WOODBRIDGE, N.J., – August 18, 2025 – Conventus Inter-Insurance Exchange (“Conventus”), the only medical professional liability insurer owned and governed by New Jersey physicians, announced today that Brian Kriger, RPLU, ARM has been appointed Incoming President of Conventus and NIP Management Co. He will succeed Amy Berezein on January 1, 2026, following a planned transition period to ensure continuity of service for Conventus’ physician members, brokers, and partners. 

Kriger brings more than two decades of medical professional liability (MPL) experience, moving from the underwriting desk to senior executive leadership. Most recently, as Vice President of Underwriting at EmPRO Insurance, he led Northeast geographic expansion and established its New Jersey office. Previously, he spent 17 years at MDAdvantage in roles spanning underwriting, operations, policyholder services, and rate/form management. 

“Brian’s deep technical expertise, broker relationships, and operational discipline are exactly what we need to support our physician members in an evolving healthcare landscape,” said Amy Berezein, outgoing President. “It has been my privilege to serve Conventus and our members, and I am confident Brian shares our commitment to service, integrity, and long-term relationships.” 

Kriger is known for disciplined risk selection, data-driven pricing, and collaborative broker engagement — strengths that will help Conventus build on its strong market position. 

“I am honored to join Conventus, an organization that uniquely understands and serves New Jersey physicians,” Kriger said. “Our physician-owned structure means every decision is made with members’ best interests at heart. I look forward to working closely with our team, brokers, and partners to deliver exceptional protection and service.” 

David Springer, President of Regional Programs at NIP Group, added: “Brian is an outstanding addition. His blend of underwriting depth, market knowledge, and leadership experience will help accelerate growth while maintaining the service standards Conventus members expect.” 

Under Berezein’s leadership since 2016, Conventus has strengthened its reputation for responsive service, enhanced its risk management resources, and expanded its ability to meet the needs of independent physicians and small physician groups. 

“Thanks to Amy’s leadership, Conventus is well-positioned for the future,” said Richard Augustyn, Founder and CEO of NIP Group. “Brian’s appointment builds on that foundation and opens the door to new opportunities for growth and innovation.” 

About Conventus

Conventus is the only medical professional liability insurer owned and governed by New Jersey physicians. Headquartered in and committed to New Jersey since 2002, Conventus focuses on delivering personalized support to meet the unique needs of independent physicians and small physician groups, ensuring they have the resources and protection needed to thrive in today’s healthcare landscape. Learn more at www.conventusnj.com. 

About NIP Group

NIP Group is the leading specialty insurance provider offering comprehensive package solutions and monoline insurance products for 25+ industries and 50+ classes. For more than 35 years, we’ve proudly partnered with best-in-class A rated XV carriers and a trusted national network of insurance brokers working together to protect safety-focused organizations from coast to coast. Learn more at www.NIPGroup.com. 

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With over 20 years of dedicated service in the New Jersey healthcare market, Conventus continues to prioritize the needs of its physician members and broker partners. The introduction of Invoice Cloud marks a significant enhancement in the billing experience, providing physicians with a user-friendly platform that simplifies payment processes and improves overall efficiency. 

Key Benefits of the Invoice Cloud Integration: 

• Seamless Payment Experience: Physicians can now easily view and pay invoices online, with multiple payment options available, including credit card, ACH, and e-check. 
• Secure and Reliable: The platform is built with advanced security features to protect sensitive information, ensuring peace of mind for physicians and their practices. 
• Improved Efficiency: Automated reminders and a straightforward payment interface reduce administrative burdens, allowing physicians to focus more on patient care. 

Stephen Connolly, Head of Sales at Conventus, expressed enthusiasm about the launch, stating, “We understand that New Jersey physicians are constantly seeking ways to optimize their practice management. Our partnership with Invoice Cloud is a direct response to this need, offering a more efficient and secure way to handle billing. This is another step in our ongoing commitment to providing superior service and support to our members.” 

This integration also offers significant advantages for Conventus’ broker partners, who can now assure their physician clients of an even smoother billing process, aligning with Conventus’ longstanding values of speed, ease, and expertise. By leveraging the Invoice Cloud platform, brokers can reinforce their value proposition to clients by highlighting Conventus’ dedication to improving the overall practice experience for New Jersey physicians. 

