02 Jan New Staff – What Are You Having Them Do?
Without question, every agency is experiencing some level of turnover. Filling the vacant positions is probably not as easy as it used to be. Your goal may be to hire an insurance professional from another agency, and in many cases, that is a good approach and should result in a quality hire. There is a reason I state “should result in a quality hire” instead of “will result in a quality hire.” Just because you hired someone who has been in the business for several years does not mean they are a “plug and play.” Caution should be exercised with good oversight.
Every agency has its uniqueness. So, the client manager you just hired (because they were a client manager at the other agency) may be at a different level than your agency would expect. This discrepancy could involve systems issues, technical knowledge, or soft skills. They may need some training, especially on procedures or approaches unique to your firm.
I have seen several situations where the agency brings in a new person, and the responsibilities are a step down from what they performed at their prior agency. The goal is to proceed cautiously and to make sure the person is, in fact, a good fit for the agency. It is probably good for the oversight to involve a senior person periodically checking the work product of the new person, preferably before the work product goes out the door. This practice will give a good sense of the new person’s strengths and identify areas where more extensive training would be a good idea. Also, performing more extensive auditing of the new person is wise.
The bottom line is, don’t assume (you all know what that means; if not, ask one of your colleagues) that the new person is at the desired level. Make them prove it to you.
Now, what if the new person is brand new to the insurance world? Your agency feels they possess the right skill set; they just don’t have any insurance experience. Isn’t this the way most of us got into this great industry? The key question is, “What do you have them do?” This is a difficult question. You are probably thinking of some fairly basic tasks where the new person can’t do much harm. In the insurance world, I challenge you to tell me what those tasks are. In years past, I remember many agencies having the receptionist do certificates because they were considered basic and low-level tasks. After all, what could possibly go wrong? Today, mistakes/errors in the execution of certificates generate around 8-10% of all E&O claims. If your agency has new staff (or staff with lower levels of experience) handling certificates, identify the “easy” certificates and ensure the certificates are checked by their manager before the certificates are forwarded to the appropriate parties. This is one of those “better safe than sorry” scenarios.
I have seen some agencies assign a new person the task of policy checking. This is a situation where the agency should have a policy checking form (a checklist) with training provided to ensure the new staff member knows what they are looking for. Policy checking is definitely an underappreciated task and is more than just checking the premiums. The E&O Plus program has seen many E&O claims that could have been avoided with a strong policy-checking approach. Once again, strong oversight and a second set of eyes reviewing the new staff’s work product will help identify the new person’s quality for this task.
There are certainly other tasks that agencies will assign to new staff or staff with minimal insurance experience. This will aid in developing the newer staff and determine whether more training is needed and whether the individual can handle additional tasks. The key issue is to provide the necessary training and oversight and to perform some quality checking to see how well the new person is grasping the importance of the task and what is required.
Moving forward, agencies will continue looking for quality staff to fill vacancies. Some staff may be brought on with little insurance experience and knowledge. So, what tasks are you giving your new people, and how well do you sleep at night knowing (or wondering) what the quality of their work is?