Insurers are upgrading their technology to support more complex
products, lower operating costs, and get closer to their customers.
But they can do more harm than good when they make changes
that alienate their independent agents. We’ve identified five steps
that can help insurers engage agents early and create a
transition plan that meets agents’ needs—converting these
important stakeholders into enthusiastic advocates.
1. Insurers’ IT projects can
threaten independent
agent loyalty. Change
management can turn
skeptics into believers.
www.pwc.com/fsi
No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally
support for tech upgrades
2. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 1
The heart of the matter
Insurers are upgrading their technology to support more complex
products, lower operating costs, and get closer to their customers.
But they can do more harm than good when they make changes
that alienate their independent agents. We’ve identified five steps
that can help insurers engage agents early and create a
transition plan that meets agents’ needs—converting these
important stakeholders into enthusiastic advocates.
Right now, in Beaumont, Texas, there’s an
independent agent who is struggling with an
insurance service portal. The site was
launched recently with great fanfare by her
preferred carrier, one of the six she
represents. At the moment, she can’t find
the right link to enter some required
information to prepare an annuity contract
for a new client. As she turns away from her
desk in frustration, a binder from a different
insurer catches her eye. “I should see if they
can help me close this deal.”
Insurance carriers have invested heavily to
modernize their technology in recent years.
And despite upgrades to systems like billing,
claims, and policy administration, there’s
still a lot more change ahead. When
supported by strong distribution channels,
technology advances can allow firms to roll
out more specialized products, give carriers
better pricing flexibility, and lower operating
costs. Agents are eager for innovation, too.
They’re all too aware of how much time
they’ve spent in legacy systems looking for
forms, completing them, reworking
rejections, and so on.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out so
well. In many technology change projects,
insurers are focused inward. They think
about how to streamline their own
operational processes, which have real room
for improvement. Project plans usually
specify some training for the agents who’ll
use them, but many carriers make the
mistake of assuming that agents will simply
do what they’re asked. In reality, any
deployment that involves changing human
behavior requires deliberate planning to
move people from grudging acceptance to
enthusiastic advocacy. Independent agents
are particularly important, because they’re
hardly employees. If anything, they’re closer
to customers, with significant influence over
what policies are sold and with which
carriers they’re placed.
3. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 2
How does agent satisfaction impact carriers?
Carriers must keep agent satisfaction in mind. A study completed by
J.D. Power found that as agent satisfaction increases, the likelihood of
agents increasing their premium business with an insurance company
also rises.
According to Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at
J.D. Power, “Agents have tremendous influence over policyholders
when it comes to switching providers. In fact, 60 percent of consumers
report that they would follow their agent recommendation to switch to
a new insurance company. Clearly, agent satisfaction can have a major
impact on policy growth for an insurance company.”
Source: Andrea Wells, “Study: Agency Satisfaction Linked to Amount of Business Sent to Insurers,” Insurance
Journal, March 26, 2009, www.insurancejournal.com, accessed April 6, 2015.
And despite all the hype around direct
distribution, it’s very possible that the
independent channel will become even more
relevant in coming years. That’s because
new entrants are spurring competition in
some markets and many customers will
value the perceived neutrality of
independent agents. Also, while carriers
have had some success selling directly to
customers with relatively simple needs,
independent agents are a valuable resource
for those with more complicated situations.
For the foreseeable future, it’s our view that
companies looking for commercial or
specialty coverage will still want tailored
advice, as will high net worth individuals
with complex insurance needs. As a result,
carriers that downplay the importance of the
independent agent channel risk alienating
some very lucrative partners.
Some carriers “get it.” Leading carriers
expect resistance to change, and they plan
for it. They know that independent agents
will often be concerned about the lost
productivity that follows project rollouts.
They know that agents may be living
through a dozen carriers making technology
upgrades at the same time, with little
confidence that they’ll benefit from any of
them. And they know that these experiences
can affect agents’ willingness to trust and
work with carriers in the long term.