About Conventus:

Conventus is the only medical professional liability insurer owned and governed by New Jersey physicians. Headquartered in and committed to New Jersey since 2002, Conventus focuses on delivering personalized support to meet the unique needs of independent physicians and small physician groups, ensuring they have the resources and protection needed to thrive in today’s healthcare landscape. Learn more at www.conventusnj.com. 

About Invoice Cloud:

Invoice Cloud is a leading provider of secure, cloud-based electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) services. Trusted by thousands of organizations across the U.S., Invoice Cloud’s platform simplifies the billing process, enhances customer engagement, and drives efficiency through advanced, user-friendly technology. 

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The Conventus Service Center offers a variety of personalized services delivered by the experienced Conventus team, including Underwriting and Practice Resources professionals.  This initiative is mutually beneficial for both brokers and their physician clients, enhancing service quality and operational efficiency.  We are introducing this new broker service in response to feedback our brokers shared about mounting challenges within their agencies related to balancing client service and other business activities.   

Benefits for Brokers: 

The Conventus Service Center is tailored to address specific challenges faced by our MPL brokers, offering significant benefits including: 

• BOR protection: Helping to ensure brokers maintain their book of business. 
• Reduced administrative servicing time: Streamlining processes to handle client inquiries and requests more efficiently. 
• Ability to redirect resources to new client acquisition: Allowing brokers to focus on growth rather than administrative tasks. 
• Reduced time spent on remarketing to current clients: Providing stability and consistency for clients, reducing the need for remarketing efforts. 

“This service is a game-changer for brokers, enabling them to partner with Conventus to provide higher quality client service, creating more time for brokers and their staff to focus on new client growth,” said, Amy Berezein, President at Conventus. “The support we’re providing through the Conventus Service Center is available to all brokers electing to take advantage of this new offering.” 

Benefits for Physicians: 

Physicians will also benefit by enjoying: 

• Direct access to expert underwriters 
• Quick response to coverage changes and coverage offerings 
• Streamlined process for adding coverage for new providers 
• Easy access to loss runs, certificates of insurance (COIs), and policy documents 
• Secure invoicing and bill payment options 
• 24/7 Practice Advice Line and direct access to Practice Resources services 

“Our goal with the Conventus Service Center is to provide top-tier support that allows physicians to focus on what they do best—providing exceptional patient care,” added Berezein. “By offering direct access to our expert team and a suite of essential services, we’re helping to streamline support and improve the overall service experience for both brokers and their clients.” 

For more information about the Conventus Service Center and how it can benefit your healthcare clients or practice, please contact servicecenter@conventusnj.com.  

About Conventus 

Conventus is the only medical professional liability insurer owned and governed by New Jersey physicians. Headquartered in and committed to New Jersey since 2002, Conventus focuses on delivering personalized support to meet the unique needs of independent physicians and small physician groups, ensuring they have the resources and protection needed to thrive in today’s healthcare landscape. Learn more at www.conventusnj.com.

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Providers should be familiar with federal and state requirements regarding LEP (Limited English Proficiency) patients and develop an effective language access plan to meet the needs of their patients. This is especially important because of the increasing number of patients who may not speak English. Depending on where you live, it’s possible that more than 20% of your region’s population may have limited proficiency in English.

Even worse, patients with LEP experience a higher rate of medical errors and use fewer healthcare services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients who spoke little to no English had a 35% greater chance of death because medical professionals weren’t able to communicate clearly with patients. All this is to say it’s more important than ever to adequately support LEP patients who walk through your doors. Here’s what you need to know.

What are the legal requirements for providers regarding LEP patients?

Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as other regulations, including Executive Order 13166, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, providers are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin, with language being a proxy for national origin. Title VI and its supporting regulations guarantee “meaningful access” to healthcare and social services to all individuals by requiring recipients of Federal funds to provide language access services.

The requirements for treating patients with impaired communication because of disabilities, including hearing impairments are guided by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD). Similar to caring for LEP patients, medical professionals have obligations regarding communicating with the hearing impaired.

Why is this important?

