No, CARRE is not a typo it is an acronym for Credibility, Appearance, Reliability, Responsiveness and Empathy. Several years ago I read a book entitled, "How To Win Customers and Keep Them For Life," by Michael LeBoeuf. He stated that by providing the above mentioned services you could keep customers coming back for life.

Credibility. Customers are willing to pay for "Peace of Mind." That's fortunate because that is exactly what an agent has to sell. The customer wants security, integrity and assurance that if something goes wrong, it will be handled, and hopefully, at no extra cost. In the insurance business, that's difficult, because the customer wants you to eliminate the fine print. This requires more than just a quote. It means that you provide a form of Risk Management by the use of an exposure checklist to determine the customer's exposure to loss and to either provide an insurance solution or non-insurance suggestions.

Appearance. This means your office, your desk, the staff's appearance, as well as the way that you communicate need to be in order. Does your written communication stand out? Are your proposals, summaries of coverage, and letters professionally done? Do you use color in your communication? Is your web site professionally done or is it a company's cookie cutter program? We recently moved to the Cincinnati area and were surfing agencies' web sites. We found 4 agency web sites that were EXACTLY the same, except for the name of the agency. This illustrates that you are a "Me Too" agency.

Reliability. Make this your top priority. Establish a "Commitment to Excellence" in your agency. Customer service should be the same in all instances. Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it. Get it right the first time and get it done on time……no excuses.

Responsiveness. We live in a microwave society where instant gratification isn't fast enough. When clients call your office they don't want to hear, " Mary is busy right now. Can she call you back?" Another turn off is to call an agency and hear, "ABC Insurance agency. Please hold." 24 X 7 X 365 is the service buzz phrase of today. How are you addressing this? Did you know that over 70% of insurance buyers think that 24-hour service is "Extremely Important?" Are you providing this kind of service on your web site? There are services that an agent can subscribe to, that will allow instant communication and response online 24 X 7 X 365.

Empathy. Put yourself in your customers' shoes. Try to feel the hopelessness that they are feeling. Many of your clients know so little about the insurance business that the simplest policy change or claim causes them great angst. Treat your customer the way you would want to be treated. Also, understand that people buy for their reasons, not for yours.

If you agency will adopt the program of Customer CARRE, I know that you will find that you will Win Customers, and Keep Them For Life.

Copyright 2001 by Jack Fries. Used with permission.