letters to NAPAAFrom CanadaThings here in Canada are not sogood. Sales are very slow <strong>and</strong> I don’t knowwhether I should stay or leave Allstate.The worst thing about the new AllstateInsurance Agency (AIA) model is thatwe are not allowed to contact our clients.They have Customer Care Assistantsdoing this kind <strong>of</strong> work. This makes meangry because my clients call <strong>and</strong> almostalways ask for me. The Customer Carerepresentatives are instructed to lie <strong>and</strong>say that I am in the <strong>of</strong>fice, but that I ambusy <strong>and</strong> cannot answer their calls. Thenthey ask, “What can I do for you?”I feel bad for my clients <strong>and</strong> myself. Icannot pick up the phone first because thecalls go to the CAAs first. I feel like I ampart <strong>of</strong> a big deception by Allstate. I amthe one who prospected <strong>and</strong> persuadedthese customers to buy Allstate <strong>and</strong> now Icannot talk with them or help them.OtherMy EFS is expecting me to provideleads for him <strong>and</strong> I just am not gettingthem. I don’t know what to do. Maybemy customers are sensing my desperation.Any advice?Editor’s response: Customers can sensedesperation. I always found that a low-keyapproach worked best for me. A sort <strong>of</strong> “ifyou want it fine, if not fine” kind <strong>of</strong> attitude.That way prospects don’t feel pressured. But,at the same time, if they express any interestat all, I would become a bit more aggressive<strong>and</strong> say “My EFS will be in your area onTuesday May 12th at 7:00 PM or on MondayMay 18th at 6:00 PM, which date willwork best for you?”. . . . . . . . . . . .I believe SPU to be a good opportunityfor agencies. I’ve had two stafferssuccessfully complete the program <strong>and</strong>come back my <strong>of</strong>fice trained, enthused<strong>and</strong> ready to work.I believe it is far more costly for me toslow or stop the functions <strong>of</strong> my agencyto meet the needs <strong>of</strong> a new hire. WhenI look at the amount <strong>of</strong> time prior staffconsumed for me to properly bring themup to speed, there’s no question in mymind that sending them to SPU is theway to go.By sending them to SPU they get fullyappointed, get more product knowledgethan I give them, they learn the basics <strong>of</strong>quoting <strong>and</strong> selling <strong>and</strong> have a firm grasp<strong>of</strong> Allstate as a whole. Plus, our <strong>of</strong>fice remainsfocused on the task at h<strong>and</strong>, selling<strong>and</strong> servicing clients.That being said, however, we immediatelyhave to deprogram them whenthey return <strong>and</strong> get them dialed into therealities <strong>of</strong> agency life <strong>and</strong> the REALprocesses we use, which, admittedly, aremuch different than those <strong>of</strong> the SPU.Our region has not forced m<strong>and</strong>atorySPU training on staff. However, if theydid, we would have a problem with thatas well.Editor’s response: Thank you for writing.We agree that the SPU program can beappropriate for some agencies who want totake advantage <strong>of</strong> it.The SPU becomes problematic whenit becomes m<strong>and</strong>atory because staff couldnot be appointed with Allstate nor couldthey bind coverage unless they attend thecourse. Under the program, existing stafferswould be gr<strong>and</strong>fathered in, but thosehired after March 1, 2009 will be requiredto attend within 18 months or lose theirappointment. This is a game-changer. Inour view, if SPU training becomes m<strong>and</strong>atory,it would be a very serious infraction<strong>of</strong> your independent contractor status.Agents should be free to train their employeesas they see fit.. . . . . . . . . . . .During the recent Agent ChoiceTechnology Conversion, we learned thatthe Verizon “Single Point <strong>of</strong> Contact” isreally the “proper way to safely convert.”Needless to say, the company is stronglypushing the Verizon solution <strong>and</strong> is discouragingagents from “self-conversions.”They are so insistent that they’ve guaranteeda smooth transition for agents whouse the SPOC <strong>and</strong> warned that thosewho choose other options could risk a“walk away” charge <strong>of</strong> $1,700 if the Allstatetech team runs into any problemsswitching the agency over on the scheduledconversion date.In spite <strong>of</strong> their warning, I opted to“self-convert.” The computer equipmentAllstate recommends through Verizonis built by Dell. By contacting Dell directly,I was able to negotiate a far betterdeal <strong>and</strong> saved HUNDREDS <strong>of</strong> dollarson computer equipment <strong>and</strong> associatedhardware. In addition, I was able to obtain- directly from Dell - better equipmentwith almost twice the speed <strong>and</strong>double the memory as the system endorsedby Allstate.This experience has me asking thefollowing questions:• Why wasn’t Allstate able to negotiatea better price for its agents participatingin their conversion package?• Is Allstate getting a commission ora kickback from Verizon/Dell for pushingtheir products <strong>and</strong> services?• Why would any company deliberatelyallow its preferred vendors toovercharge its workers for such a largeexpense?Letters continued on page 54.12 — Exclusivefocus Summer 2009
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