McQueary Henry Bowles Troy, LLP
Reducing the Customer Service Workload - Improving Customer Care
The Challenge
Independent insurance agency McQueary Henry Bowles Troy, LLC (MHBT) has found that you can do both; reduce the workload of your customer service staff while improving customer care. Inundated with requests for Certificates of Insurance, like many fellow agencies, MHBT was looking for a way to improve their processes and more efficiently respond to certificate requests.
The Solution
Taking a closer look, MHBT found that their process included multiple “touches” by staff to fill a single request. The account manager received the initial request as they maintain the contact with the policyholder; the assistant account manager would track the request and then provide it to the processor to produce the certificate. The process flowed nicely but multiple touches translated into added time and cost.
The Result
Automating the Process
MHBT selected CSR24 by Artizan Internet Services to deliver a mechanism for creating certificates online. They selected key policyholders with high volume certificate requests and entered their information into CSR24. MHBT was initially hesitant to extract their entire customer database from their agency management system into CSR24. Instead they chose to input information manually for select policyholders.
Once the data was input, the process was immediately more efficient and policyholder requests were responded to more quickly. The policyholder was able to go to the MHBT website, access their information and produce certificates as they needed them. Policyholders embraced the new capability. “We’ve not had a single customer respond negatively to the online service option or doing the certificates themselves,” notes Carla Sans, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at MHBT.Expanding Online Self-Service
With the success of online certificates, MHBT decided to expand its deployment of CSR24 and started doing electronic extracts from their agency management system into CSR24. This provided more policy information for their policyholders and provided more self-service task options. Within three months of implementing the electronic extract, MHBT doubled the number of monthly transactions being handled by policyholders - and therefore reducing the number of transactions being handled by MHBT staff. “The reduction in workload for our customer service representatives is significant,” commented Sans.
One of our policyholders is a large national general contractor and they had needs for certificates of insurance at times before we opened and after we closed. CSR24 really saved us. We presented the service to the policyholder, and they are now able to easily go into CSR24 and produce certificates, as they need them. “The new service MHBT provides gives us the ability to produce certificates right when we need them - it’s immediate satisfaction,” stated Ms. Shelley Tubbs from Westwood Contractors, MHBT policyholder.
The online certificate process has delivered several benefits to MHBT. “The renewal process is so easy and it takes so much less time,” explains Sans. “The policyholder simply checks off the cert holders to be renewed in CSR24 and the certificate is reissued. It’s that simple.” Additionally, the ability to access a certificate exactly as it was produced is a huge plus. Sans continues, “Our management system can’t reproduce the certificate exactly and it’s been a tremendous asset to be able to print that certificate exactly the way it was issued.”
MHBT has found that it’s actually easier and more efficient to process certificates by their own staff through CSR24 instead of through their agency management system. And since they can access any certificate issued the way it was issued, CSR24 has become the preferred method for producing certificates internally. Changing the Culture
Certainly MHBT has run into hesitation with some staff to embrace a new process and learn a new system. However, MHBT is having more and more success with more policyholders handling more transactions every day. The culture is starting to change.
MHBT is working to expand the use of CSR24. “Our Chairman and CEO Bill Henry was so excited about the new service, he wanted to make sure we presented it at our producer meeting,” shared Sheila Bowling of MHBT. “One producer was so thrilled he wanted to place all of his customers on CSR24!”
The producer/account manager team determines which accounts are fits for CSR24 (those with high volume transactions and Internet capabilities.) Currently, we have a variety of policyholders using CSR24; contractors, architects, manufacturing and moving companies. The account manager is notified by CSR24 of every policyholder transaction so they are able to stay current on customer activities and review all certificates that are produced.
“CSR24 is a tremendous asset for our agency,” comments Carla Sans. “We are pleased with the results and excited about the future as we continue to expand our use of CSR24.”
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