People stay connected in every area of their lives at every hour of the day.
It’s called digital disruption – the impact of growing digital technology on businesses creating a need for 24/7 access.
Digital disruption is changing the life insurance industry, too.
The need for in-person meetings is now outweighed by the use of Google searches, instant quotes and other online tools for online connection.
So how does a life insurance agent selling policies online stay relevant?
You have to be always on: connected and prospecting at all times.
If that sounds like a lot of effort, don’t worry. You don’t actually have to be available to that level of commitment.
But your online presence – your website, social media, and so on – does. Here’s how modern life insurance agents can remain always on in a digital world.
Why 24/7 Business is the Future of Life Insurance
Prospective clients don’t go to bed at night when you do. Click To TweetOne thing life insurance agents need to pay attention to is the way young prospective clients – in this case, those between the ages of 18-35 (Millennials) – find companies.
As the Millennial generation ages, triggers for life insurance (getting married, having children, etc.) also increases.
According to a 2016 life insurance survey, Millennials’ ownership of individual life insurance has increased 48% in the last few years, though they’re still one of the most underinsured generations.
For life insurance agents, this key demographic is a virtual hotbed of sales, but selling to them will require a 24-7 mentality.
As Sabrina Caluori, VP of social media and performance marketing at HBO, explains, “The nine-to-five model has to change if brands are expected to be responsive 24/7.”
If you want to sell into the future (to the younger generations), you have to be available 24-7.
How to be “Available” 24/7
Moving toward “always on” availability doesn’t mean you have to spend all of your waking hours responding to prospects.
Through the use of your website as well as some automation, you can achieve a 24/7 presence even when you’re sleeping.
Here’s how.
Use an Instant Quote Form
Having an instant quote form on your website is a surefire way to generate leads when you’re not in the office.
Consider the use of quote forms as a way to get the ball rolling on prospects. They give you the basic information whenever they want, and you can follow up with them when you’re in the office.
You want to include a simple form on your major landing pages, like your homepage.
Geico does a great job of putting their instant quote form front and center:
Source: Geico
AIG also includes the whole form visibly on their homepage and again throughout their site:
Source: AIG
This will make contacting your business much easier for an online prospect, as it only takes a minute to fill out information, but you don’t have to be on call at every moment to answer.
Your forms should be posted to your CRM and should send you an automatic email letting you know it’s been completed, as well as an email to the prospect letting them know you’ll be in touch.
Set Up an Online Calendar
You can also have prospective clients set up an over-the-phone or video call with you directly on the site, bypassing the initial emailing back and forth.
Online scheduling software like Calendly allows you to set times when you’re available to chat, with a link you can provide on your site.
The benefit of this is that a client can schedule with you at any time.
Outsource Your Customer Service
You can also outsource your customer service to a software system like Zendesk, which can be integrated with an existing CRM to manage customer questions as well as connect them with your business in other ways.
Create Content that Answers FAQs
According to IBM, almost three out of four Millennials would rather find answers on their own than ask you.
Provide ways on your website to answer their answer questions before they have to talk to you (along with a link to an instant quote or appointment booking form).
This might be something simple, like an FAQs page, or something more robust like a blog that addresses common issues.
Having a blog can also improve your lead generation efforts online, so you can actually bring in leads as well as connect with them without having to do much.
What to Do During Open Business Hours
Of course, what you do when you are able to respond is just as important as what you’re doing when you’re not around.
You should create a plan when you’re in the office or starting your workday that allows you to follow up on any leads created while you were offline.
1. Login to your CRM
Again, your forms should be tied to your CRM, so you should be notified of any form submissions when they arrive. Check these first and respond to any emails or other notifications from your CRM or forms.
2. Check your appointments
Look at any current appointments you have for the day as well as any new appointments that may have been booked using your online scheduler. Create your to-do priorities for the day in preparation for these appointments.
3. Call your leads as soon as possible
Call or connect with your prospective leads as soon as you can. The soon as they can talk to a real live human who can answer questions about their policies, the better off the sale will be. Keep in mind that younger prospects may prefer email to phone calls.
Once you setup your website to generate leads for you when you’re offline, you can get into the habit of nurturing those leads when you’re back in the office.
Final Thoughts
The future of the life insurance industry is online, which means that if you want to stay relevant for the years to come, you need to be “always on.”
To do this, you need a website that incorporates tools that give your clients 24/7 access. This includes an instant quote form that will allow them to give you their information so you can respond later.
This may also mean allowing them to set up an appointment with you directly through an online scheduling service.
You may also want to create content that answers questions for them before they contact you, so they know what to expect once they hop on a call (or respond to your email).
Create a schedule when you start your workday that responds to your automated inquiries and you’ll have a recipe for 24/7 success.
