How Often Are You Spot Checking?
How Often Are You Spot Checking?
When's the last time you spot checked your team? For me, one coaching moment this past week reminded me why it matters so much.
We hired a CSR last year, and she's been doing amazing work. Like anyone new to insurance, it's a long road to gaining experience because our industry is so broad and complex.
Recently, she was thrilled because she saved an account from canceling by following our Account Review SOP framework. I congratulated her on that great win and then asked if she could send me the call recording to review.
When I listened, the call was very successful, but I found a few tweaks that could make it even better. So, I scheduled a time the following week to meet and go over it.
Instead of just a sit-down meeting, I had her set up in my office for the day. That way, I could listen to her calls live, give feedback in real time, and answer any questions she had.
Sure enough, I spotted another coaching opportunity. This time around how a claim was being handled differently than our framework. That gave me the chance to coach her not only on the account review process, but also on claims. Because I spot checked, she walked away with feedback on two processes instead of one.
The Lesson
It doesn't matter if you have a brand-new hire or a 10-year veteran. The only way to truly know if your team is following your process, and delivering the client experience you expect, is by doing systematic spot checks.
This is part of our systematic Quality Management System. We spot-check SOP adherence because consistent processes create consistent client experiences.
And when you're managing distributed teams, like our client-facing team in Colombia and our licensed team in the U.S. quality control at every handoff point makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Our Systematic Approach
🔄 New staff: Spot check weekly or bi-weekly
🔄 Experienced staff: Spot check monthly or quarterly
🔄 Distributed teams: Focus extra attention on handoffs and communication
This systematic approach helps us spot issues early before they snowball, standardize SOP updates so everyone benefits from the best approach, and uncover cross-training opportunities across service and operations.
Why This Matters
Systematic spot checking delivers real business impact:
Better close rates
More policies per client
Fewer cancellations
When your team consistently follows proven processes, you get predictable results.
Final Takeaway
The cadence is up to you, but the key is consistency. Spot checking is how you catch blind spots, raise your team's performance, and protect the client experience that drives referrals and retention.
When you measure what matters, you can improve what you measure.
So... When's the last time you spot checked your team?