Nov/Dec 2008 - AGRR Magazine

Steeringcontinued from page 33and getting the customer in for firstnotice of loss, which is key.”3) Control thecommunicationwith the customer.Opening up communication withthe customer and getting them to youfirst is pivotal. While getting them toyou has a lot to do with your brandingtechniques, once a customer makescontact with you, there’s certain informationyou must get. “We get the customer’sname and number rightupfront,” Weatherford says. “Thathelps a lot as far as retaining them.”Zoldowski’s goal is simple, in theory:get the customer into the shop. “They[glass shops] must get customers in theshop or on a third-party call, place aclaim and get the vehicle scheduled atyour shop,” he says. “That’s what hasInsurance InfluenceMaybe glass shop owners are tryingto be positive when they say thatthe industry that sends them millionsof dollars of work each year doesn’tknow that its networks steer customers.“I don’t now if steering is as importantto insurance companies as it is to callcenters,” says Mike Russo, controller ofThru-Way Auto Glass in Syracuse, N.Y.“Most insurance companies want to besure their customers are properly served.In my heart, I don’t think most know howbadly their insureds are being treatedwhen they go to make a glass claim.”Knowing that insurers want to keeptheir customers happy in a very competitiveinsurance environment, Russo willsend his customer to their agents whenthere’s a problem with the network.“When the customer has a hard time, Itell them to call their agents or call theinsurance companies directly,” he says.“Most of the time, someone from the insurancecompany calls and says, ‘Takecare of the customer and send me thebill.’”Heinauer knows insurers want to havethe best experience possible with glass.“If it’s their number-one claim, you wouldwant your customer to have the very bestexperience possible,” he says.But he thinks they do have some ideaabout what’s happening in the market.“Some of the insurance companies knowit goes on,” he says. “That’s painful thatthey think of us like that. It hurts yourfeelings.”While representatives from State Farmand Allstate declined to comment onwhether they believe the practice ofsteering exists, GEICO public relations coordinatorShannon Boyle says the companysupports the right to choose—andinforms its customers of this choice.“GEICO associates inform GEICO customersthat the customer is under no obligationto use any particular glass vendor,”she says. “It is entirely up to thecustomer to select the shop his or herchoice. If, after being informed of thatchoice, the customer requests a referral,we will provide one.”Likewise, Chris Umble says LYNX Servicesinvestigates claims of steering.“Typically we find what gave the shopthe impression of a problem and the issuebecomes resolved,” he says. “I am happyto say that most shops know our processso well, and our reputation, that suchquestions are very rare.”Like LYNX, Safelite spokesperson JennyCain says it makes sure its CSRs uphold acustomer’s right to choose.“Safelite invests heavily in associatetraining programs designed to ensure thatsuch choice is assured when dealing withpolicyholders,” she says. “All calls to andfrom our contact center are recorded fortraining and quality assurance purposes.”34 AGRR November/December 2008 www.agrrmag.com