Beyond the legal requirement to do so, there are important and practical reasons for patients and physicians to communicate effectively. Consider this well-known real-life example often cited in risk management literature:

On his initial medical history, a Spanish-speaking boy aged 18 years, of Cuban descent, presented with abnormal mental status complaining of “intoxicado.” An untrained interpreter understood this to mean that the boy was intoxicated – though in the Cuban dialect, the boy was actually saying that he was nauseous. He received care for a drug overdose attributed to substance abuse but developed paraplegia, subsequently found to be due to a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. The case led to malpractice lawsuit with a $71 million award to the plaintiff.

While extraordinary and sensational, this case study and countless others reinforce the need for effective communication, including LEP patients.

There is no lack of research demonstrating that communication failures can and do result in:

• inaccurate health histories
• uninformed diagnoses
• misunderstandings of prescription drug or other treatment instructions
• the inability to provide informed consent
• unnecessary tests
• medical errors

Among LEP patients, there are longer lengths of stay, a greater number of falls and medication errors, and an overall lower perception of the quality of care delivered.

Regardless of an adverse event resulting in a malpractice claim, this issue does have other financial implications for all providers. As our healthcare system moves toward aligning reimbursement with quality and cost, key elements such as length of stay, excessive readmissions, and effective management of chronic conditions are cornerstones of the shift from volume to value. Successful and effective communication plays a central role in the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care for all patients.

Treating Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Since patients may not always feel comfortable revealing that they have trouble communicating in English, providers should assess the communication needs of each patient. Knowing “enough to get by“ should not suffice when making this determination.

For LEP patients:

• Physicians must provide language assistance services that are free of charge, accurate and timely, protect patient confidentiality and provided by qualified interpreters. The State of New Jersey mandates the use of “certified or competent” interpreters but does not specify standards.
• Practices should always inform a patient of the interpretative services available and may not require a patient to provide his/her own interpreter. Providers are discouraged from relying upon an adult or child accompanying a patient to interpret/translate, even if it is the patient’s desire to do so.
• Providers may use bilingual staff for interpretation but should not rely solely upon this in every circumstance. Use of outside interpreter services or a telephonic oral interpretation service may be more appropriate to meet the needs of your practice.
• New Jersey’s Department of Human Services, Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides listings of sign language interpreters
• Use of any language assistance services should be noted in a patient’s record. A patient’s refusal to use language assistance services should also be noted.
• Ensure that written materials routinely provided in English are also provided in other languages encountered in your practice.
• The State of New Jersey requires that physicians and other health professionals receive training or continuing education that addresses language access and/or cultural competency.

Support for Conventus Members

As always, Conventus members can call our Practice Resources Department at (877) 444-0484 ext. 7466 to speak with a member of our team to discuss your obligations regarding interpretation services, continuing medical education requirements, or any other practice-related questions.

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Below, we answer some of the most common questions about texting patients and the risks associated with it.

What is PHI?

Protected Health Information (PHI or ePHI) is defined as “any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual,” and consists of 18 different “identifiers” which could connect specific details to a patient (such as photographs of the patient, their social security number, or their telephone number). The Privacy and Security Regulations within HIPAA apply to medical professionals, health insurance providers, health insurance clearing houses (including fund administrators and managers), and any subcontractor who has access to protected health information (regardless of whether it is stored electronically or not).

What are the risk issues associated with texting PHI?

Due to changing work practices and technological advances, the majority of healthcare professionals now access PHI or communicate patient data via their mobile devices. Text messages may remain on mobile devices for an indefinite amount of time, and without proper precautions, may be exposed to unauthorized access. According to HHS.gov, 74% of data  breaches in the health industry were due to external threats related to a lack of HIPAA compliant encryption. Hacking is now the greatest threat to the privacy and security of PHI in the healthcare sector.

What are the fines for unsecured text messaging of PHI?

• Tier 1: A violation that the covered entity was unaware of and could not have realistically avoided, had a reasonable amount of care had been taken to abide by HIPAA Rules. Minimum fine of $100 per violation, up to $50,000.
• Tier 2: A violation that the covered entity should have been aware of but could not have avoided even with a reasonable amount of care, but falls short of willful neglect of HIPAA Rules). Minimum fine of $1,000 per violation, up to $50,000.
• Tier 3: A violation suffered as a direct result of “willful neglect” of HIPAA Rules, in cases where an attempt has been made to correct the violation. Minimum fine of $10,000 per violation, up to $50,000.
• Tier 4: A violation of HIPAA Rules constituting willful neglect, where no attempt has been made to correct the violation within 30 days. Minimum fine of $50,000 per violation.

