Despite the way technology has disrupted pretty much everything in our lives, no one has figured out how to cram more hours into one day just yet.
In the increasingly competitive insurance business, sales teams are always trying to work more efficiently so they can close more deals and deliver more value to customers and clients. In the age of technology, it comes as no surprise that more and more insurance businesses are realizing the efficiency gains they’re seeking by investing in new tools and platforms.
For example, agents used to have to hop from one carrier site to another to give prospects several options for health insurance coverage. Thanks to modern real-time quote and enroll solutions, however, plans can be pulled automatically—at each prospect’s leisure.
In fact, leading solutions give insurance sales teams access to upwards of 43,000 different plans offered by 300 carriers across the country. Because all of this data is instantly accessible, sales teams can reclaim the time they used to spend pulling quotes manually—and then invest those hours in other mission-critical areas of business.
Another way insurance companies can reclaim time and operate more effectively is by investing in a customer relationship management (CRM) solution.
Simply put, a CRM helps agents and brokers keep track of all kinds of client-specific information—such as contact information, work histories, the preferred method of communication, personal information, policy details, pre-existing health information, and more. With a CRM that’s filled with accurate information in place, your insurance business can move much faster—delighting clients and prospects along the way.
Unfortunately, you can’t just invest in a CRM system and expect that your business will make it to the next level overnight. You need the right approach, and your team needs to learn how to use the CRM solution effectively. With that in mind, let’s take a look at four simple steps you can take to get the most out of your CRM system.
4 Simple Steps to CRM Productivity
Here’s a brief overview of some steps your team should take once you’ve invested in a CRM solution.
1. Add all contacts
First things first: Once you’ve deployed your CRM, your team needs to spend time putting all client and prospect information into the system.
Create a record for each customer, prospect, and lead, and make sure you are putting all of their contact information in correctly. The last thing you want to do is misspell someone’s name or mistype their email address. That would defeat the purpose.
2. Keep track of all known information
Once you’ve created a record for each client, prospect, and lead, it’s time to make those records as detailed as you can. Find out as much as you can about each client and prospect. Where do they work? When is their birthday? When do they expect to retire? How many people are in their family? What do they do for a living? What plans have they bought from you in the past? When do those plans expire? What are their hobbies and interests?
CRM records are not set in stone. So as you interact with clients and prospects in the future, you can keep updating their profiles accordingly. Simply put, the more information you can track, the more robust of a client profile you’ll be able to create—which makes the salesperson’s job easier.
3. Create reports and segmented lists for personalized marketing and sales communications
One of the most powerful features of a CRM is that it enables you to automatically send personalized communications to clients and prospects. In an age when customers are increasingly expecting personalized experiences, this is a big deal.
With a CRM in place, you can create reports and segmented email lists that enable you to launch campaigns that target similar clients and prospects. For example, you might decide to group together your clients who have young kids and send them an email about dental insurance for children.
A CRM lets you provide this personalized outreach to all of your clients—without making you personalize each communication manually.
4. Identify opportunities for cross-selling
A CRM makes it easier to identify opportunities for cross-selling thanks to segmentation and reporting. With more data on hand, you can compare clients by age, gender, ZIP code, occupation, and more, using that information to see which products appeal to folks who share certain characteristics.
With that knowledge on hand, you can begin a personalized email campaign and hopefully sell some additional products to your clients.
Ready to Increase Your Insurance Business’s Productivity with a CRM?
Just because your insurance company has been doing things one way for years doesn’t mean that’s the best approach.
If your sales team is still keeping track of client-specific information by hand—and you’re still counting on your employees to send follow-up emails manually—it’s time to consider what a CRM system could mean for your business.
By automating repetitive tasks, keeping information organized, and supercharging your email marketing efforts, a CRM has the power to transform your operations.
Download this guide to learn more about how a simple investment in a CRM solution can go a long way toward taking your insurance business to the next level—enabling you to sell to more prospects and deliver more value to your clients every day.