Leading carriers take steps to engage their
field partners early and often. By using a
structured approach to managing change,
these insurers turn potential adversaries
into allies. This requires the right attitude
and some tangible actions. To get increased
value out of technology projects involving
independent agents, we encourage carriers
to follow this five-step approach:
Engage agents from the beginning when
defining the change.
Communicate with agents to build
commitment.
Design processes to ease the transition.
Provide training that is relevant, simple,
and concise.
Deploy and reinforce the program.
While these are not always sequential or
distinct, the successful implementation of
each step increases a program’s overall odds
of success.
4. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 3
An in-depth discussion
In PwC’s 2015 CEO
survey, 61% of
Insurance CEOs
believe changes in
core technologies of
production or
service provision
will be disruptive to
the industry (that
includes
respondents who
listed very
disruptive or
somewhat
disruptive).
Source: PwC, PwC’s 18th Annual
Global CEO Survey, Insurance
sector data, February 2015
In today’s evolving insurance industry,
customer-facing transformation projects
have moved to the front burner. Market
demands are more complex than ever, with
new pressure from customers and agents.
And many policy administration systems are
nearing the end of their productive life,
requiring extensive maintenance and taking
away from discretionary investment. For
many carriers, the question is no longer if
they should upgrade, but when.
On the positive side, insurers can now
choose from a range of stable, feature-rich
systems, making upgrades less risky than
before. Insurance used to be paper based,
and agents spent a fair amount of time
correcting applications and claims.
Automation has helped carriers and agents
work more efficiently, reducing errors and
clerical work. And companies are turning to
technology to get more insights out of the
vast data sets that are now within their
reach. Leading insurers are developing
information strategies that will allow them
to set themselves apart from their
competition.
In the rush to upgrade, many carriers dive
deep into functional requirements
documents that focus on product features,
technical integration, and scalability. But
there are stakeholders whose interests lie far
beyond functional specs, or availability, or
compliance. And, these users—the
independent agents who sell the carriers’
products—can have a chilling effect on
technology projects if their concerns aren’t
identified and addressed.
How carriers get it wrong with
independent agents, and why it
matters
Unlike captive agents, independent agents
have choices. Loyalty, convenience, and
compensation are all important factors that
influence an agent’s decision regarding
carrier, but we believe that ease of doing
business tops the list. If agents feel that a
carrier is easy to work with, they’ll stick it
out, even though their productivity may
drop as they work through the learning
curve of a new system. On the other hand, if
they think the insurer is making their work
harder, they’re very likely to start tapering
off their business with that company and
consider promoting competitors instead.
This is where many carriers fumble, because
they downplay or misunderstand the effect
of the changes they’ve created.
Here are some common errors that insurers
make:
Depending on marketing teams to
shoulder all change efforts
Many insurers rely exclusively on their
marketing teams to support change
initiatives with their agents, which—in our
experience—undermines the effort. It’s true
that marketing has communications
expertise, owns external communications
channels, and often has close relationships
with independent agents. And while these
skills are important for spreading the word
about system changes, insurers need more
than publicity to build long-lasting
commitment to technology changes.
5. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 4
Treating change as a simple
technology problem
Often, insurance carriers see new system
features as straightforward technology
upgrades that require little more than a
simple notification to agents. This point of
view overlooks the fact that many
independent agents work with multiple
carriers, and may be juggling multiple
changes at any one time. This perspective
also underestimates the level of training,
communication, and other change
management activities needed to effectively
implement a technology change. Figure 1
describes the impacts and challenges agents
may encounter from some common
insurance carrier technology upgrades.
Assuming that independent agents
are more like employees than
customers
Independent agents rarely respond to
directives as well as employees do. If a
technology change makes life harder for
agency staff—for example, if they need to
spend more time collecting or
understanding information—they may turn
to competitive carriers when quoting
policies.
Figure 1: Even the simplest technology upgrades can have many unintended side effects for insurance
agents. These can be mitigated, but will pose serious challenges if they are not addressed up front.
Change Impacts Challenges
New billing
system and
invoices
Direct impact: Agents may need to
adjust to new ways to review payments,
make payments on behalf of the insured,
and/or update payment plans.
Indirect impact: Policyholders may see
new invoices or different payment
options.