For more information on HIPAA breach fines, please visit: HIPAAJournal.com

What are some other consequences of a HIPAA breach?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights lists the breach on its “Cases Currently Under Investigation” and gives a general description of the violation. (Find the full list here.) The OCR also conducts HIPAA audits.

When does a HIPAA Breach need to be reported?

The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires covered entities to notify affected individuals, HHS, and in some cases the media, of a breach of unsecured PHI. Most notifications must be provided without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days following discovery of a breach. Notifications of smaller breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals may be submitted to HHS annually. The Breach Notification Rule also requires business associates of covered entities to notify the covered entity of breaches at or by the business associate. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.

Why is SMS Texting not HIPAA Complaint?

In order for an SMS to be HIPAA compliant, both the sender and the recipient should be authorized users of a secure messaging system that enables them to access and transmit ePHI as required. With a secure messaging platform, all messages are encrypted and do not have the security risks associated with standard messaging systems, aka SMS. The secure messaging system must be capable of removing users and remotely deleting messages sent within the application, in case a personal mobile device is lost, replaced, or stolen. The application must also provide system administrators with the ability to gather audit logs to adhere to best practices policy for HIPAA compliance and SMS.

Do both the sender and receiver need to be on a secure platform?

Yes, both the sender and recipient should be authorized users of the secure messaging system. Also, in addition to employers, health insurance providers, health insurance clearinghouses, and medical professionals, the rules for text messages and HIPAA compliance now apply to associates, subcontractors, or any third-party service provider who has access to PHI. This means that if an insurance provider wants details of the treatment a patient has received in the hospital, it must also be an authorized user on a secure messaging system to retrieve that information.

The changes to the HIPAA regulations for SMS messaging extended to who must comply with the mandated best practices. In addition to medical professionals, health insurance providers (including employers), health insurance clearing houses (including fund managers), and any subcontractor, “associate,” or third-service provider who has access to PHI is now also subject to the HIPAA regulations for texting.

Does Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allow texting?

CMS has issued a clarification on texting by medical providers regarding patient care.  In unequivocal terms, CMS has declared that providers:

• MAY NOT text patient orders. Texting of orders would be considered out of compliance with requirements of a medical record.
• MAY communicate other patient information using a secure text messaging platform on their smart devices. (SMS text messaging is not considered secure.)
• Should continue to utilize computerized physician order entry (CPOE) or written orders.

For more information on the CMS texting clarification, please read the CMS memo here.

Support for Conventus Members

As always, Conventus members can also call the Practice Resource Department at (877) 444-0484, ext. 7466 to speak with a member of our team for assistance with understanding or questions regarding your requirements under these regulations.

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Physicians who utilize NPPs in their practice are required to have written agreements with them. The intent of these agreements is to provide requisite physician oversight, clearly define the scope of practice for the NPPs, and promote communication and coordination between members of the healthcare team.

Many providers are unaware of this critical regulatory requirement, which exposes them to unnecessary risk within their practices.

Which NPPs Are Required to Have a Formal Written Agreement?

• Advanced Practice Nurses: Regulated by the New Jersey Board of Nursing (NJBON), APNs are independent professionals who do not work under the supervision of a physician in the state of New Jersey but those who wish to have prescribing authority or order devices. They must have a joint protocol with a collaborating physician in place.
• Physician Assistants: Regulated by the NJ Board of Medical Examiners (NJBME), PAs are required to engage in practice only under the direct supervision of a physician. PAs must maintain a formal, signed delegation agreement between the supervising physician and physician assistant.
  Note: The PA title is undergoing a change to Physician Associate, but the NJBME has not yet changed its use of this title.
• Certified Nurse Midwives: Regulated by the Midwifery Committee which falls under the NJBME, CNMs are required to have formal, written consulting agreements with physicians.

