While the pandemic still remains a key existing global issue, more than a year since it happened, without making light of the situation, many countries, industries and businesses are also starting to gear itself up for life after this unfortunate episode.
It is almost a foregone conclusion to say that the pandemic has accelerated the rise of technology in many industries and to a certain extent, a forceful reminder to start thinking about how to leverage technology to enhance their business or communication methods.
In this article, we take a specific look at how technology will change the way businesses or insurance intermediaries provide customer service or communicate with their clients…
The rise of f2f video communication
Okay… this is already happening.
The reason physical meetings still happen, even with the rise of multiple communication services (from email to chat platforms) is because nothing can take the place of good old eye contact, body language reading and spontaneous responses.
However, what the pandemic has taught us is that video communication such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype etc. really is a good alternative to such.
It retains the key value of physical meetings and rids the cumbersome nature of physical commuting.
It does seem like the perfect middle-ground solution between an intermediary wanting to be able to present their services or solve a client’s problem in a more meaningful manner versus the client’s mental barrier of ‘over committing’ by agreeing to a physical meeting.
The flip side is true as well.
A client might want a more tangible, immediate platform to clarify a particular situation with their agents, as opposed to waiting on (sometimes piecemeal) replies via email / text.
So if you have not already tried leveraging video communication, we encourage you to do so!
Try it out with friends and family or… with us, by requesting for a demo of what Surer can do for your insurance business 🙃
Automation will be an expectation
With the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and bots, all of us are kind of spoiled when it comes to getting quick responses.
A simplistic example would be what we already see on chat-based shopping platforms like Shopee, Carousell and even Facebook marketplace. Automated replies can be set by business owners when it comes to standard, frequently asked questions.
While arguably not immediately relevant to General Insurance intermediaries, what this inadvertently does is create an expectation from the client’s perspective on how the intermediary might leverage technology to run their business as well i.e. your TQ
Actually… General Insurance intermediaries can leverage Facebook and a couple of other platforms not only for marketing and branding purposes, but also customer service!
Impress your clients with your tech savviness using Surer!
Specifically, make your life and their lives easier when you leverage Surer’s automated quote presentation feature and help them view quotes that you have painstakingly sourced for them in a structured, digestible and easily comprehensible format.
So stay ahead of the curve and delight clients by leveraging automation.
Automation is something that is here to replace rudimentary tasks so you can focus on the most important part of your job – being an awesome advisor to your clients!
Remote deal closing will be the new norm
As alluded in some of the points above, technology will ‘give time back’ to all of us by cutting down on repetitive tasks and the need to physically be at a place with a client to close a deal.
Examples that are already part of our lives are e-signing platforms like docusign or HelloSign.
What these companies have done is to remove the need to literally bring a piece of paper to a client for him to literally take out his/her pen to literally sign on that dotted line.
Though just one example, you can expect that technology also be leveraged to do so for other parts of the deal making process.
We already know how fast Information can be transmitted today. This is just the foundation of remote deal closing.
Technology can / will be leveraged such that this information can be automatically structured in a format that cuts down the need for physical presentation or explanation.
It will also be leveraged such that communication can be done simultaneously so everyone who is part of this deal will get whatever information they need, to proceed to the next step.
And it is precisely this that Surer has built, to leverage technology to General Insurance intermediaries manage their business and deal closing efforts, by working less!
The client facing person will HAVE to be more flexible and empathetic
When most of the tedious menial work is handled by technology (bots, AI, you name it…) what clients will then expect, when they interact with a client servicing personnel is something bots cannot provide…
EMPATHY AND FLEXIBILITY
Clients of the near future will understand that digital platforms are still ‘pre programmed’ to a certain extent and they follow a set of ‘Y’ and ‘N’ logic (okay this is an arguable point but you get what we are trying to say..) so, when they interact with a human, they expect the human to be exactly that!
As an intermediary, and without sounding like a broken record (if you have read a couple of our previous articles, it is critical (and it will be an expectation of the client) to showcase soft skills.
Traditional ‘closing tactics’ might not work as much in the near future anymore.
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Interested to learn more about this topic and how it helps you become a new age intermediary? RSVP for our webinar happening on 26 March ’21 now!
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