Hire An Admin Or Automate Your Agency?
You’ve finally reached your limit. Working just one more lead a day would
tumble your precise routine of quoting, follow-up and data-entry like a deck of cards.
Something’s got to change, or you’ll be settling for stalling profits.
And you’d have to be out of your mind to settle that easy. You’ve
got two choices: hire an admin or hook up your agency with automation technology.
Both handle the busywork.
Which one is right for you?
What Will Give You The Most Help For The Least Cash?
So what’s the difference between an admin and automation technology? Here’s
the breakdown:
- Quoting.
At upwards of 25 minutes a pop, running multiple quotes takes a big bite out of
your day.
Admin: Your new admin could help you paste together a quote from
all your different carriers’ websites and software. It would still take the
same amount of time, but you’ll be free to contact more prospects a day.
Automation: A quote engine with all your carriers on it lets you
run quotes in 60 seconds or less. You can compare plans side-by-side and shoot them
out in a quick email. Your prospects get their quotes faster, there’s no risk
of human error, and you’ve just freed up a ton of time for contacting more
leads.
- Assembling packets.
Putting together proposal packets and mailing them can waste hours of your day…and
the postage alone can make a serious dent in your bottom line.
Admin: An admin can take the brunt of packet assembly out of your
hands completely.
Automation: No computer program is going to physically put together
packets for you and drop them off at the post office. But lead management
systems let you generate electronic proposals and applications customized for your agency
with one-click… eliminating the need for packets altogether.
Now nobody has to waste time on mailings, and you get to pocket the postage savings.
- Data entry.
Fall behind on your data entry and you’ll get caught fumbling around for the
prospect’s information when they call. And your schedule for following up leads
disintegrates.
Admin: Your admin can stay on top of the data entry so prospect
information is always filed away and available when you need it…if there’s
enough time left over after the packet assembly and quoting help.
Automation: Lead management systems automatically enter in all
your leads as they’re received, whether they’re from popular lead vendors
or generated from your own website. There’s no gap between when you get a lead
and when you have their information at your fingertips.
- Return on investment. No matter which move you make, you need
to consider what will be the most profitable for your agency.
Admin: When you bring an admin on you’ll need to train him
or her on how your agency works. Don’t expect great time savings until they’re
up to speed. Depending on the wage you can afford, the number of hours you want them
to work, and the benefits you might provide, an admin could easily cost your agency
over $13,000 a year.
Automation: With most automation tools designed to plug right into
your agency, you won’t lose any time putting them to work. And they’re
affordable, too: you can automate your agency for just over $4 a day — less
than you spend on lunch!
Remember: agency automation technology handles busywork; it doesn’t replace
a licensed CSR for servicing policies or another agent for locking in the final sale.
But it IS a smart step for an agency that’s looking for relief from busywork.
And when you can streamline daily operations, grow the number of leads worked every
day, and the number of policies written — then you’re on your way to adding
staff that can use the same tools to make you even more sales. |