Support for Conventus Members

Conventus members can access the full Spotlight on BME Regulation article which has detailed information regarding joint protocols for APNs, PA delegation agreements, and CNM consulting agreements, plus our recommendations. In addition, Conventus members can visit the Conventus Knowledge Center for sample APN Joint Protocol Agreement, PA Delegation Agreement, and CNM Agreement to use as a basis when developing an agreement specific to your practice

As always, Conventus members can also call the Practice Resource Department at (877) 444-0484, ext. 7466 to speak with a member of our team for assistance with understanding or questions regarding your requirements under these regulations.

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But we’re here to tell you that you don’t have to sacrifice one discipline for the other – you can have the best of both worlds: Everybody sells! Everybody is in service! Sales is the growth engine, and service is the relationship and retention engine. Service is one of the key differentiators that can set your agency apart from the competition. But without a steady stream of sales, you can’t support the service. Both are intrinsically enmeshed, and both are vital to your insurance agency’s growth and success.

An ownership culture, shared values, shared purpose

The insurance culture at your agency starts at the top with leadership setting the tone. Work to build an ownership culture where every team member feels a stake in the success of the agency. This requires ensuring that all employees have a fundamental understanding of how an insurance agency works, how it makes money, and the goals and strategies for growth. It requires building and nurturing an atmosphere of innovation, trust, and respect.

It’s also important to share and continually reinforce your agency’s mission statement, vision, goals, and values. If you want people to have a sense of ownership, they must share and buy into the purpose and values of what you do. This is particularly important for the younger and up-and-coming workforce – Millennials and Generation Z – who are markedly different than many of the older generations of workers. They seek purpose in what they do. They are highly motivated by making meaningful, altruistic contributions to the world around them and making a difference in people’s lives. Build a high-performing sales and service culture by tapping into these values.

After all, even though it is not always perceived that way, insurance is a helping business. We strive to bring personal and commercial clients the widest array of protections to help them prevent losses and recover should losses occur. Establishing the value that your agency is a customer-centric organization helping protect those you insure can go a long way to framing sales as service.

Start by revamping the Insurance CSR job description

Your Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) are the people in your agency who are on the front lines with customers, the keepers of the relationships. It’s critical to your agency’s success that they be involved in sales as well as service. Many think that insurance CSRs just aren’t cut out to be in sales, that they just don’t have the independent, competitive, “eat-what-you-kill” orientation that make top salespeople so successful. Many agencies have proved this just isn’t true. Instead of focusing on differences in motivations and skills, focus on the commonalities – both CSR and sales roles require listening, problem solving, working with people, and a level of insurance expertise.

The first step in pulling CSRs into your growth initiatives and “sales as service” orientation is to revamp the insurance CSR job description to include responsibilities for contributing to agency growth as well as for service. (Similarly, revamp sales job descriptions to define and include some level of service participation).

Insurance CSR job descriptions that include sales responsibilities will be easier for new hires than for the long-time CSRs who may see any role change as unwelcome. That’s where your leadership and powers of motivation come into play. Meet one-to-one with CSRs to discuss the reasons for the change. Be clear about any compensatory difference this can make and the support they will get.

With training and support, every CSR should be able to handle routine renewals and to assess potential for new or enhanced coverage options (endorsements, cross-selling, and upselling) to better protect existing clients. Some will shine at these responsibilities, others may struggle. Consider training your CSRS to, at minimum, identify, queue up, and pass the baton to a skilled sales rep for a more complex sale or requote. You know your people. Structure teams that can offer mutual support to reach goals and help to position them for success.

Helping CSRs Succeed at Sales

• Carve out the time. If agency growth is important and you want CSRs to make key contributions, ensure that you provide them the time rather than simply adding another thing to do. What paper-pushing activity can you automate, offload, or make more efficient through technology?
• Train, train, train. Obviously, you want to focus training on sales skills, but don’t overlook deepening product knowledge and training In industry sectors that you serve. The deeper their expertise, the more confident your CSRs will be in selling.
• Provide the tools. Offer technology support and telephonic scripts.
• Mentor and coach. Regularly meet with and coach CSRs. Also, pair service people up with experienced sales staff to occasionally shadow prospective client meetings and calls.
• Hold regular all-staff meetings. Review goals and progress towards goals. Recognize people for successes. Hold fun team role-play sessions for sales and service scenarios.
• Establish concrete measurable goals to achieve. Tie goals to performance review, compensation, bonuses, and /or incentives. Consider involving CSRs in the goal-setting process – ask them what they think they can achieve.
• Recognize and reward success. Incentives can be for individuals, for teams, or for both. Simple thanks or public recognition of an achievement can be highly motivating, but cash also works! Get creative with non-cash rewards, too: extra time off, a trip, a prime parking space, gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses that you insure.

