In the June issue of Sounding Line I talked about the importance of collecting e-mail addresses. E-mail addresses of prospects and customers who are familiar with your agency represent a goldmine of opportunity. The case study that follows provides a good example of how an agency could have turned an important newsworthy event into a proactive customer service and possible marketing opportunity, but didn't. Unfortunately, this agency did not maximize the event's potential. Fortunately, for you, the reader, you can gain some insight from what this agency might have done instead.
The situation
The agency in question is a well-established P&C agency with a reported contact list of about 3,500 prospects and customers. By all outward appearances the agency is successful and comfortable. The owner is nearing retirement and plans to perpetuate the agency via his son.
The agency has had a Web site for about three years. The site is a well-developed brochure site that compares favorably with other agency sites in its market. From what we know, the agency worked out a good deal with an insurance savvy Web developer, but failed to cultivate the relationship. In essence, the agency has not taken advantage of the talents and resources the Web developer can offer, resulting in a Web presence that has remained static and neglected for nearly three years.
Early in the site development process, the agency spoke of its vision for what it hoped to accomplish. Capitalizing on its prospect and customer list, the agency had high hopes for attracting likely visitors to its site through regular e-mail contact that would establish and develop what Sounding Line calls an "electronic relationship." Despite the good intentions, that never materialized.
The opportunity
Lo and behold, a rare opportunity presented itself. The agency in question operates in a state where brand new auto insurance legislation was enacted. The new law will throw the auto insurance market into a state of turmoil. In fact, as published news reports on TV and in print indicate, drivers are confused, bewildered, and scared about the new law and how it will affect them. The agency, in anticipation of numerous customer questions, rightfully decided (at long last) that it's time to update its Web site to include information about the new law. So far so good.
To prepare for the round of customer questions, the agency generated a two-page explanation about the change in the law, its impact on auto policyholders, and possible recommendations for dealing with the change.
Some shortcomings
While the agency's explanation of the new law and its impact is adequate, any objective evaluation of what the agency wrote would conclude that the agency could have benefited from professional copywriting. Several grammatical and punctuation flaws could cause confusion in readers' minds.
In addition, the explanation could have benefited from more logical paragraphing and the use of appropriate sub-heads to guide the thought process. In spots, the explanation seems needlessly laborious and repetitive.
One also wonders if the copy might have been enhanced with a briefer recitation of the change and its impact, followed by a series of relevant FAQs and a link to the state insurance commissioner's Web site. Assuming the agency is generally knowledgeable of its customer base and its needs (as it should be), the site could have provided more useful information by anticipating likely customer questions and also directed visitors "straight to the horse's mouth."
The agency and its site come up short in handling this significant event for two reasons: 1) the agency's overall lack of understanding about what it means to have a useful and meaningful Web presence; and 2) its failure to cultivate a relationship with its site developer, a good resource that could keep the site fresh and updated.
The agency, displaying little interest in its site after it was built, did not seek consultative advice from the site developer (or anyone else as far as we know) for best using its Internet resources in capitalizing on this important insurance legislation. Instead, the agency simply directed (via e-mail and with minimal instruction) the Web developer to add a new page to the Web site. Fortunately for the agency, the Web developer, due to its own initiative, expertise, and insurance knowledge, handled the changes and updates in a manner the agency would have never dreamed of on its own, resulting in an effort that exceeded the agency owner's expectations.
A telling comment
After the changes were made, the agency owner sent the following e-mail to the developer, "Thanks so much. This new law is a ball of snakes and this info is going to help us with our thousands of phone calls." The comment seems to indicate that the agency might have wanted the additional Web page as a resource to which the agency could direct customer calls — instead of taking the time to answer questions personally.
Imagine how a customer might feel if an agency employee, instead of answering important questions personally, said, "Please check our Web site for information about the new change." Imagine the potential loss of good will and its impact on customer retention. I don't know about you, but if my agency didn't have the time or inclination to answer my questions directly, I might be inclined to take my insurance business elsewhere.
Some better possibilities
While the agency did the minimum by adding the new and important information to its site, what might have been done better? Let's look at some possibilities.
First, in hindsight it appears that this agency never fully understood or appreciated its Web presence and how it could be useful and create value. Without that vision, the agency failed to turn to the one source that really could have done something worthwhile — its insurance savvy Web developer. But the agency never cultivated that relationship, its Internet intentions never blossomed, and the agency squandered three years of lost opportunity.
Second, had the agency followed through on its original good intentions, it would have been better prepared to handle the announcement of this significant auto insurance legislation. The agency would have collected e-mail addresses, it would have regularly updated its site with relevant consumer information and news, and it would have created an evolving Web presence that invited repeat visits. Realistically, the change in the auto insurance law did not happen overnight. The agency has no excuse for being "caught with its pants down" and ending up doing a nominal last-minute job.
Third, even if the agency's site had evolved to a viable and mature Web presence, the agency did not implement an effective e-mail marketing program to direct traffic to it. Had it done so, it would have kept customers informed on an ongoing basis, coordinating its e-mail marketing with regular site updates. Efforts such as these need not be expensive, especially if the Web developer is retained and can be routinely involved in site maintenance, updates, and consultative advice.
Fourth, had the agency kept in regular touch with customers and prospects via e-mail marketing that was tied to the Web site, agency credibility might be enhanced. Neglecting a site for so long, only to use an important event as an excuse to interact with visitors, demonstrates bad form. If an agency really cares about its customers, it will cultivate customer relationships all along, not just at special or rare occasions.
Finally, one wonders if the agency will have learned anything from this event. After completing the requested changes and receiving the agency owner's e-mail, the Web developer followed up with helpful ideas, suggesting the agency revisit its Internet intentions. At the very least, this agency should have learned that there's more to having a Web site than just building one.
Lessons Learned
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