The holidays are usually a busy time in the personal arena as people travel, gather with family, and prepare for the festivities. Understandably, most people aren’t thinking about their insurance. Because this downtime means fewer customer-facing hours for insurance agencies, it’s the perfect opportunity to prepare for an influx of work in the new year. One way to do so is by incorporating virtual insurance CSR services into your customer service strategy.

The Holidays, the Insurance Industry, and Virtual Insurance CSR Services

The holidays present unique challenges to insurance agencies, especially those focused on growth. Potential customers are more concerned with preparing for the upcoming holidays than their insurance needs, making it more challenging to generate leads. Even if you find a promising one, the busy season makes it difficult to pursue, as customers may prefer to delay policy purchases until the new year.

Unfortunately, even individuals who plan to reach out when they have the chance may forget after juggling gift-giving, event preparation, and family time for the entire month. Deciding when to contact interested consumers again is a balancing act, as many don’t appreciate interruptions during a busy time. Additionally, they may have a tight budget during the holidays; contacting individuals in this situation risks getting a “no” when you might hear a “yes” at a later date.

From this perspective, the last month of the year is a business dud. However, you can make this “slump” work for you with the help of virtual insurance CSR services.

The Role of Virtual CSRs in Enhancing Efficiency During Holiday Lulls

Prioritizing the customer experience is critical to keeping clients with your agency. For most people, insurance occupies very little of their mental bandwidth — until they need to file a claim. These situations tend to be chaotic, and what the insured values most is a calm and helpful representative who can take care of things.

In many agencies, staff fulfill this role. However, relying solely on your staff can lead to burnout if you have a large customer base or a small workforce. Additionally, employees understandably want time off for rest and revelry during certain times of the year (such as the holidays). Unfortunately, car accidents and other crises don’t take a day off.

Enter virtual insurance CSR services. These services fill the gap by outsourcing customer service to qualified insurance professionals who serve as extensions of your staff, addressing customer needs and handling claims.

You can also utilize virtual CSRs during slower periods to give your staff more time to focus on high-impact activities. When all calls transfer to a virtual CSRs, it streamlines your agency’s back-office processes by allowing employees to work uninterrupted. This arrangement also lets you tackle agency growth projects, such as organizational improvements and sales strategy planning. With the freedom to implement efficiency-boosting features, you can improve productivity in the coming year.

The Advantages of Virtual CSRs in Slow Periods

One of the greatest benefits of insurance operations outsourcing during a slow period is the flexibility. Many people take time off over the holidays, and having virtual insurance CSR services in your back pocket allows you to cover shifts without relying on in-person employees. It’s also a boon during cold and flu season, as you won’t be understaffed when people need to take sick days.

Virtual CSRs can also be incredibly useful during busy periods. For example, these services can help you keep up with short-term high demand in place of a new employee. Hiring means onboarding and training a new person, which is a sizable investment. If you know the increase in demand is temporary, it may not be worth the effort and money to bring a new person onto your team.

What about using a temp agency to fill the role? While this makes sense for some industries, the insurance field is complex and highly regulated. Even if you were to secure a qualified temp worker, you’ll need to provide training on your agency’s workflow.

Virtual insurance CSR services take care of training and fit seamlessly into your agency’s operations. These companies also take care of staffing, so you don’t have to worry about a worker calling out unexpectedly or leaving for a better job. There will always be a representative available to pick up the slack.

Those employed at virtual insurance CSR services can work from anywhere — including another time zone. These workers can collect your customer’s information and send it to your agency, where your staff can start working on it promptly. Talking to a live person also reassures customers that you care about their problems and will do everything possible to help. This simple exchange can protect your customer relationships during a time when emotions understandably run high.

Finally, you can engage these services to provide bilingual support. If your clients speak English as a second language, you may encounter communication barriers due to insurance’s jargon and complex systems. Even if you have bilingual staff members, you may need backup if they call in sick or are otherwise unavailable. Virtual services always have bilingual representatives ready to help.

The Agency and Virtual Insurance CSR Services

The holidays may be a slow time for insurance sales, but they’re the perfect opportunity to improve processes and boost efficiency in anticipation of next year’s business. This December, take full advantage of the lull and take the pressure off your regular staff by hiring virtual insurance CSR services. You may find the extra help so effective that you utilize it during busy periods as well. If this sounds like the perfect solution for your agency, Virtual Insurance Pro invites you to contact us today to learn more.

About Virtual Insurance Pro

Virtual Insurance Pro offers specialized services to insurance agencies, including phone support, claims processing, customer service, and carrier requests. Our workforce of skilled professionals is based in the U.S. and ready to handle the most time-intensive tasks so that you have more resources available. For more information, reach out to us at (877) 853-9382 or email us at info@vinsurancepro.com.