Agents may struggle to train staff to use new
payment methods or advise policyholders on
options.
Agents may not set aside time or attention to
explain changes to policyholders.
Agents may feel sidelined if carriers use the
new system to communicate directly with
policyholders.
Update to
quoting
system
Direct impact: Agents may need to use
new tools or processes to quote new
business, and may lose some
functionality at first.
Indirect impact: Policyholders may see
different pricing or terms as a result of
product changes.
Agents may find it easier to move business to
other carriers than train staff on new systems.
Agents may react poorly to pricing changes.
Agents may feel overwhelmed by product
changes and resent impact to policyholders.
Incentive
compensation
system
change
Direct impact: Agents may need to
adjust to new system for tracking
compensation and changes to
commission plans and recognition
programs.
Agents may be suspicious of changes to
commission schedules and view simplification
as an exercise designed to pay them less.
Agents may overwhelm staff with requests to
validate amounts paid.
6. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 5
Failing to understand, or expect,
resistance and concerns
Some carriers assume that their agents are a
constant distribution force that is unlikely to
leave. Other carriers may have the best of
intentions, gathering agents’ inputs early in
the process—only to let those inputs fall by
the wayside as they make tradeoffs in the
rush to upgrade. Leading carriers
understand that agents play a vital role in
their distribution strategy, and carefully
prioritize their needs alongside business and
internal user goals.
Forgetting that not everyone benefits
from change
When technology upgrades emphasize back
office efficiencies such as streamlined
processes or self-service capabilities, agents
may perceive that changes are simply
increasing their workloads. In this case,
publicizing a planned change can be
counterproductive. Most insurers don’t
consider the agent’s perspective on “What’s
in it for me?” until it’s too late.
Avoid jeopardizing the broader
project by using change
management
For the foreseeable future, independent
agents will still be an important delivery
channel for most insurance carriers; they
may even grow more relevant, as companies
turn to direct distribution for their lower-
margin products. As we’ve already noted,
poorly managed transitions usually lead to
decreased productivity. And dissatisfied
agents are more likely to sell competitors’
products.
But even the fiercely loyal independent
agent may struggle to adapt to technology
changes. A J.D. Power study found that
technology is one of the most important
drivers of agency satisfaction, ahead of both
price and compensation.1 And you shouldn’t
simply assume that agents and their staff
will be comfortable with apps and digital
processes. They’ll need help to make the
adoption work, and they may need
incentives to encourage them along the path.
The good news is that a little planning goes a
long way. And by involving agents early on in
the process—before the requirements have
been written—insurers can make sure that new
systems will work for this valuable
constituency. With the right training and tools,
agents can move from sellers to relationship
builders, and that benefits everyone.
Our approach to managing
change for independent agents
In recent years, we’ve helped a range of
insurance carriers as they’ve upgraded their
technology. Drawing on this experience, we
recommend a structured approach to
managing change with independent agents
in technology projects. Specifically, we
encourage companies to think about five key
steps in the transition:
Engaging agents from the beginning
when defining the change.
Communicating to build commitment.
Designing processes to ease the transition.
Providing training that is simple,
short, and relevant.
Deploying the changes and reinforcing
the program.
It’s important to remember that this is not a
strict, linear process. The approach we
describe below, and the corresponding steps,
are part of an interrelated cycle. These
should be refined throughout a given
project, and some actions may need to be
taken in parallel.
………………………..…..…
1
J.D. Power, "Insurance Agents Who Are Highly Satisfied with
a Particular Insurer Drive A Majority of Their Business to That
Insurer," February 2010.
7. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 6
Step 1: Engage agents from the
beginning when defining the
change
Don’t treat independent agents as an
afterthought when planning for technology
change. Instead, carriers should go out of
their way to engage external stakeholders
early, both before and during the change
design stages. This process starts early,
when defining the requirements. As shown
in Figure 2, we believe you should balance
needs across three areas when planning
technology upgrades: market analysis, user
needs (including both agents' and
customers'), and business priorities.
