Biba news: Small brokers turn to e-mail

The answer to why some brokers enjoy more loyal customers than others may lie in friendly e-mails, what is tagged as E-loyalty.

Customer loyalty should be number one on the agenda for the smaller broker, said Andy Chemney, a freelance consultant who was speaking at a session entitled 'Loyal customers buy more' on the second day of the 2007 BIBA conference at ExCel London.

In an environment where business has become commoditised and everything is becoming similar – price, delivery, service and professionalism, the new battleground for differentiating sales is the client experience.

He listed regular personalised e-mails generated by intelligent software, newsletters detailing a broker's activities, intimate seminars that delve into the details and proactive client calls to touch base are the way to go.

Said Chemney: "The insurance market spends an inordinate amount of time refining the physical process of dealing with clients via Imarket, software house functioning and insurer extranets. The emotional process is neglected.

"E-loyalty allows brokers with limited resources to take advantage of the trend towards e-mail communication between clients and work on their contact strategy."

While Chemney conceded that however personalised computer-generated e-mails is, it cannot replace face-to-face contact.

Expanding on the importance of placing the client first, Chemney said: "A great client experience is made up of the physical aspect – policy documents delivered on time and lower premiums – and the emotional aspect – where the broker did everything he could to help, the client felt his needs were understood and the client was treated as an individual.

He said: "The broker who enjoys customer loyalty and hence more crossover sales is also the one who never pushes a sale. They are concerned and trusting. They deal with buyer remorse, encouraging the client that he has made the right decision and personalising client contact. They under-promise and over-deliver."