It’s a good time to re-engage with clients through streamlined communication

The start of a new year marks fresh beginnings for homeowners, and with that comes new plans for improving their homes and bettering their budgets. According to data from Alegeus, 66% of Americans made financial related resolutions for 2023 – whether that be saving more (54%), spending less (44%), or sticking to a budget (38%).

With homeowners rethinking their budgets, purchases and renovations for the coming year, agents should use the first few months of the year to re-engage with their clients to gauge their plans and help them financially prepare. This can be through tactics like providing guidance on places to cut home insurance costs and ensuring homes are properly insured no matter where life is taking them this year.

Agents often wear multiple hats – from salesperson to accountant to marketer – and any tool to help them streamline tasks will be their best friend. Investing in technology, such as a customer relationship management platform and marketing automation, will help agents streamline and personalize interactions as they re-engage clients this year so they can focus on giving financial guidance rather than managing mundane tasks.

Streamline tasks with automation

Independent agents often have several tasks to balance throughout the day, such as capturing new leads or sending emails to clients. By automating their tasks with a robust CRM platform that has marketing automation capabilities, micromanaging marketing activities is one thing agents can take off their plates. Marketing automation enables agents to automatically perform marketing tasks, such as webpage reporting and lead capture management.

This marketing magic is happening behind the scenes while agents spend their limited time focusing on valuable deliverables such developing newsletters that provide tips on where homeowners can save money on insurance policies and which home improvements to prioritize if they are considering different options and trying to estimate the return on these investments.

Personalize communications

In an uncertain economy, it is much easier (and more profitable) to retain customers than it is to attract new ones. The best way to retain customers is to personalize communications, recommending truly tailored advice, and acting as a trusted advisor. A CRM platform keeps records of key customer data, details of the relationship history and previous touchpoints, as well as key facts such as family information. Having access to this data helps agents quickly foster closer client connections by delivering a more personalized service experience.

For example, during a previous touchpoint a client may have shared with an agent that they’re budgeting for a backyard pool. Having that information on their record can serve as an opportunity for the agent to re-engage with the client to see if those plans will be coming to fruition this year, and if so, offer them tailored insurance coverage and guidance on the financial implications for their new backyard oasis.

Utilizing a CRM platform combined with marketing automation can help streamline interactions with clients and save agents time that can be spent on more revenue-centric tasks. With the new year upon us, agents need to effectively re-engage with clients to jointly explore their financial plans for this year. Having a thorough understanding of their clients’ financial plans puts agents in the best possible position to recommend tailored insurance coverage and help homeowners protect themselves, their future and maybe even save money on home insurance this year.

Steve Oriola is president and CEO of Act! He may be contacted at [email protected].

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