Mastering Producer Productivity

There is only so much time in a day. Insurance sales people – better known as producers – have a lot to do:

• Networking to generate new leads.
• Visiting prospects to learn more about their business and risk management needs.
• Working with staff to create an effective insurance program.
• Negotiating with insurance company underwriters to create the best coverage and cost.
• Moreover, putting out the fires that seem to crop up every day.

Getting it all done can be a challenge. Getting it all done well may be the bigger problem.

Time is money. The more time you can save, the more money you can make. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, how to accomplish it is much harder.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of tools and services insurance sales people can use to maximize their productivity. While I do not have room for a comprehensive list, here are a few that you should start exploring.

Larger Smartphone and Tablets

The newer smartphones – both Android and iOS – have more storage, faster processors, and better cameras than ever. Tablets may be even better.

Note Taking

Fifty percent of all E&O claims involve a producer. Taking simple notes of what you talked about with a client or prospect can go a long way to helping you accurately document what was requested and the steps you took to deliver. There are a multitude of note-taking apps that help streamline this process.

Voice Dictation

Whether it is Apple Siri, Google Now, or Dragon Dictation, stop typing and start talking! Text messages and email are much easier to get right by using one of these tools.

Management System Mobile Apps

A variety of agency management system vendors have released some mobile access to agency system information. Use whatever capability your system has available. Answer your clients’ questions on the spot. Moreover, if your vendor does not have this ability, make sure to tell them you want it now.

Document Scanning

Due to the higher quality cameras on your phone, taking a picture of a document is easier than ever.

Scannable, by Evernote, is the main app I use. With the app open, just point your camera at a physical document and it will identify and scan it. It does an excellent job of separating the paper document from its surroundings. If Scannable does not see your paper, you can always manually snap a picture and then crop or rotate the scan until it looks just right.

Scannable automatically saves your document to Evernote. Other options include sending your document in a message to a colleague or sharing it via email. Scannable also recognizes business cards, making it easy to capture contact information.

Cloud Storage

There are a variety of cloud storage options. Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and One Drive are the options I have on my devices. When you take pictures of a building you insure, load them up to the cloud so staff can retrieve them immediately.

Evernote and OneNote

If you have been reading TechTips for a while, you know I am a big user of Evernote. It is where I store everything, and I highly recommend it.

However, OneNote has improved substantially over the last few years and is a very viable option. It works well with the other Microsoft Office Products.

eSignatures

eSignatures are finally starting to gain traction. eSignature applications offer prospects the ease of legally signing applications using an iPad or smartphone. eSigning is helpful for agents who want to make the sales process as effortless as possible for their prospects.

These are just a few of the tools available that will help insurance sales people be as productive out of the office as they are in the office. However, the big advantage that online sales tools bring is to provide extra bandwidth for agents as they work to grow their book.

What productivity tools do you use to get it “all done”? Let me know.