When advisors have consistently positive experiences with your firm, good things happen. Advisor retention goes up. A positive reputation creates opportunities for advisor recruitment. Good advisor experiences snowball into growing the strength of your business.
Many distribution firms are using technology to create these experiences. Today’s technology gives firms many levers to pull to generate their ideal advisor experience. From quoting, illustration and e-Application platforms to e-Delivery and post-sale solutions. There is no shortage of options to customize the advisor experience.
The challenge is deciding exactly what that ideal advisor experience should look like. Often the concept means different things to different people. There are certain qualities all advisors can agree on, however. A simplified, streamlined and connected sales cycle—from start to finish—can take an advisor’s experience to the next level.
Simplify
Simplifying sales processes can help you meet—and exceed—advisor expectations. Insurance platforms offer unique solutions for simplifying these processes.
Some e-Application tools have helpful wizard capabilities. This functionality makes data collection and form management easy for the advisor. It also helps prevent NIGOs from application errors or missing forms.
Streamline
Speed bumps in the application process frustrate the advisor and can be the deal breaker. Advisors want sales tools that remove friction and expedite the application process.
E-Signature tools are a good example of time-saving solutions. E-Signature capabilities add convenience for both advisor and client. No more fighting delays due to scheduling in-person meetings or mailing out for wet signatures.
Automated and accelerated underwriting is another technological trend worth considering. Some carriers are working with their distribution partners to bring automated and accelerated underwriting into the point of sale. Imagine how it might affect sales if clients can get a decision in minutes rather than weeks or months.
Connect
Technology is the proverbial double-edged sword. There are tools to improve every part of the sales cycle. But all these solutions can start to feel disjointed. More than ever, creating the ideal advisor experience means connecting disparate solutions or using a solution that covers the entire process.
Some insurance sales platforms can power every stage of the sales cycle inside one system. The advisor can go seamlessly from quoting and illustration to e-Application and beyond. A major benefit of this is that data collected in one step is carried through the entire process. For example, the illustration is assured to match the application. This uniformity ensures a fully in-good-order sales process rather than just an in-good order application.
The Ultimate Experience
Designing a simple, streamlined and connected process will make your advisors more effective and strengthen your relationships with them. It is a challenging task, but modern technology has the tools to help sculpt that superior advisor experience, allowing you to attract and retain more advisors to your agency.
Article by Doug Massey, EVP, Sales, Hexure
This article was first published in the NAILBA Perspectives Q4 2022 magazine.
