Personal Insurance Advisor Role Expectations
This page represents main job duties and processes. It is not representative of all work or projects assigned to you by leaders.
Core responsibilities
- Act as a technical expert. Stay current on market trends and advise clients and co-workers on relevant market trends.
- Provide coverage and exposure counsel to our clients to eliminate personal risk, including cross-selling on coverages on existing accounts to mitigate risk.
- Provide support to producers to aid in both the retention of existing business and generation of new business.
- Responsible for marketing new and renewal business process, in partnership with producers, and includes building proposals and binding coverage.
- Deliver quality and timely work. Doing quick and accurate work, increases internal efficiencies and increases company production capabilities.
- Give quality customer support. Excellent customer support improves the client experience and increases probability of both future retention and generation of referral business.
- Be available daily to support the needs of clients during Christensen Group business hours (8am-5pm), including being available for in-person meetings to complete customer policy reviews.
Task expectations & resources
Act as a technical expert to producers and clients
Christensen Group wins business because we have technical expertise. Technical experts can correctly advise client to add policies and coverages that protect their asset. Having a strong technical team creates trust with carrier partner that we know the risks we are placing with them.
Personal Lines Advisors are the source of Personal Lines Market knowledge for the entire company.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Be able to discuss basic forms/coverage knowledge
- Know carrier differences in billing and common processes
- Understand forms needed on a policy
- Understand coverages available
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Be diligent in knowing trends and changes in the market
- Be comfortable talking with underwriters.
- Use your resources (co-workers and carriers) in difficult situations.
- Understand complicated policies and be able to explain
- Simplify insurance complexities to any type of audience – uninformed buyer vs. smart buyer.
- Understand your contacts
- Ease and confidence to answer common coverages with clients on phone and when they need to do more research
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
- Know when to use your client relationship and when you go through producers.
- Know ins and outs of excel to capture complex information in a concise way for a client. Not specific to excel. Data gathering and capturing
- Has completed CIC, CPCU, CPRM, CRM, CPRIA, or CISR designations for consideration of the Senior Advisor title.
- Change in advisor title does not denote a salary change.
- All advisor title changes are at the department manager's discretion.
Knowledge
- Forms and coverages required based on account
- Understand markets and what is offered
Skills
- Communicate complex items in a simple fashion
Abilities
- Ability to decipher key points and articulate to carrier/client what’s important to them
- Find other technical experts and learn from them
Technology
Training Activity
List of Underwriters/Key Contacts by Company
Resource
PL X Drive Folder has many resources regarding PL workflow and carrier requirements
Manage service workflow
Clients rely on these documents to manage their personal risk. Timely and accurate processing help protect their personal assets.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Learn how to prioritize the mail and turnaround time to respond to the email, phone calls and mail requests
- Learn types of requests and how to prioritize
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Review downloads and verify policy endorsements are coming through
- Efficiently handle email requests, including endorsements or requests from other partners.
- Issue Evidence of Property Insurance and Auto ID cards
- Answer billing & coverage questions.
- Follow PL procedures in respect to Cancellation. Core: No pending cancellation follow up with client. PCG: Notify client of pending cancellation via email or phone.
- Be available to handle phone calls and assist in phone backup support for your teammates
- Process mail requests. Communicate to clients or partners as appropriate
- Stay current on various computer related systems & carrier programs
- Understand the nuances of a situation and when an email or a phone call is the best way to correspond
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
- Be up to date with suspense file (within 14 days)
Knowledge
- Priority level of each task
- Carrier websites: how to navigate, know what gets processed on a carrier website
Skills
- Strong Verbal Communication
- Strong Written Communication and etiquette
Abilities
- Processing changes on a carrier website
- Multitasking: calmly handle the continuous requests, address quickly and reprioritize as needed
Technology
- AMS360
- Carrier Websites
Activities
- Shadow an experience PL Advisor
- Vertafore videos on processing
- Reach out to each marketing rep and set up time for 1:1 training. Ask for information on how to navigate the carrier website, cheat sheets on the company coverages and appetite for business
- Go through the carrier websites and practice navigating the site
Resources
- Marketing Rep by company
- See PL X Drive for Service Standards document
Manage renewal process
Presenting a renewal keeps clients informed of the policies, coverages, and prices. Must be done in a timely manner and communicated to support client retention.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Understand the workflow process, documents needed and how to use the Expiration List (X List).