Check out these other insurance broker related articles:

• Effective Insurance Voicemails That Lead to More Call Backs and Increased Sales
• 10 Successful Habits of Top Insurance Brokers

The post Everybody Sells! Changing The ‘Service’ Culture in Your Insurance Agency appeared first on Conventus.

Here are 12 ways to manage work from home agency employees who are underperforming.  

1. Don’t let problems fester.  Even good managers can procrastinate when it comes to having uncomfortable conversations, but left unaddressed, problems don’t go away, they grow. Don’t wait until an underperformance issue gets worse – have the difficult conversation now.  
2. Don’t assume, ask. There could be many potential reasons why your remote employee is underperforming, and some matters may be easily resolvable; others may be due to problems totally unrelated to work. The right way to get to the root of the performance problem is to ask. Talk frankly about the problem and ask your employee if they are aware of the problem and why they think  it might be happening.  
3. Consider an EAP.  Sometimes, family or personal problems drain employee productivity. An employer or manager should not try to play the role of a counselor.  An employee assistance program (EAP) can be a great benefit that offers help, tools, and support for  issues like grief, family problems, substance abuse, mental health issues, and more. Remind all employees about this benefit often, and if you are trying to determine how to deal with underperforming employees, an EAP can be a useful tool in remediating performance related to non-work problems. See: Employee Assistance Programs: Increasing Productivity and Engagement. 
4. Review the ground rules. It’s important to set the stage for success by clearly conveying your expectations and delineating the ground rules.  Do your employees understand what’s expected of them in terms of work output and how it is measured? What response time standards are? What reports are due and when? Check to be sure that there are no misunderstandings of the employee’s role and your expectations.  
5. Develop a remedial action plan to address an underperformance problem. An action plan might include training, coaching, an EAP, or any number of steps you establish to give the employee a path to improve performance. Involve the employee in developing the action plan. It should spell out a time frame and include incentives for success and consequences for failure to reach the goals. Make the potential consequences clear in advance, particularly if they might include termination.   
6. Provide one-to-one coaching. Coaching is great to motivate and improve performance for all employees but can be a particularly effective way to address productivity issues and underperformance. To be successful, it’s a time-intensive process so be sure to commit the time. First, identify the problem to be resolved or goal to be achieved, and share it with the employee. For coaching to be successful, the employee must understand the problem/goal and show a willingness to improve. Set the goal and discuss possible solutions. Establish check in points to monitor progress. See Coaching employees to reach optimal performance.  
7. Offer tech training and support. Your remote team needs tools to successfully communicate, collaborate, and connect with each other and with customers. You’ve probably identified shared tools, but did you offer the right training,  hardware, and support to make the tools work? We’ve all experienced the frustration and havoc that a small tech problem can create.  Ensure your tech tools aren’t part of the problem.  
8. Require the use of computer cameras at meetings. Communication is more than just words, and many emails and conversations can be misunderstood without the accompanying vocal tones and body language cues.  Requiring the “physical” presence through a camera can reduce miscommunication and increase interpersonal communication, motivation, and engagement.    
9. Dig to find the motivational levers.  One-size-fits-all incentive programs don’t always work.  Everyone is motivated differently.  Incentives can be designed for both team and individual rewards. Vary and get creative – it can be money, praise, public recognition, time off, a flexible schedule, or tickets to special events. Learn the key to what motivates each employee to establish effective performance incentives or rewards. Put in a special effort to learn how to motivate an underperforming employee.  
10. Increase the frequency and style of communications. If you have a remote or hybrid work arrangement, it’s more important than ever to keep people motivated, engaged, connected, and informed. Have both team meetings and one-to-ones. Let employees know when you have “open door” availability. In addition to team meetings, consider quick daily huddles, occasional brainstorming sessions, and brown bag lunches.  
11. Maintain your insurance agency’s culture. Identifying with your organization and sharing its goals, purpose, and culture are all important to employee motivation. It takes a little more effort to reinforce the agency culture in a distributed workforce but get creative to maintain interpersonal connections.  Start each meeting with an exchange of greetings. Set aside time to share productivity tips and solutions to challenges.  Humor can be both a stress reliever and a bonding tool so be sure to work in some fun, such as a “bring your pet to work” meeting day. See: 100 Best Virtual Team Building Activities. 
12. Brush up on employment law. Before you embark on any difficult conversations that could result in discipline or termination, have a conversation with your Human Resource manager or employment law attorney.  Ensure that you know your obligations under federal and state employment laws, particularly any that might relate to pandemic related laws that protect employees.  

