There Is No Higher-Value Task Than the Phone

I see it online every week. An agent shows off a quoting process with no human in it. A form collects the data, an automation runs the quote, the prospect gets a link. It's always sold the same way: this frees my people up for higher-value work. 

There is no higher-value work than talking to a prospect on the phone. Especially a quote. 

I made this mistake. A while back, I redesigned our quoting process. A non-licensed team member did the intake. Our back office ran the quotes. Then a licensed agent called to present. Lower cost, more capacity for sales. It looked perfect on paper, and our closing ratio dropped. 

I should have known better. Years ago I read Freedom Through Systems, and this mistake is in the book. A system gets judged on four things: compliance, efficiency, cost, and the client experience you want to deliver. I built for cost and efficiency and forgot the fourth. 

The intake call is not data entry. It's where the licensed agent prequalifies, builds rapport, and sets up the sale. Whoever does the intake earns the close. Hand that to someone else and the agent presents a quote to a stranger. 

We switched it back. Licensed agents do the intake now, and closing ratios have gone up ever since. 

I'm not against efficiency. We use tools to make quoting easier. Canopy pulls dec pages and claims history. Risk Advisor handles the intake form by pulling drivers and vehicles. Our back office in Colombia still runs the quotes. We still look for ways to make the sales process as frictionless as possible. Just never at the expense of the conversation. 

Take the human out of quoting and you're not building a better agency. You're taking yourself out of business.