Operating an insurance agency is complex. Whether you are a one-person shop, a large retail operation or somewhere in between, a successful agency requires a balance of strong production capabilities, along with back-office support and client servicing.
For many, outsourcing tasks to a professional virtual assistant (VA) helps them and their staff focus on activities that contribute to agency growth, while delegating other duties and responsibilities better suited to someone with different skill sets. Whether using a general VA for administrative support, or one that is specifically trained in insurance sales, service and software, most agencies have at least some tasks that an independently contracted assistant may be well-suited to handle:
- Administrative tasks: certificates of insurance, Acord forms, bookkeeping, data entry
- Marketing: email campaigns, website content, social media
- Inbound and/or outbound service calls: reception, payment or cancellation reminder calls, sales or underwriting follow-up
- Special projects: contract specialists to complete a defined scope of work
The first step? Identify tasks that are taking up time, but out of alignment with the skill sets of the person responsible for doing them. This could be a highly paid employee doing menial work or an agency owner not being able to get out of the weeds long enough to work on growth strategies.
Once you have determined potential tasks for a VA, and whether you need one with insurance experience or certain skill sets, you can begin sourcing reputable VA services. Asking the right questions about cost, process and structure will be key. If they are in a different time zone, what times will they work? How often and by which means will you communicate with each other? What agency systems will they need access to? What security concerns exist? Setting and agreeing to expectations, as well as measurement in meeting them ahead of time will be key to a successful VA experience.