Check out these other insurance broker related articles:

• Effective Insurance Voicemails That Lead to More Call Backs and Increased Sales
• 10 Successful Habits of Top Insurance Brokers

The post 12 Ways to Manage Work From Home Agency Employees Who Are Underperforming appeared first on Conventus.

Most of us these days are so busy that our phone calls go straight to voicemail. A workday typically means you’re busy with clients from the moment you go into the office. You could be losing out on new clients when you miss a call.

According to Hubspot, 80% of all sales calls go directly to voicemail. For this reason, you’ll want to leave the most compelling voicemail message that speaks directly to prospective clients, and you should do so as concisely as possible. If you’re an insurance broker, you’ll also want to train your agents how to accomplish this vitally important strategy to ensure optimal engagement with potential clients.

The Importance of a Professional Yet Friendly Voicemail

Most of us are inundated with sales calls every day, whether on our personal phones or business lines. We often ignore them, erase them from our voicemail, or don’t call back. Why? Because every call sounds like the one before and fails to pique our interest.

Insurance is a different ballgame. Your prospective clients need insurance to run their businesses, so they’re likely already thinking about buying business insurance.

The first impression your contacts will likely have of your insurance business could very well come from your voicemail messaging. Your insurance voicemails should have a friendly yet professional tone. Potential leads will be subconsciously comparing your voicemails to that of other insurance professionals. If you sound like a robot with no personality, chances are your voicemail will be deleted along with all the others.

Here are some things you can do to impress clients right from the get-go:

Cater to the strengths of your personality.

Let’s face it — most of the voicemails we receive are monotonous and boring. Even though a prospective client needs insurance, it can be a hard sell unless you win them over.

Your personality has its strengths and is uniquely yours. So harness it and make it come through in the voicemails for your insurance business.

Imagine your client is right there in front of you. Even though they can’t see you in a voicemail, your client picks up on things. If you’re having a bad or stressful day, the client will likely detect this in the call.

Make sure the tone of your voice is optimistic, positive, and respectful. You might even consider smiling during the voicemail. Your friendliness and positivity will transfer to the call, and the voicemail will sound more inviting to the person on the other end of the call.

Make sure the voicemail is clear, targeted, and concise.

The best insurance agents are quite adept in selling their message, particularly when face-to-face with a client. But, it can be more challenging to engage with a client at the voicemail level because it lacks a human touch. Not only is it more impersonal, but you don’t have as much time to get your message across.

Nonetheless, your client’s time is important, and so is yours. So, you’ll want to create an effective voicemail in the shortest time possible, usually no more than 30 to 40 seconds long. Many clients will hang up after half a minute.

Remember how busy your client’s industry is. They may be out in the field working all day and return calls only once or twice a day. Chances are, they’re dealing with multiple voicemails to return each day, and they’re more likely to listen to your entire message if it’s brief.

Still, you don’t just want to leave a name and number. After all, you want the client to feel like they’ve come to the right place.

When delivering your voice mail, make sure that your voice sounds clear by ensuring that there’s no background noise.

Your ultimate goal is for them to be interested enough to make contact with you. You want to create a desire for a potential client to learn more about what you can offer them so that they ultimately get their coverage from your insurance company.

Targeting the Right Client in Insurance Voicemails

It can be confusing for a client trying to determine the types of insurance a particular agent can sell. For instance, an insurance agent specializing in tree service insurance is not likely to sell house insurance and vice versa.