In a recent publication, Playing for Keeps:
How insurers can win customers one at a
time, we noted how little most insurers
know about their end customers, and how
fragmented operating models have led to
inconsistent customer experiences.2 In that
paper, we talked about how the very notion
of “customer-centric” has changed. We
reiterate here that focusing on the customer
means more than just designing a good user
interface. Not only do you have to actively
look for insight into customer needs, you
also need to streamline the user experience,
and rethink the operating model. These
same concepts apply to agents just as they
do customers.
Long before deployment, carriers should
think about which agents they'll talk to, how
they'll receive feedback, and how they'll
incorporate suggestions. How would your
most important agent segments want to
change the systems you're revamping? How
will your planned changes affect their
business? Could the change affect the way
they interact with their customers? Will it
require more or less of their time? We’re not
suggesting that agent requirements should
drive the project, but carriers should take
time to understand what different categories
of agents and customers want, and then
prioritize those needs and integrate them
within the broader program design.
Finally, carriers should think about how to
engage agents throughout the rollout
process. We suggest that carriers solicit
agent feedback on topics ranging from
system usability testing, to thinking through
communication plans, to defining success.
Even if decisions are made counter to agent
preferences based on sound business
rationale, understanding points of resistance
will allow you to plan for and address them
proactively
………………………..…..…
2
PwC, “Playing for keeps: How insurers can win customers,
one at a time,” July 2014, www.pwc.com/fsi.
Figure 2: Key considerations when planning technology upgrades.
8. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 7
Know your agents
Understanding the
varying needs of
your agents can help
you tailor your
change management
techniques for each
group.
Each agency is unique, and transition
programs are not one-size-fits-all. We
recommend viewing them across several
dimensions:
Earned premium.
Overall book of business.
Relationship strength.
Adaptability to change.
After you’ve classified your agents, you’ll
be able to design approaches that are
directly relevant to them. When
mapping stakeholder needs:
Agencies that are very important and
may struggle with change should be
supported extensively.
Agencies that are less important, but
will adapt well to new programs,
should be kept informed during
the change.
Agencies that offer a lot of value to
the organization and can manage
change well should have their
concerns addressed throughout
the process by their sales managers.
Agencies that are less important and
may not adapt well to change should
be supported selectively.
Figure 3: Mapping stakeholders allows the carrier to identify the
appropriate level of support each agency requires.
9. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 8
Step 2: Communicate with
agents to build commitment
After carriers have determined what to build
(or buy, or integrate), they should start
sharing information about the upcoming
changes. Here, small cues send big signals.
As seen in Figure 4, creating a communi-
cations plan helps agents understand what is
happening, why it is happening, what is
expected of them, and how they will be
supported during and after the change.
We encourage carriers to frame the change
in terms that independent agents will
appreciate—and ideally, in a way that they'll
find motivating. To find out what appeals to
different users, tailor and test
communications with different audiences—
not only across agent segments, but within
agencies as well. For example, a customer
service representative might see a $25 gift
card as a valuable incentive, while principals
might respond better to personal outreach to
help them understand how changes may
benefit their book of business. Agency
advisory councils and user groups can also
offer good insights into how changes will be
received.
We also encourage testing messages with
internal audiences. Front-line staff, like
underwriters and regional sales managers,
are likely to have useful information about
how well a given story will be received.
Accounts receivable, claims, and marketing
staff may also have good insights. Finally,
carriers should make sure that their
management is vocal, visible, informed, and
aligned with the communication strategy.
An agent should be able to ask a question to
anyone in the company, from the CEO to a
claims representative, and hear the same
answer. But even the best intentions break
down when messages are delivered
inconsistently. Because of this, we also
encourage the development of internal
training to make sure everyone is speaking
the same language. Another way to avoid
confusion and mixed messages is process-
related: encourage employees to try to solve
agent issues directly, whenever possible,
without handoffs.
Figure 4: A communications plan can help keep stakeholders informed of progress throughout
the lifecycle of the program.
10. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 9
In practice: tackling the big question on price
Helping agents see
“What’s in it for me?”
can help focus
messaging, but that’s
just a start.
The next question is likely to be “How
does this affect pricing?” Sales managers
will need clear, concise talking points to
address this, even if the changes aren’t
likely to affect products or rating
algorithms.
