Amerisure’s Agency Services team is pleased to announce the successful launch of the CARE Academy program pilot. The CARE (Customer Advocate Relationship Expert) Academy provides an opportunity to increase the technical and relational expertise of insurance agency account managers and account executives, enhancing their role as distinguished and respected advisors to their policyholders.
“The CARE curriculum was developed to help recognize account managers and executives as an invaluable part of the policyholder relationship,” said Bob Nicholas, Amerisure’s Assistant Vice President of Sales Enablement & Customer Experience.
Amerisure partnered with agency customer HUB International in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to launch the program pilot earlier this year. An exclusive carrier-provided offering, the course focuses on how to steward 365 days of an existing account in an experiential learning environment.
Tyler Harmon, HUB International’s senior vice president of the account executive group, and his team dedicated their time and shared feedback with Amerisure as the program’s inaugural participants.
“It was awesome to be able to give back to an industry that does so much for us,” said Harmon.
The academy is delivered in three phases: relationship management & preparation, advising on coverage, and a case study presentation. Participants learned how to conduct difficult conversations, ask key questions to uncover risk, accelerate critical relationships with decision-makers, and present key accounts to their underwriter to ensure the best outcomes.
“It was eye-opening for the participants to recognize the value of a documented service timeline with tasks, due dates and responsibilities clearly defined,” said Laura Nettles, president and CEO of Nettles Consulting and key partner in the development and launch of the CARE Academy. “It’s never enough to tell the client how much you’ve done – it’s better to show them,” said Nettles.
Amerisure experts dedicated time and resources to draft and refine the program prior to launch. Pilot participants also provided their feedback after each live session. “When creating the program, we looked at it from all perspectives and determined the most effective ways to tie in underwriting, claims, and risk management to create something that would resonate with insurance professionals,” said Nathan Logan, Risk Management Expertise Specialist at Amerisure, who was highly involved in the content creation, coordination and launch of the CARE Academy pilot.
“The initial presentation materials were more related to coverage mechanics,” Logan said, “And together with the helpful feedback from HUB International, it was elevated to allow insurance professionals to be more attuned to the business needs of their clients.”
The Academy asks important questions of its participants, such as:
- What is it to “uncover” risk and align that with customers, clients, business needs and perspectives?
- How can you ask better questions to understand difficult-to-navigate claims scenarios?
- What solutions can you propose that tie together carrier interests with policyholder needs?
The first CARE Academy class with HUB International concluded in April with a team-based collaborative case study and presentation. The winning team within the participating class was awarded the CARE Academy Cup and demonstrated the transformation of traditional service roles to Customer Advocate Relations Expert by applying the concepts they learned at the Academy. The winning team also:
- Created an exceptional service timeline with due dates and responsibilities
- Asked key questions to uncover risk
- Demonstrated an understanding of connecting services to business outcomes
The Academy will continue through 2023 and beyond and provides a unique opportunity for the agency and their underwriting partner to develop a closer bond and enhance trust in their working relationship.
“We are very proud of the launch of the CARE Academy, extremely appreciative to HUB International, and excited to extend this truly unique course offering to additional agency partners in the coming years,” said Nicholas.
