Working Together in a True Partnership Allowed Us to Uncover and Articulate the Core Motivating Factors of an Agent and Broker Relationship
Financial Services
A leading property casualty and insurance company trusted our insight and experience to help them uncover what makes a lasting, positive agent and broker experience. Our industry experience allowed us to have deeper, more meaningful conversations and dialogue throughout the process, which in turn, created a trust-based partnership. Having that partnership allowed us to make adjustments in real-time to uncover the core motivators.
Understand.
A leading Property & Casualty Insurance Company wanted to deliver a differentiated experience for its agent/broker partners. The business goal was to deliver an experience that would have a lasting impact on securing higher levels of business placement and retention. Our research goal was to understand what that optimal experience looked like.
Design.
In advance of this study our client undertook an extensive internal touchpoint mapping exercise. Internal stakeholders helped create a multi-phased linear map that articulated assumed needs and preferences at each phase of the map. Our initial charge was to use the touchpoint map as a reference to guide our discussions. We also had the charge to be as inclusive and broad as possible during our discussions. All told, we talked, in-person, with nearly 150 brokerage owners, sales agents, and support reps. We talked with those who represent both large and medium brokerages in 6 markets nationally. Our reach was truly representative of our audience.
Execute.
What became obvious during our initial discussions with agents is that they see their carrier interaction differently than the linear touchpoint map that was developed as our guide. For agents, relationship and engagement is not a defined stage; rather, it is the field on which all interaction takes place. Using this foundational insight as our new guide–and with the full support of our client–we incorporated a model that continually modified and adjusted our discussion approach based on the insights we gained. At the heart of our revised approach was the recognition that we were now focused on customer journey, not touchpoint mapping.
Analyze & Advise.
The core insight that guided our recommendations is that Underwriters are the face of a carrier. Their efforts strongly shape agent perceptions and are the key to agent placement, retention, and growth. When agents feel underwriters are not in partnership with them, the entire relationship can turn adversarial. Ultimately, our recommendation on how to deliver a superior underwriting experience served as the basis for our client’s development of a differentiated brand experience.