Imagine…you need to shop for insurance because you just purchased a new home. Add to that you purchased another car, and your spouse has decided to start a home-based business. How do you feel? Peaceful? Calm? Certain? Unfortunately many do not. At least the clients and advisors we asked were unable to convey those emotions as part of the process of purchasing and managing their individual insurance policies.  We hated to hear this, and decided to do something about it.

When we began developing the Alkali brand, Steve and I wanted to create something that really focused on our clients. From those early sessions, we were able to develop a way to not only ensure our clients stay in the center of everything we do, but to also develop a positive, client-focused culture as well. Those early questions and brainstorming sessions became something we named The Empowered Advantage™, which is really more than steps in a system, but a way to ensure that we are focused on accountability and we deliver on our commitments.

It All Started with Getting to Know You

Our first step in determining how the industry needed to change was to ask you – our clients, advisors and friends. The responses were very telling and gave us a good idea of the challenges you face. Just a few of the answers were:

• How do you know what is best for me if you just ask me about my year, make, and model?
• Are you “upselling me” or is this the coverage I really need?
• Do I really need that much coverage?
• Why are you recommending this?
• I wish you guys would talk plain English. If I wanted to talk insurance I wouldn’t need an insurance agent.
• I called to file a claim and I just got bounced around and received no support from my agent…it was such a hassle and so disruptive to my life.
• I hate switching, it’s such a pain all of the paperwork and hassle.  It’s just not worth it.

Wow! We knew there was a better way, but it had to start internally, with our passion to do things differently so that everyone we speak to walks away informed. Basically, we show our work so you don’t have to wonder if the recommendations we provide are good. You can see it on paper!

There is a lot to it, so we thought to make it simple, we would create The Empowered Advantage™ so that you would know what was going on, and we would ensure we remained accountable. This 5-step process is comprised of touch points to ensure you feel confident about our recommendations. Let’s review in more detail so you can see how it works.

Begin With You

Rather than ask questions that are focused on the insurance products, we want to know about you and your situation. Frankly, it’s more fun to start with understanding your needs so we can get to the type of coverage that is best suited for you! We oftenlaunch our weekly meeting with understanding what is going on in our clients’ lives and how we can provide support. We begin with you!

Using The Empowered Advantage™ ensures we stay on track, so when you first contact one of our service agents, this is how we will begin:

1. The Success Lab™
   1. Find out exactly what you need. Have you undergone recent life changes? What is coming up that may impact your life, and potentially the type of coverage you require?
   2. Get clear on what is best for the client. We are not presumptuous.
   3. Go beyond the basics. What is the most important aspect of your insurance experience? Were their bad experiences with claims in the past? Do you need expedited service of some type? What is better for you when you do need to interact with your insurance provider?
2. The Quantitative Success Formula™
   1. What is best for you? We show our work so you understand why we are recommending a certain type or style of coverage.
   2. No conflict of interest. We have styled our agent compensation differently so you know you are getting the best fit for your circumstances, not what pays the higher commission to the agent.
   3. Leveraging technology to your best interest. Our ability to leverage technology ensures you get the most comprehensive information without overwhelming you with too much.
3. The Partnership Accelerator™
   1. Remove the hassle of switching. We will make every effort to provide forms that are filled in and do the leg-work for you.
   2. Technology is our friend! Again, we leverage technology to minimize the amount of time you have to spend while switching insurance agents.
   3. Need to switch policies? Easy! Because we can provide forms that are pre-filled with information we have, if we find a better fit for you next year, that switch is even easier!
4. The Leveraged Force Solution™
   1. The Single Call Resolution Process™. From the beginning, we train our representatives to ask as many questions as possible the first time you call. Our goal is to get everything we need to resolve your issue on the first call.
      1. You will get an email and a call with the response.
      2. You will also receive proof of confirmation, so you know we have done what we said we would!
   2. The Zen Claims Experience™. Wouldn’t that be great! We welcome your call and will gather all the information then warm transfer you to the right person at the insurance agency to handle the claim.
      1. We follow up to ensure that you are receiving the information you need to complete the claim.
      2. Our goal is to make everything easier for you, so we continually reach out to you.

5. The Success Optimizer™
   1. Proactive evaluation of your situation. We meet with you to understand life changes and how they may impact your existing coverage.
   2. Why wait until renewal? Rate increases are often unpleasant, but should not be a surprise. We sit down and understand what is going on so you can make adjustments, and are aware of increases before they happen.
   3. The right coverage. We avoid unpleasant surprises like being underinsured by checking in. Now you can feel confident you have the right coverage.

Keeping You in the Center

While this may seem overwhelming, we believe in doing everything in our power to ensure our clients are the focus of what we do and how we do it. In fact, these clients had this to say after switching to Alkali:

• Doesn’t get any better than this!  Just an example of why I enjoy and feel rewarded giving Alkali’s name to others, both professionally and personally.
• This is great! You’re really making a real impact in people’s lives and their businesses. Thanks for caring and going the extra mile!
• I appreciate your knowledge of the products/industry, your ability to communicate the information and your willingness to go above and beyond to help!  Thank you so much, you are a pleasure to work with! 
• … over the past 10 years I can  only imagine the number of times that you have gone above and beyond what I would consider typical customer service.  I can’t tell you all how much we appreciate the great team that you have and how they are always so helpful and accommodating to our requests, every time. 

Serving our clients is our heart, and where we certainly have the most fun! If you would like more information on The Empowered Advantage™, we would certainly welcome a phone call to one of our insurance benefits specialists, who are always happy to answer your questions!