You’re Being Watched!

Credit: Bill Gillespie

I have four cars. I didn't set out to have four. It just happened.

I have my main, this is our primary SUV. My wife has a 20-year-old Jaguar. When my dad got sick, I bought his car to prevent him from driving. Finally, we have a jeep we keep in Utah.

The newest of these is my SUV. It's a 2019. Everything else is at or beyond 20 years old. We don't have or like car payments.

We have a great P&C Insurance agent. He's a local guy. He covers our home, both boats and all four cars. He's a "Good Neighbor" and we take advantage of bundling.

He signed us up for this drive behavior monitoring thing. We have little spy gadgets in each car that send data to headquarters. Somehow this requires a smart phone, downloading an app and staying logged in 24/7.

The Jeep in Utah is locked up in a barn from March until December. The Jaguar is rarely started. Dad's car gets most of the miles around town in Dalton. My SUV is our road trip car should we make one. Combined, we're looking at less than 12,000 miles annually.

It's worth adding that Her Ladyship doesn't have a smartphone. We're still trying to introduce her to the concept of mobile/cellular. Dial her number and you'll hear it ringing in the drawer. Her flip phone is an ignored antique.

This means there are data gaps in the mind of the P&C company. It really throws them a curve. I get constant email messages saying, "log into the app and send data on" the idle cars. There are four so there are four messages each time. They can't comprehend cars that don't move.

My agent says, "they're automated just ignore them. I've got everything handled." I appreciate it but the messages are a nuisance. It's an example of a company that can't be influenced by its sales staff.

Does that happen in our businesses? How do we think it makes clients feel? How long do we expect them to tolerate a policy or behavior that is a nuisance to them? Do we think reps that can't influence company behavior create confidence?

Is there anything about our billing, proposals, delivery processes, samples or communications in general that need attention? Are we thinking about what we ask of clients? Are we focused on their journey with us as well as our product?

I do as my agent says. I rock along and ignore the clutter in my mailbox. I leave it to him to intercede and hit delete.

But...I think it's stupid. I've got a great driving record and I've never filed a claim. So far money has moved in only one direction. Seems like that would be satisfactory to my "Good Neighbor." It certainly should be.

This leaves the P&C company vulnerable. When a better solution comes along, I'm all in. When an option makes it possible for me to avoid the messages and stay protected, I'll be signing up.

Think about your business. Map your customer journey. Identify every touch point. Ask, how you might make each one better. Manage your company for your customer.

It will keep you at the front of the line.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.