Brokers talk a lot about how to prepare the public to deal with weather-related catastrophes, but how well do you take your own advice? In the event of an emergency, especially one that affects access to your office or co-workers, do you have a plan?
Rory Thain, National Manager, Property at
Economical Insurance, has seen his fair share of emergency situations. From flooding in the west to ice storms in the east, his team has helped broker partners keep their customers safe and calm when they needed it most. From a planning perspective, Thain looks at preparation in three stages — before, during, and after.
“First, brokers should establish a rock solid emergency communications plan,” he says. “Start by establishing a crisis management team and assigning staff to be responsible for communications. Their first order of business should be to develop and regularly update an Emergency Contact List for your office to include home and cell phone numbers, personal email addresses, and family contact information.”
In terms of continuing business through a major emergency, Thain says to involve staff and determine a meeting location in case your office is off-limits. He also recommends establishing an easily accessible database of information (with off-site storage that will be protected if your office is damaged) for critical documents and key contacts. And naturally, encourage staff to have fully charged phones and mobile devices with them when they leave for the day, just in case.
From a customer service perspective, Thain stresses the importance of being available, and letting your customers know it. “Consider investing in a hotline phone number or a ‘dark’ website that can be activated on short notice to provide information during an emergency,” he says. Regardless of the size of your brokerage, customers will still need to get in touch with you if they’re affected, so making all of your contact information easy to find in an emergency is a smart move. “There’s a reason why small promotional items with your phone number are so popular! Pens, notepads, even magnets are helpful to customers,” he relays. “Encourage your customers to save your contact information on their cell phones, too.”
When the eye of the storm hits, stay focused and stick to your plan. “Ensure your own safety and that of your family first. If you’re not secure, you can’t help anyone,” he advises. “Then, call in the troops, set up a command post, and let your clients know you’re there for them. Logistically, consider taking shifts to spread out the work among all of your team members to help preserve energy and stay healthy for the long haul.” He also advises making use of your insurance provider partners who will likely deploy their own CAT-loss teams to the area. “They can absolutely help with the influx of claims and assisting your customers in a timely manner.”
In the aftermath of a disastrous event, keep the lines of communication — both with your insurance partners and your customers — open and available. “Basically, let your customers know you’re there to answer questions and help usher them through their claims process until satisfied,” concludes Thain.
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