thank you for sharing
Excellent program; with todays Tech.so out there in ones face all the time, this is a more personalized approach to that and to maintaining customers and helping them to feel valued.
That was a great article! I would love to implement some of these ideas into our agency. Thank you for sharing
Great Piece here!! Thank you Safeco!
I am so impressed with your overall commitment to maintain that relationship with you client. You have embraced the spirit of social media to keep customers informed. I am a 65 year old agent that still loves to have conversations on the phone or in person. I am more familiar with the latest trends. Our most important jobs are still our continuing effort to inform and protect customers.
Awesome article. Love the idea of a welcome kit.
Thanks for sharing….Great ideas!
Thank you for sharing your agency practices. I am the 3rd generation of a family agency as well and as the youngest I am tasked with our social media and marketing. While I think your process sounds great I think it is a bit over the top. It makes sense for a large account but if someone only bought a non-standard auto policy I cant see mailing them a t-shirt and asking them to take a photo for my social media. To each their own and you seem to be having great success! Every independent agency is different which is… Read more »
I agree with Michelle – there is too much contact and your office appears to be very pushy to me. Sorry
I love this idea and can incorporate it to my business model.
Thanks for the info! Is GiiG using an automation program to assist them with their onboarding campaign? Our agency has tested and not had good success in connecting to our agency management system. Curious to know which one GiiG is using.
I agree with Michelle and Julie. There are still some good takeaways for sure.
It sounds like they also do wealth management products and health insurance. If an agency does mainly personal lines only, this would be over the top and costly.
We are personal lines and commercial mainly and see some of these being used for larger clients for sure.
This is awesome! Being new to marketing I would love to get more details on your automation process etc. Whose ear can I bend to get more details?
Lots of great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Is GiiG using a texting platform for the messages sent to phones? If so, would love to know which tool is being used.
I would like to know what platform they are using to track all the moving pieces. There is a lot of great info here
Again, good stuff, Brandon! Thanks for always being willing to share what you have put together! Making the customer feel like they made a great decision is key!
Thank you for sharing.
Dee Faith Gonzales
Stateline Insurance Solutions
Awesome I’m using this today!
Such great ideas to use with all of our carriers and customers!
Thanks for sharing your onboarding process, Brandon! I’ve heard you speak at IAOA and Elevate and am impressed with how you run your agency and participate in your community.
That’s all very good advice but an agent should never think in only “45 days” terms. As making a good impression on a client should be an ongoing process beyond the 45 day window. I would highly recommend to any agent reading this to contact Mike Stromsoe and attend his Unstoppable Profit producer Bootcamp where you will learn how to WOW your clients from the very first day you wrote the policy-and throughout the year-and years beyond that. Not only using email nurturing but with good old fashioned snail-mail and handwritten notes. The point is this: If you want to… Read more »