Particularly in personal lines, where
changes are readily apparent through
comparative raters, carriers should
always be ready to address what’s
behind any price changes. We encourage
carriers to take these steps:
1. Determine the impact. Do you know
the size of potential
increases/decreases? You’ll need an
estimate at the start—and it will
drive how much leadership attention
you’ll need.
2. Determine your pricing flexibility, if
any. Will you offer credits or
transitional pricing to offset
changes?
3. Prepare key messaging and tools, if
needed, to help sales managers
discuss pricing changes with agents.
Consider including information on
how you’ll frame changes to service,
your commitment to competitive
pricing, your financial stability, and
the business you expect to win and
lose as a result.
4. Prepare sales managers for agent
discussions. Consider educating
agents about industry issues that are
driving your changes, and help them
see how policyholders will benefit if
changes in coverage are
recommended. Help sales managers
see these discussions as
opportunities to build trust and
focus agencies on the long-term
benefits to agents and policyholders.
11. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 10
In practice: anticipating agent challenges
One national insurance company implemented a major
technology change that affected the agency quoting
process. When they encountered challenges with the
system, agents turned to underwriters and sales staff that
hadn't been adequately prepared to answer questions.
Without tools, the underwriters and sales staff became
frustrated, making skeptical comments about the
program’s long-term prospects. This damaged the
likelihood of its adoption.
This scenario could have been avoided by defining a clear
support framework that included clear guidelines for
what each employee should know and when questions
should be referred to a customer service center or a
regional sales manager. By envisioning the change from
the agent's perspective, insurers can anticipate questions
and plan accordingly.
Step 3: Design processes to
ease the transition
As much as we’ve emphasized messaging, if
carriers don't support the process changes
with organizational focus, the
communication will fall flat. This means that
carriers need to prepare front-office staff to
respond to issues, develop process changes
to support the new tools, and create metrics
and incentives to encourage adoption of new
behaviors.
Most carriers understand the need for
preparing frequently asked questions, or
FAQs, to help underwriters and customer
service representatives deal with concerns.
But no list of potential questions will ever be
exhaustive. Leading carriers establish
protocols for responding to feedback,
answering questions, and escalating
questions they can’t answer appropriately.
To support a positive agent experience,
companies will also need to make process
changes to support agents’ use of the new
tools. This can be as simple as establishing
support contacts for agents in the early
stages, so employees can refer the agent to
the right place if they can't answer
something themselves. In some cases, it may
involve role changes or more. For example,
we often see insurance executives who
assume their IT help desks will be able to
effectively handle independent agents'
questions after a technology change. But an
IT help desk that typically supports
employees, or even captive agents, may not
be equipped to support increased call
volume, let alone handle independent
agents' questions. In some cases, carriers
may need to add support roles during the
transition to the new system to provide
sufficient support.
Finally, as the saying goes, "What gets
measured gets done." If carriers want to
encourage a particular set of behaviors, from
internal staff or independent agents, they
should measure what their staff and agents
do. By evaluating their performance against
targeted metrics, carriers can find out how
well stakeholders are adapting. If they're not
adapting well, the measurement data will
provide clues as to why—and help carriers
understand how to modify incentives to get
what they want.
12. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 11
Step 4: Provide training that is
relevant, simple, and concise
With independent agents, there’s no
guarantee that they’ll attend the carefully
crafted training or read through thoughtfully
prepared communications. Without this
information, they may not be prepared for
new processes, systems, or responsibilities.
In these cases, training designs should
require little formal training, because they
should be intuitive and supported through
“just in time” guidance like FAQs or access
to real-time chat support. If agent feedback
from earlier focus groups indicated the need
for more in-depth training, carriers should
also develop options for in-person or virtual
courses. Incentives, like continuing
education credits, can help agents prioritize
training by framing it in “What’s in it for
me?” terms. When developing the training
strategy and plans, remember that
independent agents guard their time
carefully. Every hour in a training class is an
hour not spent generating revenue, so
training should be kept relevant, simple, and
concise to make the best use of agents’ time.
