And When Should You Expect to Hear from Your Agent?
By Lauren Dallas, Personal Lines Manager
If only everything were as straightforward as Ghostbusters. Knowing who to call and when.
When it comes to matters relating to insurance, it’s not always as clear who you should call for assistance…or when. Should you call your agent? The insurance company itself?
From our perspective, we believe that the dialogue between an insurance policyholder and the insurance agent should be an open one. Additionally, we believe that the communication from the agent and to the insurance customer should be proactive and productive.
When Should You Call Your Agent?
It should be noted that, as an independent agent, we tend to place more emphasis and importance on open dialogue with customers than other large insurance companies might. In fact, we’ve constructed our agency around policies and procedures that promote communication and contact, committing to a same-day return phone call policy, among other initiatives.
We encourage clients (and even future clients!) to reach out to us in the following scenarios:
- When you have questions: We relish, as part of our jobs, the opportunity to educate clients on the finer points and latest developments relating to home, auto, life, umbrella and business insurance. If something remains a mystery or is unclear, we hope that people feel free to call us. We’re here to personally answer questions around policies, best practices, cost savings, plan design and strategy…you name it!
- When you might have a claim to file: While we don’t manage insurance claims through to resolution, we do provide guidance on when to file a claim and when it might be in your best interest to pay for auto or home damages out-of-pocket. With premiums already rising across the board for all carriers, insurance companies have now taken all claims filed into account when calculating premiums for renewal. So while it might feel less painful to file a claim to cover the costs of damages in the short term, you may be actually hurting your rating in the process, resulting in higher costs in the long run…and for the long term. In short, we are open to phone calls when you are considering filing a claim. This also holds for questions that might arise during the claims process, should you want additional guidance and support beyond what the claims adjustor is able to provide from the carrier’s perspective.
- When you are looking for ways to control rising costs: Policyholders everywhere are experiencing double-digit premium increases at renewal. While we do everything in our power to shop the best available coverage at the most affordable rates, sometimes moving to a different insurance carrier will do little or nothing to curtail rising premiums. In such instances, we are always working with clients to be creative and proactive to find other ways to defray costs. This may include tweaking things in the coverage itself (such as higher deductibles), or it might mean taking proactive steps around the home or business — enhancements or additions that insurance carriers look favorably upon when underwriting your policies and setting premiums.
When Should You Hear from Your Agent?
As noted earlier, we have intentionally formed our agency around the promise of proactive communication. While some of our peers may not share our desire for dialogue, we have instituted policies and procedures to foster just that: two-way communication.
Expect to hear from us:
- 60 days prior to your policy renewals: Even earlier than 60 days prior, our team is doing a comprehensive review of our clients’ policies and coverages, comparing them against what is available in the market. (We represent more than 100 insurance companies, so we are able to survey the landscape objectively and independently, with your best interests at heart.) We will typically make available a full, detailed summary of insurance, with all coverages listed, in PDF format that is much easier to read than the confusing declaration pages that insurance companies typically provide.
- 45 days prior to your policy renewals: After our comprehensive review of client policies, we place an outgoing phone call to clients to see what might be new on their end. For example, did the home recently get a new roof? Was an alarm system installed? We even have a knack for asking questions that might not occur to the average policyholder. For example, one of our agents recently noticed that a cargo van was listed on a client’s auto insurance. Following our hunch, training and experience, the agent inquired as to whether that vehicle was for business purposes. Sure enough, it was! This fact dramatically changed the way that vehicle was treated from an insurance perspective and resulted in lower premiums for the owner.
- The same day you leave us a message: If you call, and the agent you need to speak with is busy serving another client, we have made it a company policy to return any message or voicemail left by the end of that same day. While it may take some time to research the answer to the question you’ve raised in the message, rest assured, you will hear back the same day with a status update, if not the resolution itself.
- When you call about new coverage: Anyone who inquires about new policies will receive a personal phone call from a live, local human being, who will serve as your personal concierge to shop your insurance for you. We are not a faceless, AI-driven insurance quote generator. We are your neighbors, working in your hometown to build a business and serve a community. We want to get to know you…personally and professionally. We will never hand you off to an automated chatbot or endless phone tree.
- Every month: We pride ourselves on a commitment to educate and inform our clients. Whether it’s new legislation, innovative best practices, or simply news you can use to make better decisions about your home, business, family, assets or insurance, we will do our best to get that information in your hands. We deliver timely news and information on our social media and in our monthly newsletter directly into your inbox. If you’re not currently subscribed, do so for free here, whether you’re currently a client or not!
Let’s Talk!
At Gompers, Cornish & Barr, we want to make sure you are protected; we aren’t just here to sell you a policy. Sure, we may recommend policies (such as personal umbrellas) or coverage options you don’t currently have, but this is always done to protect your interests and assets. Sometimes a tradeoff between a small additional premium and the coverage it provides is so important to consider, we at least want you to be aware of what an additional coverage or policy might bring to your peace of mind.
In short, when we say “full-service,” we mean it! This is why, unlike many other agencies and online insurance brands, we are unique in that we offer coverages for both the individual as well as the business that he or she may own. We are proud of being a one-stop shop!