The productivity of commercial networks has a direct impact on the results of any company. Increasing this productivity is key to improving results: in fact, almost 80% of the insurers participating in the customer management study carried out by Cognodata in 2012 have carried out or are in the process of implementing a new commercial system.
The increase in productivity of commercial networks must be based on the following pillars:
- Improve customer information.
- Having analytical customer information, that is, data about their propensity to purchase products or services or their probability of leaving.
- Developing commercial tools, such as customer files, commercial agendas, campaign managers and commercial alarm engines so that customer information is actionable by networks.
- Have geomarketing tools to identify the geographical potential of each area, focus commercial activity and define the dimensioning of the network.
- Increase the productivity of the sales network, developing and implementing methodologies aimed at increasing sales time and improving its effectiveness.
- customer information
Knowing the behavior of customers translates into a proven increase in productivity, which can exceed 200%, by allowing sales capabilities to be focused on those current or potential customers where there is a greater probability of success.
Knowing which customers have a greater propensity to purchase a certain product, which ones are more likely to carry out a cancellation or a renewal or what activity (NextBestActivity) we should develop to increase loyalty is key to increasing commercial productivity . In this way, the design and implementation of predictive models aimed at their practical application by commercial networks is of vital importance.
The basic models that are typically developed in the insurance sector are the following:
Most frequent Predictive Models in the insurance industry
These metrics calculated at the current or potential customer level must be integrated with the tools that we provide to our commercial network, being essential to rely on these metrics to define proactive sales or retention campaigns. The campaign manager will prioritize the actions to be carried out based on the probability of customers to have a certain behavior. This probability should be reflected in the commercial agenda in the form of specific actions planned over time. In turn, these actions must be included in the client file to facilitate the work of the commercial when contacting the client.
Geomarketing tools
Having a detailed knowledge of the market potential, the value of the clients and the location of the commercial network allows for an optimal design of the network, as well as focusing the activity on those areas where there is a greater probability of growth or the network is undersized.
In this context, geomarketing tools allow knowing which clients reside in the area of ??influence of each office, as well as the potential that each of these areas presents. Thanks to geomarketing, it is possible to carry out an expansion or adjustment plan for the commercial network, reducing presence in areas of low potential and low performance, and promoting those others with great potential.
Increased productivity of the commercial network
Knowledge of customers and the correct dimensioning of the commercial network are essential to achieve the objectives set. But if an adequate commercial system is not available, the results obtained will not be as expected, since by not carrying out the proposed commercial activities, greater commercial effectiveness will not be achieved.
To improve commercial productivity, it is necessary to establish good practices in the following areas of work:
- Work distribution
It is important to know what agents spend their time to identify possible areas for improvement. According to Cognodata’s experience, up to 70% of the time is spent on non-commercial tasks (claims processing, reporting, training, etc). Rationalizing the activity to free up commercially useful time translates into productivity increases of up to 100% (25% of commercial time vs. 50%).
- Processes and tools
Once the areas for improvement within the distribution of work have been identified, it is necessary to analyze the processes and tools available. According to our experience, up to 10% of the time ends up being dedicated to internal work copying information from one application to another (eg, inserting the data from the customer file in the rate calculator). Improving processes and tools makes it possible to optimize time management.
- incentives
In order for productivity to increase, it is essential to encourage the commercial network to execute the proposed campaigns, while reporting on their activity. Therefore, gradually modifying the incentive scheme, moving from a pure focus on remuneration for sales and/or portfolio to include a remuneration section based on the activity and the report thereof, allows to align the objectives of the company and the from the people.
- management information
The modification of the incentive scheme makes it possible to align the commercial network, so that not only the sales information is available, but also the activity carried out by the commercials. Consequently, it is possible to measure, analyze and improve the campaigns that are developed, closing the cycle and establishing a 360º vision, on the one hand, of the activity and effectiveness of the commercial network and, on the other, of the needs of the clients.