When I start calling at the beginning of my week, I make a hash mark for every number I dial, every person I talk to, every voicemail I leave. It’s a little old school but it works for me. It gives me something tangible to look at. That’s me, my time on the page, divided…

At The James Allen Companies, every day, we see the real cost of a vacancy on your team. Money isn’t everything. I’m talking about longer completion times on projects and lowered productivity. Those lead to an inevitable drop in morale. When you have lost a member of your team, taking stock of the situation is…

Employee motivation is incredibly important to team morale, but it’s not always apparent how to achieve it. Some companies put forward efforts such as adding game equipment or free snacks, but an air hockey table is not necessarily the most professional look for many insurance offices—and may become a distraction.  But employee motivation and increased…

The hiring process can take a lot of time and energy, but once the hire is made, the real work begins. Helping new employees become acclimated to their new work environment is crucial to their success. Even the best of self-starters need a chance to be introduced to their new career or they’ll start to…

Last week we addressed a disturbing trend that has taken the insurance industry by surprise. Ghosting, as it’s called, is what happens when candidates drop out of the hiring process without notice. However, instead of getting frustrated or ignoring the problem, insurance companies need to face it head-on by looking at the reasons why they’re…

An effective insurance team is the key to a successful insurance business. To create a strong team, you need to consider more than technical skills. Teams that succeed have a plethora of technical skills and personalities. These elements result in a positive team dynamic and can help your business be more successful.  Personalities You Need…

Insurance professionals need to be a lot of things—experienced, detail-oriented, team players, patient, problem solvers…empathetic. Since policyholders are nearly always experiencing loss when filing a claim, the individual helping them must provide support beyond financial. And the numbers back this up: in fact, 91 percent of CEOs believe empathy in insurance has a positive effect…

As a business manager, you will have a point in your career when an employee delivers you their resignation letter. Watching an employee leave your company is hard, especially if they’re a good one.  Resignations are inevitable and there are a lot of ways to handle the situation: argue with them, express your relief, give…