ClientCircle blog

In the absence of personal recommendations, searching for an insurance agent can be as easy as typing a couple of words into a smartphone. Submit a brief query into Google and you’ve got a digital Rolodex of agencies to choose from. But, with so many options, how are prospects supposed to choose one over another? That’s where online reviews come in, providing consumers with feedback to help them whittle down the field.

Anymore, people expect honest feedback when researching products or services. It’s given considerable power to the consumer—even a single review can have a dramatic impact on sales. In particular, online reviews are extremely valuable for insurance agencies. This is due to the large gap between consumer expectations and what most agencies are actually providing in regards to the number and quality of reviews. People expect to see at least a star-rating before they decide to explore further.

But, in reality, the vast majority (80-90%) of insurance agencies have three reviews or less—with many having none at all. The absence of local reviews across the internet provides a huge opportunity for agencies that do have positive reviews to stand out. Inevitably, most prospects online will pick the agency that others have already vetted out. As a result, the agencies with several positive reviews are regularly displayed and chosen above those with negative ratings, or none at all. It makes perfect sense. People want to know what they’re getting themselves into, and they will regularly trust online review sites to give them the answers.

We collect hundreds of survey responses for businesses (most of them insurance agencies) which allow them to measure the loyalty of their client base. Although we automate much of the follow-up communication for our agents, we also suggest that they respond via phone call to some of the respondents. Ideally, the agent could personally call every client that completes the NPS survey, but it’s more practical to focus on those that fall within a specific score range.

Last year Microsoft’s search engine platform ‘Bing’ reached an important landmark: they now control 20% of the search engine market. That’s right, 1 out of every 5 people online use Bing to search the web. Who woulda’ thought?

That’s a decent piece of the search engine pie. So, use it or not, you should make sure your business is optimized for their platform.

Have you ever wondered how your business listing ended up on search sites such as Google or Yahoo without ever lifting a finger? It’s like an invisible feed of data is pouring directly into the search engines, providing them with a wealth of data about all the local businesses in America. But where the heck is it coming from?

Answer: Data aggregators.

The responsibility to be found on Google rests firmly on the shoulders of the local businesses themselves. Of course, Google tries to make it as easy as possible for businesses.