Chicagoland SIA Blog

How many Zoom meetings do you participate in each week? Probably more than you used to. The use of Zoom and other video conferencing technology has skyrocketed during the global pandemic as a way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and as many businesses adapt to remote work. Unfortunately, all of those video calls can lead to “Zoom fatigue.”

Is data security, online privacy and identity theft a top concern? If it’s not, it should be. More than ever, we’re seeing increasingly sophisticated attempts from hackers to steal information from organizations, and use it to commit identity theft and fraud.

How would you rate your listening skills? Listening to your clients — truly listening to what they are trying to tell you — is an important way to increase customer satisfaction and to help prevent misunderstandings, including those that can lead to E&O claims.

Has anyone ever asked for five minutes of your time? What is five minutes of your time even worth? If a client, employee, friend or significant other asked for five minutes of your time—do you have it to give? Or are you simply too wrapped up in your day and the tasks you need to accomplish to slow things down and make time for other people?

It’s been months of uncertainty and upheaval. And now, across the nation, people are going back to work and businesses are trying to reopen and get back on track after the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak. What’s the new normal going to look like? Here are two ways that the global pandemic has fundamentally changed the way U.S. companies do business:

Have you ever had a complaint about a product or service and the person you were dealing with immediately became defensive? Were they ready to shut you down before even hearing your side of things?

We all know that happier workers are more likely to deliver great customer service and stick with your insurance agency over the long term. But did you know that for most people, money can’t buy workplace happiness? Research shows that making employees happy is more than just paying them a good — or great — salary or giving them a raise.

Insurance fraud harms everyone involved: the insurance customer, the insurance agency, and insurance companies. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF) reports that nearly $80 billion per year is lost because of insurance fraud.

In operating a successful insurance agency, an area of key importance is developing an employee training program. All employees should have in-depth knowledge of insurance. You will want producers and other employees involved in selling insurance to obtain an insurance license. Other training could also be beneficial, including sales and customer service training.