- Complete renewal paperwork with carriers
Private Client
- Learn renewal summary workflow based on account size
- Review VIP quotes with producer
- Prepare Renewal Summary utilizing templates within AMS
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Begin renewal process 30-45 days prior to renewal date
- Review the X list for significant increases
- Utilize carrier websites to confirm coverages and pricing
- Determine your recommendation to proceed with the renewal or send to market
- Communicate with client and requote if needed. Share the options and explain the why
- Prepare Renewal Summaries & complete renewal reviews with clients
- Consistently use RiskRevu in the renewal process
- Consult/upsell based on insured exposures. Share directly with client
Private Client
- Discuss proposal with client 20-30 days before renewal date
- Use AMS system for renewal summary workflow
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
- Know when a rewrite makes sense vs. offering other coverage options with an existing carrier
- Confidently handle difficult conversations due to market conditions. How to explain the hard situation and retain the business
Private Client
- Participate in face-to-face renewal review with clients. This depends on producer/account
Knowledge
- Forms and coverages required based on account
- CIC, CPCU, CPRM or CRM Designation
- Understand markets and coverages available
Skills
- Verbal Communication
- Written Communication
- Strong Carrier Relationships
Technology
- AMS360
- Word
- RiskRevu
Resource
Expiration List (X list)
Activity
Learn renewal process based on premium level. Know service standards and how to handle renewal process for each client type
Private Client Training Activity
Talk with a producer regarding your X list. Discuss each client and what is important in the renewal process
Training Activity
List of Underwriters/Key Contacts by Company
Provide quotes & compare coverages
It is critical to business growth.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Upload submission of new business
- Review quotes with producer and/or others on team. Verifying the right places to market the account.
- Learn RiskRevu and what information is gathered in this process. Understand why this process is important and be able to explain why certain items are needed.
Middle Market
- Learn PL Rater
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Know when to call/discuss with underwriter
- Own placement of accounts
- Set up prospect in AMS
- Use RiskRevu to gather and collect information.
- Bind coverage with carriers, issues EPI’s and ID cards.
- Set up activities for new business downloads
- Complete signed applications and any other documents required by carriers, attached to AMS
Private Client
- Understand workflow and require upfront authorization form.
- Accounts greater than $25k, utilize the AMS new business proposal.
- Partner with producer on who/how to present the quote.
Middle Market
- Use PL Rater in AMS to market.
- Present the quote to client
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
-
Knowledge
- Forms and coverages required based on account
- Appropriate market selection based on account characteristics
- CIC Designation or equivalent
- Understand markets and what is offered
Skills
- Formatting proposal
- Verbal Communication
- Strong Carrier Relationships
Abilities
- Present the proposal/quote to client
Technology
- AMS360
- PL Rater
- RiskRevu
Training Activity
List of Underwriters/Key Contacts by Company
Activity
Shadow a peer or sit with carrier rep. Learn how to submit applications on each carrier site
Activity
Learn PL Rater
Activity
Learn how and when to use AMS proposal document. Shadow someone else first. Then advance to creating a proposal on your own and have someone review it
Activity
Learn RiskRevu
Maintaining and building rapport with key partners (Producer, Carrier Partners)
Strong relationships are the foundation of our business. Building rapport and knowing your partners allows you to navigate situations and conversations with ease.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Get to know other PL advisors & Producers you work closely with
- Understand team workflow and how to communicate within team
- Get to know key carrier partners and their expectations of PL Advisors
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Know when producers need to step in and ask for their involved
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
- Negotiate with carriers on tough accounts. Artfully negotiate coverage, “Sell the account” to the underwriter
- Know how to tactfully share opinion and when to push back to producers
- Explicitly ask for feedback from carrier partners. Understand what they like and where you can improve
Knowledge
- Understand carriers preferred business, appetite for risk
- Understand Personal Lines placement strategies
Skills
- Strong written communication
- Strong verbal communication
- Negotiation
Abilities
- Rapport & relationship building
- Use resources and partnerships wisely
Technology
- AMS
- Carrier websites
Training Activity
Learn Core carrier partnerships and placement strategies. Meet with manager and/or marketing team
Learning/improving this skill happens over years of practice. Talk to someone who does this well and ask for their advice
Private Client team only: Understand our agency bill procedures & processes
Billing from our carriers impacts commission received into Christensen Group. Billing must be tracked to get paid from carriers. Accurately processing billing allows the accounting team to manage the ins and outs of dollars to Christensen Group and avoids accounting errors from carriers. When we manage the billing process, the client receives accurate bills which match their expectations of costs.
New in role (0–3 mos)
- Not Applicable
Meeting expectations (3–6 mos)
- Utilize department Agency Bill Expert for processing of all Agency Bill accounts
Exceeding expectations (6+ mos)
- Agency Bill – surplus lines pro. Handles all processing.
- Partnering with Accounting as necessary
Knowledge
- General understanding of direct bill vs. agency bill
Skills
- Math Skills
Technology
- AMS
- Excel
Agency Bill Procedures instructions
- Agency J:drive ThisPC>Agency(J:)>Training>5 Personal Lines>Procedures>Agency Bill Billing Procedures AMS360
- Unprocessed Agency Bill report run monthly and distributed to appropriate adviser for processing