Finally, people learn differently, so making
multiple options available increases the
likelihood that training materials will be
used and understood. Depending on the
nature of the changes, you may want to
supplement initial training with additional
tools, such as short modules that cover the
basics, online demos with reference
documents, question and answer sessions,
or contests. You may also choose to offer
personal visits or one-on-one training,
though this tends to be less cost-effective
and require more support from sales
managers.
Step 5: Deploy and reinforce
the program
Companies often forget that changes need to
be reinforced after the first steps are taken.
This is particularly true for insurers trying to
change independent agent behavior, because
agents have what they see as an easy
alternative: ignore the change and sell
someone else’s product. Even after agents
read briefings or attend training, a lack of
support can push them back to previous tools
or processes that may feel more comfortable.
We suggest carriers consider these steps:
1. Build (and use) feedback loops to
hear what field agents think. This starts
with thinking through the process to
identify persistent questions, issues, or
agent dissatisfaction. When you know
what people are saying, and you have
created a path to escalate this feedback to
leadership, for action, you send a critical
message to the independent agents: “We
value you and your opinion, and we’re
listening.” That, by itself, often helps
increase engagement.
2. Share success stories. Look for ways
to share stories that promote agent wins.
By collecting testimonials from
influential agents who have made the
switch, you can influence others who are
on the fence. And if the data on adoption
tells a positive story, share that
information early and often.
3. Be prepared to see the post-
adoption environment for what it
is, not what you want it to be. If
something isn’t working, acknowledge
the issues, and provide information on
how the issues are being addressed.
When you show that you’re willing to
change if necessary, you enhance the
agent experience, and you support the
development of trust. This helps get more
support for the current change, and the
one that comes next.
13. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 12
Making the case for change management
Communicating the
benefits as well as the
impact of disruption
is important to
gaining leadership
buy-in.
Some organizations find it hard to
articulate the benefits of a change
management program. Reasons vary:
some have a low perception of the
activities’ “soft” value, others are
overconfident in the quality of the final
product, and most have unrealistic
expectations for how stakeholders will
react.
Though soft benefits, such as greater
engagement help, are important,
decision-makers are often more swayed
by demonstrating the potential for
disruption. By using a simple impact
analysis that shows the likelihood and
potential effect of a change on each
stakeholder group, managers can show
what’s at stake.
While there is no perfect “rule of thumb”
for change management budgets, we
often see investments of 10-15% of a
technology program’s overall cost. This
can vary by a project’s size and
complexity, the maturity of a change
management function, whether captive
agents are also affected, and likelihood
of resistance. Other approaches include
making a case by activity (which entails
quantifying specific activities), or
benefits, (which involves estimating the
likelihood and cost of project delays,
reduced productivity, or lost business).
14. No agent left behind:
How insurers can rally support for tech upgrades 13
What this means for your business
These are complicated times for the
insurance industry. Historically, the sector
has relied on independent sales agents who
have been responsible for understanding
consumer and business needs and
recommending insurance products to their
customers. But shifts in consumer
preferences, demographics, and technology
are changing this. Many insurers are now
pursuing multi-channel strategies that put
them in direct competition with the same
independent agents they rely on. As the
number and share of market for
independent agents declines, the
relationship between some carriers and
agents may become more adversarial.
At the same time, carriers are investing in
new technology to capture better data so
they can profile their customers better,
building more loyal and profitable
relationships. And independent agents want
carriers to invest in technology, processes,
and products, because this helps them
deliver quality customer service.
How changes are designed and
communicated can have far-reaching effects.
By following a structured approach for
engaging agents early and throughout the
change process, insurers can lock in the
benefits of the larger program. And, they can
help manage some of the more contentious
aspects of the agent-carrier relationship in
the process.
This is the bottom line: when change
management is handled poorly, agents are
likely to shift their business to other carriers.
By involving agents early in the change,
seeking feedback, and encouraging
collaboration, agents are far more likely to
adopt the change and see the carrier as a
true partner. For the leading carriers who
“get it,” change management is a profitable
secret weapon that strengthens the unique
relationship between carriers and their
independent agents and gives them a
competitive edge.