Educating Your Customers: What Not To Do
Insurance isn't terribly exciting. Or sexy. Or cool. But we've discussed all that before. And because it's not exciting, sexy or cool, people don't really spend much time learning about it. Even though they'd be much better off (financially, healthfully, etc.) if they did.
But I happen to be of the opinion that the insurance industry, as a whole (there are most certainly exceptions), could do a little bit better when it comes to teaching consumers about insurance—or more importantly—why they should care about it.
I must have cited this article a hundred times by now, but it proves my point that the insurance industry is not exactly the most innovative out there. It's a bit stodgy, a bit conservative by nature, and hasn't exactly gotten the best rep from the media in recent years (no thanks to those few insurance professionals who, for some reason, decided to check their scruples at the door).
Taking these things into consideration, it’s not a huge surprise that people have a bit of an aversion to the insurance industry. I was surprised, however, by a fellow insurance blogger's post, which regaled in the ignorance of insurance prospects and policyholders everywhere.
A woman calls looking for health insurance with an immediate maternity benefit.Ouch.How immediate? Most policies have a 9 - 12 month wait but I do have one policy with no waiting period.
That's the one she wants. The one with no waiting period.
Fine. You can get this as long as you are not pregnant now. If we apply now you can have coverage in place by the first of next month.
Oh, well. That won't work.
Why not?
I am due next month.
Click!
Now, I understand—and our InsureMe customer relations managers understand—that it doesn't always take much to get frustrated with someone's lack of knowledge in the area of insurance. That's because we're so close to it. We know what factors affect someone’s ability to get insurance, what factors affect rates, how many miles (on average) one drives every year…and after awhile the intricacies of insurance seem like common knowledge to us.
Thing is though, it's not common knowledge. And while I, for the most part, agree that folks are responsible for finding educational sustenance, I also think that we could do a better job of enunciating the importance of insurance education. I think we’re getting there (and the recent catastrophic events have sure underscored the dire importance of a good insurance policy), but can do better.
Beefing up websites and adding valuable content to those websites (which means talking like humans—and cutting out all the corporate and industry jargon) is a great way to start. And by adding valuable content—which is searchable by the millions of Americans using the Web to shop—you reap the benefits of helping someone out and establishing yourself as a credible and reliable insurance source.
As I said in the comment I left over at InsureBlog, for the average Joe, insurance will never be exciting to learn about. It's not likely to garner praise by MTV or Paris Hilton. But like Paris Hilton, there are reasons some people are turned off by the insurance industry. And the general "Man, people are stupid" attitude doesn't help the situation. Especially when you poke fun at them in a public forum. Not hot. Not hot at all.
So, don’t kick those know-nothing consumers when they’re down. Take the opportunity to teach them what they need to know in order to navigate in the complex world of insurance. Give them resources to use. Make it easy for them. Encourage them. Maybe even get them to smile (dare I say laugh). In the process, you’ll cultivate a relationship and build the kind of trust you need to turn that prospect into a client.
Comments
I have a question for you, maybe you could use it as your next topic: What is the philosophy behind captive agency? With independent agency, the idea is pretty obvious: You serve your customers' best interest by giving them the best quote from your portfolio of insurers. With captive agency, I am not so sure. Thank you very much.
Posted by: Ryan Putra | November 26, 2006 07:06 AM