Hey, 

I recently had a realization that changed how I think about my service team: there are only 5 things licensed CSRs should be spending their time on. 

1. Premium-changing endorsements: Every vehicle swap, driver change, or coverage change creates an opportunity for an account review conversation. 

2. Account reviews: At renewal, during premium changes, on rate increase calls. The opportunities are endless. This is how we add value to our clients, improve coverage, and accomplish our main job: educating and protecting our clients. 

3. Claims conversations: An overlooked HUGE value-add. Helping clients think through whether to file, what to expect during the claims process, and guidance before they contact the carrier. This is what people are buying, a promise to get paid when something goes wrong. 

4. Cancellations: The perfect time to save the relationship, poke holes in their new policy, and keep the door open if they want to come back. Get your licensed CSR on the phone with the client before they cancel. 

5. Inbound sales:  Referrals, cross-sells, inbound leads. CSRs don't realize they're already doing sales when they conduct reshops, rewrites, and account reviews. It's not "selling," it's educating and helping people make informed decisions. This is one of my main goals for 2026 with my licensed CSRs.  

Keep in mind, all of these tasks rely on them being available to pick up the phone and being good at doing these tasks over the phone. The phone is still one of the most valuable tools we have in our trade. We use Loom a lot, sending video quote proposals, renewal reviews, etc. But we still jump on the phone to answer questions, build rapport, and add as much value as we can, human to human. 

So why do I only want my CSRs doing those 5 things? 

Because if your licensed CSRs are doing billing, mortgagee changes, sending applications, calling non-payments, and other busy work, they don't have time to do the high-value work that actually grows your book and truly adds value to your clients.  

These 5 tasks drive retention, cross-sells, and referrals. Everything else? It's necessary, but it shouldn't be on your licensed team's plate. 

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Speaking of getting organized... 

I'm hosting a free webinar on November 13th at 2:00 PM EST: "From Scattered to Streamlined: Microsoft 365 Setup for Agencies." 

If your agency is juggling multiple tools, channels, and chats that make teamwork harder instead of easier, this session will show you how to turn Microsoft 365 into a streamlined system that connects your people, projects, and productivity. 

What you'll learn: 

• How to set up a Microsoft Team that mirrors your agency's structure 

• How to organize channels into Company-Wide, Operations, Projects, and Private sections 

• How Planner syncs with To Do for personal accountability 

• How to use Files, Planner, Loop, and Conversations to simplify daily workflows 

Register here 

Mike Cruz 
Founder, Foresight Insurance 
COO, Virtual Intelligence 

P.S. Even if you can't make it live, register to get the replay.