Agency managers often cite a lack of time as a reason for their reluctance to embrace new technologies. This is a valid concern, as agency staff already face the challenge of meeting increasing customer demands. However, these technologies can provide the solution to their time constraints and help agencies stay competitive in various aspects, including customer service, employee recruitment and satisfaction, marketing, and differentiation.
Effective Strategies to Overcome Tech-Hesitancy Among Agency Teams
To convince agency teams to adopt new solutions, principals must go beyond simply emphasizing time savings. Many agents have experienced tools that promised to save time but ended up disrupting their workflows and requiring workarounds and data re-entry. To address tech-hesitancy, here are five strategies principals can employ:
- Find the Right Solution: Thoroughly vet any tool before integrating it into your agency. Consider the intended audience — whether it is designed for carriers or agents. Solutions that focus on agents are more likely to seamlessly fit into existing workflows. Also, prioritize solutions that can integrate with other platforms to minimize the number of screens agents have to use and reduce data reentry, ultimately increasing efficiency.
- Show, Don't Tell: Many teams are resistant to change, adhering to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset. Principals should demonstrate how technology can enhance processes, not just talk about it. For example, showcase how a platform can aggregate market data for a specific coverage area instead of requiring agents to visit multiple carrier portals. Highlight time-saving features such as automated renewal reminders sent to clients via email. Demonstrating the tool's compatibility with workflows and its ability to deliver real-time savings can alleviate concerns.
- Take Small Steps and Prioritize: Develop a plan to determine which solutions to implement and when. Prioritize solutions that significantly enhance team workflows while maintaining improved service to customers. Ensure that the systems being implemented can easily integrate with each other. It's important to ensure everyone is comfortable and proficient with one tool before introducing the next.
- Empower Agents as Technology Influencers: Encourage agents who have successfully adopted technology to inspire and influence their colleagues. Actively listen to the team's needs and suggestions for operational improvements. Exploring and implementing their ideas can be highly effective in driving adoption. Conversely, if a tool doesn't seem to be working as expected, promptly reevaluate its usefulness. Identifying technology champions within the agency can also aid in fostering adoption by assisting team members in embracing new technology and troubleshooting any challenges.
- Harness Vendor Power: Many new technologies come with customer success teams that offer support in utilizing the full capabilities of the tools. Regular check-ins where agents provide feedback to the vendor can be invaluable. These sessions not only provide updates for the agency but also help vendors prioritize new features or integrations based on user needs.
Convincing busy agency teams to embrace new technologies can be a challenging task. Successful agency principals don't solely rely on vendors' sales messages; instead, they demonstrate leadership, highlight the real value, and emphasize the time-saving benefits that these technologies can bring to the agency.
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