You’ll want your voicemail to target your ideal client. But before you can do that, you must first define who those clients are. Fall back to the products and services you sell and seek to understand the current landscape of the type of insurance you’re selling. Do you serve only local clients, or can you expand those offerings to a broader audience on the Internet?

In the end, your voicemail should target the type of business that needs the kind of insurance your agency offers. Then, come up with a short voicemail that addresses your target client while also touching on the value of what you can bring to their business.

Putting it All Together to Create an Effective Insurance Voicemail

A voicemail for incoming calls might sound like this: “Hi, this is Keith from James Insurance Company, serving landscapers throughout the great state of Texas. Thanks for reaching out. Please leave a message, along with your phone number or email address, and I’ll respond promptly and address any questions you may have.”

Notice how the client was given more than one way to respond? Some clients prefer one mode of communication over another. Many clients would prefer to text or email over a phone call. When you’re flexible and consider their preferences, it shows the client that you’re willing to go the extra mile.

The above voicemail example also has a friendly, gracious, and respectful tone that clients appreciate. It’s also short and concise and only runs about twenty seconds.

An outgoing voicemail, or one where you’re proactively targeting potential clients, might be worded slightly differently.

An example would be something like the following: “Good morning, Garrett. This is Keith from James Landscaping Insurance Company at xxx-xxx-xxxx. As a landscaper, I’m sure you understand the importance of adequate insurance to protect your business. I have some great information to share with you about meeting the needs of your landscaping company. Again, feel free to reach back out to me at your convenience at xxx-xxx-xxxx. You can also text if it works better for you. Thanks.”

You’ll probably want to make an outgoing voicemail a little longer while still adhering to the 30 to 40-second rule. You also want to help the client understand why they might consider calling you back and repeat your phone number towards the end of the message in case they missed it the first time.

The voicemails above show an intent to protect the prospective client’s business interests while offering a solution.

Be Specific Whenever Possible in Voicemails

For instance, if a friend refers you to a prospective client, utilize that information to get your foot in the door. Perhaps you’ve learned about a new logging business. Mention that you realize they’re new to the business and are concerned about the client having adequate coverage to protect their interests.

Address the client by their first name, whenever possible, and appeal to them personally. Forming a personal connection offers a key advantage in building trust with a potential client.

Another way to be specific is through geographical interests. Let’s say your target client’s business is in an area prone to hurricanes. You might want to mention in the voicemail that with hurricane season approaching, you wanted to be sure that the business has adequate coverage for any eventuality.

The more you can convey that you understand a prospective client’s business and its needs, the more likely it will get the client thinking about their company’s insurance needs. And since you’re the one who got them thinking, they’re more likely to remember you and do business with you.

Offer the Contact an Incentive in Your Insurance Voicemails

Let’s face it. The bottom line for many business owners all comes down to money and budgeting matters. If you’re asking a business to spend more money, an incentive can only help.

While most businesses realize the need for a good insurance policy, very few think about every eventuality.

Some business owners purchase a basic business insurance policy without realizing how comprehensive the scope of coverage can be. And, others put it off altogether and just want to do things at their own pace. In the end, many are underinsured.

Provide a potential client a reason for them to buy coverage now. Gently instill an urgency while also giving a timeframe, like a day or two. Incentivize them by letting them know that you can bundle and offer comprehensive coverage at a reduced price if they get back to you quickly.

The voicemail script might read, “Hey John. This is Keith with James Landscaping Insurance. I just wanted to tell you about our landscaping insurance bundle going on over the next 48 hours. I can give you a great deal on comprehensive landscaping coverage to ensure that your business is fully protected at all levels. Give me a call back in the next day or so at xxx-xxx-xxxx. I look forward to talking it over with you.”

Businesses want to cut corners and save money whenever possible. Give them a reason to take action now.

The Takeaway

You don’t want your insurance voicemails to go unnoticed along with the rest of them. Deliver a targeted and concise message to your contacts and show that you respect their time while also offering a level of concern for their needs. This will help forge a level of trust that encourages the client to communicate back to you.

If you want to learn more about creating effective voicemails, get in touch with Conventus today, and we’ll be glad to help.

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