State Auto Digital Agent

Your response plan is so important; we didn't want to squeeze the details into one blog post.  This is the first post in a series that will walk you through the steps of creating your social media response plan. Social media is a megaphone.  With little time and no cost, people can voice their opinions and share their thoughts about anything.  If someone feels they have been treated unfairly, they are more likely to want to tell other people about it.  This means that anything you do or say to a customer can be shared.  If you treat someone poorly, expect to hear about it in your monitoring.  Assuming you always do the right thing and treat everyone fairly, you still may end up receiving undue negativity.  That is human nature – you can’t make everyone happy all of the time.  The first step is listening.  If you don’t know someone is talking about you, you can’t possibly respond. Creating Your Social Media Response Plan ...

Are your clients expecting that you will communicate with them on social media and through text messages? As digital communication methods continue to evolve, people are becoming more depending on technology to interact with service providers.  The topic of managing errors and omissions concerns while using new methods of communication was discussed at the Midwestern Region Agency Advisory Council meeting this year. To provide resources and guidance in this area, the State Auto team conducted interviews with leading technology experts in the insurance industry and researched tips for managing your E&O exposure in today’s digital environment.  The bottom line: Agents should evaluate their agency workflow and procedures and plan to evolve along with changing client needs. If implemented successfully, your process will contribute to better customer service in addition to managing your E&O and compliance needs.  Tips for Managing E&O with Digital Com...

We now see regular examples of people turning to social media during times of disaster and other emergencies. Why is social media being used in this way, and what does this mean for the insurance industry? The Red Cross surveyed people who said they used social media in an emergency situation. Here’s what they found: 76% contacted friends and family who were affected by the disaster 24% let their family and friends know they were okay 37% used information on social media to buy supplies or find shelter 44% asked their friends on social media to contact responders for help 80% Expect emergency response agencies to monitor and respond to social media These responses indicate that people tend to use the easiest, most accessible means possible when they need to communicate with loved ones and take basics steps for survival. When a disaster happens, first responders, and aid organizations need to get important messages to the people impacted, and so do insuranc...

Many of the State Auto agency partners I meet ask, “How do I get started in social media?”   Insurance agents are busy people who do not want to waste time on the wrong actions. You may be relieved to hear that the first thing you should do in social media is simply to listen.   Social media is a conversation.   The technology and tools that make up what we call “social media” allow people to talk with other people all over the world quickly and easily.   People are sharing information, pictures, video, opinions, questions and more.   These interactions are usually open to the public, so anyone can join in.   That also means that anyone can listen. This is your opportunity to get to know your customer better, and it is relatively easy and cheap.   To get started in social media, start by listening to what people are saying on social networks.   You can put monitoring in place to tell you what is said online about your brand, your people, ...

At a meeting of independent insurance agents, a group of about 100 agents was asked if their agency has a social media policy. Only two hands were raised. Given the concerns agents often voice about social media – from reputation to employee behavior – an internal policy is a great place to begin your planning for social media. A social media policy helps you take a responsible, thoughtful look at the areas you can address to prepare your agency team for work and life in today’s digital world. 4 Reasons to Create a Social Media Policy 1. Put the moose on the table. Address the elephant in the room. However you want to phrase it, your agency leaders need to openly discuss their fears about social media. Your concerns are valid. Social media does come with risks, but you can’t stop it from impacting your agency by ignoring it. Get it all out on the table in a meeting where concerns are listed and grouped into categories. 2. Decide up front how you’ll handle risks. Th...