Agency Management: Managing a Multi-line (1.5 Credit Hour) TDI Course No.
Chapter 1:
1.1 Welcome to the AIAA Managing a Multi-line Agency Online CE Course
This American Insurance Agents Association (AIAA) Online CE course on Agency Management: Managing a Multi-line Agency is primarily designed to provide the minimum basic knowledge and hands-on experiences you will need to effectively manage your multi-line agency staff. The course is one hour in length and provides one CE unit upon successful completion. Your AIAA Chapter has made a strong sincere commitment to our members to provide the best training available for agency management, agents and adjusters. The course curriculum is designed to be highly interactive and chock-filled with techniques and success tips from successful agents that are easy to follow and understand. Most importantly, the practical tools and techniques provided can be applied immediately back in the workplace. You are a valuable part of our commitment. Your participation, course mastery, and on job application of this course, is your contribution.
1.2 AIAA Motto:
- Aim.
- Innovate.
- Apply
- Achieve
1.3. Working Definition of Management and Leadership
A helpful way of understanding the concepts of this self-study course is to begin with a working definition of managers and leaders:
According to Stephen Covey, author of "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," "Managers make sure that things are done right. Leaders make sure that people are during the right things."
1.4 Working Definition of Multi-line Insurance
Multi-line Insurance: An insurance instrument used to bundle the risk exposures of multiple insurance obligations into one insurance contract. The risk exposures put together often are related such as property and casualty risks.
1.5 Working Definition of Multi-line Agency
Multi-line Agency: Handles multiple lines, such as, life, health, auto, commercial, property & casual
1.6 Purpose:
- 1. To identify how effective management can positively impact the multi-line agency, its team, agent and customer
- 2. To identify the benefits of running a multi-line agency
- 3. To discover barriers to effectively manage a multi-line agency
- 4. To obtain practical tools, tips and techniques on effective managing a multi-line from successful agents
- a. To provide, through stories, anecdotes, experience additional tips and techniques for managing a multi-line agency more effectively
- b. To develop an action plan for applying these practical tools, tips and techniques back in the workplace
- c. To identify how results will be measured from action taken.
- 5. To provide a multiple choice assessment to ascertain the knowledge gained from completing this AIAA Agency Management: Managing a Multi-line Agency Online CE Self-Study Course.
- 6. To assist the student of this online self-study CE course in fulfilling the precepts of the AIAA Motto: Aim, Innovate, Apply and Achieve
1.7 Why a multi-line agency?
- Multiple products provide the customer with more options than a captive agency with one product.
- Agency can research multiple firms for the best package for its customer
- Multi-lines can provide multiple income streams
- Multi-line agency can expand their customer base
1.8 When you are ineffective at managing your multi-line agency, the following can occur:
- Poor organization
- Mistrust of Manager
- Low Morale
- High Turnover
- Hidden Problems
- Low Productivity
- Unclear Expectations
- Missed Deadlines
- Poor Teamwork
- Poorly Trained Staff
- Poor Customer Service
- Customers Leave for Competition
1.9 Ineffective multi-line agency managers reap the following from poorly managed multi-line agency employees (agents, adjusters, clerical) team members who operate in a climate conducive to:
- Reliance on individual abilities
- Panic when workload peaks
- Backbiting
- Protecting information
- Feeling unaccomplished
- Stress on the "supervisor"
- Hiding problems due to fear of reprisal
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