Florida Association of Insurance Agents

Chapter 8- On The RUN! Orientation, Training, and Retention

Ok, so you've been FISHing, right? That is fishing as in: Find, Interview, Select and HIRE(D)! If not, first read those articles, then come back to this one!

So, now what do you do to keep that person (read: new asset, record catch, jumbo bass - you get the idea) you worked so hard to find and hire? How do you make sure that you don't have to deal with replacing him or her later? Our economy is changing. In a few years we'll have a serious shortage of workers in the USA, and you'll need to do all you can to hold on to the good employees you have already.

The secret, it seems, is to be "On The Run." Orientation and Training lead to Retention!

Orientation:

Set up a formal orientation system. Don't just walk the employee around the office and introduce them, showing them the coffee room and where their desk is and telling them to have a great day. You'll need to spend a couple of days, at a minimum, really showing them the ropes and teaching them about your agency.

How about a formal meeting with someone in the office (the closer to the top the better) to learn the history of your company? You'll need to teach them a little about the history and purpose of our industry, too! If you need help with that, read FAIA's book From Cartels to Competition, the 100-year history of Florida insurance written by Scott Johnson. When employees understand the bigger picture it helps them understand more about the how and why of his or her day to day job. Make everyone feel a part of that bigger picture.

Naturally, we'd like you to explain why you are a member of FAIA and how important that type of advocacy is for the industry. We can provide plenty of material to help you with that!

Be sure to talk about corporate structure. Instead of just handing them the personnel manual to read, go through it with them in general terms. Include the organization chart in the discussion, so they know who does what.

Have him or her meet with each department head so that your new person understands what department is responsible for what parts of the job you all do every day. Be sure those meetings include a complete explanation of all of the products you sell (not just the ones in their direct responsibility) and how the departments interact.

Don't just show them the copy room - show them how all that equipment in the copy room works. Let them try it out. Of course, if you're like me and have a magnetic field around you that ruins all machinery in a 500-yard radius, have someone else handle that task with him or her.

Show your "new asset" the mission statement, and explain your vision for the agency. Share a copy of the five-year strategic plan, and explain what it means. (Don't have a mission or strategic plan? We should talk.)

Training

Once you finish Orientation, which should take a couple of days, assign someone the job of being the mentor for your new employee.

First, give your new star a copy of the job description and standard operating procedure [SOP] manual for the task they are responsible to complete. (Don't have these yet? Better get busy!) Give them some time to read and digest these documents.

Next, provide in depth training as to the use the tools you have provided. This includes the telephone, voice mail, email, agency management systems, etc. After setting up voice mail and email, start with simple entries into the management system. Whenever you are training on a system, let the trainee be the one with their hands on the keyboard. There is no point at all in having them sit behind someone to watch. They must do in order to learn when it comes to computers.

Be sure you sign them up for all the classes they will need. Don't limit training to insurance technical issues. Some new employees will need business writing skills classes, or classes about customer service or negotiation or handling difficult customers. Of course, FAIA can provide just about any training you need for your employees. Our ACSR and CCSR courses are perfect for technical issues, and the AIAM course provides the professional skills. We have plenty of information about training and development of employees at www.faia.com.

It's very important that your new employees learn from your best folks. Have new producers "carry the briefcase" of a seasoned salesperson. Let the new CSR sit with an account manager that exemplifies your very best service. Give the trainer an incentive, though, don't just add the burden of training without some consideration.

FAIA has a sample training track in our OPS in a Box link at the website. Look for chapter 20.

And most importantly, think of your training budget as an investment, not an expense. There is nothing more expensive than a lack of education and training.

Retention

Retention of employees is one of the most important projects a manager has. Besides measuring performance from the perspective of the company's expectations, you need to be sure you're providing a work environment that the employees enjoy, and want to return to day after day. Think of it this way: If you can figure out how to help them have FUN at work, won't your employees do a better job?

First, make sure you place them properly. Match talent and desires to job duties as closely as possible. For help with this part, read First Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham. It's one of the best management texts of the decade.

While it might seem simpler to just "throw money at the problem" sometimes, paying higher salaries is not the only way to keep employees happy. You should pay slightly above market to your best employees. Incentive plans are a good way to do this, because employees are then rewarded for service above and beyond basic (and budgeted) expectations. The more you can measure and define the value of each employee's contribution to the agency, the better.

Having worked in management for the better part of my career, I've seen dozens of programs for employees that create a better working environment. I could give you a list of them but I'm not going to do that. The better way to find out what will make your folks happier, and more likely to stay, is simply to ask them. Just ask good, specific, open-ended questions.

Give them an anonymous way to make suggestions. It's critical, though, that you actually USE some of the suggestions, and act on the concerns that they have. An empty suggestion box is not what you want. But it's what you'll get if you don't take them seriously. If someone starts stuffing the box with junk, let your staff know it. If it doesn't stop, start requiring a signature. However, if folks see that you are really going to use their ideas, I'll wager you won't have that problem.

It's a good idea to ask for specific items. For example, in the month of July tell the staff you want suggestions about employee social gatherings and what they'd like to see. In August ask them about working conditions such as furniture and lighting and such. In September, let them stuff the suggestion box with ideas for incentives (a movie ticket for each additional line sold on a personal lines account or dinner for the families of those CSRs with the highest retention rates, etc.)

Make a note when you're asking for these suggestions that you already know everyone wants to make more money, (don't we all?) and that you'll be addressing that individually.

Retention is also about good management. If managers are overworked and underpaid, then that will ripple through the ranks. Attitude rolls downhill on a daily basis. Be sure supervisory staff is well educated in management techniques, comfortable with the goals of the company, and completely plugged into upper management strategy and philosophy. Knowledge is power, and it should be shared.

The idea is this: when the boomers all retire, and this country has a shortage of over four (4) million workers (yes, that will really be the case in a few years) you want to be the type of agency that has people waiting in line to work there!