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Today's Insurance Professionals magazine
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Today's Insurance Professionals - NAIW's industry magazine is published quarterly and is sent out to all NAIW (International) members and various industry professionals around the world. Subscriptions may be purchased for $15.00 per year or as individual copies for $5.00 per issue. Please e-mail the NAIW (International) Director of Products and Education for more information on availability.
Paid advertising is also avaliable. You can choose from a variety of layouts and discounts for multiple ads are available. Please click here for more information on advertising rates, deadlines and production requirements.
Please click the link below to view each issue in its entirety.
The files below are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat, please click the image below to download it.
 Winter 2008Volume 65/ Issue 4
"Focusing on the Customer"
NAIW International President’s Message
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!
Have you ever placed a call to a company to complain, only to have the service person on the other end of the line say “I am so sorry to hear that. How can I help to make it right?”
It kind of stops you in your tracks and takes the anger out of your mood. That is the sign of a well trained service representative armed with the authority to provide a solution to the problem.
Customer service representatives must know about the company they work for, their product or service, how to communicate with the customers and be how to be technologically savvy. Many times they are the front line representative of the company.
As a business, it is important to provide your employees the knowledge and authority to make those immediate decisions in order to make things right and to satisfy the customer. This will help to make the customer a repeat customer. They will want to return because they will feel that you value your relationship and that they are important to you.
We all know that an unhappy customer will tell more people about their experience than satisfied customers will. They most likely will not tell you about their dissatisfaction, but they will tell their friends. This may not be the kind of advertising you want shared about your business. It is less expensive to keep a customer than to try to find new ones. With the economy as it is today, every customer is important to the company. It is the company’s responsibility to make sure that the customer knows that they are important to the success of your company. They have many choices and, with great service, they are more likely to remain loyal customers.
Therefore, as a business owner, it is very important to build a real relationship with your customers. How can you do that? You can keep in contact with them through e-mails, holiday cards, notifications of upcoming changes and thank you cards for their business. Let them know what they mean to you and your business.
Providing excellent customer service is one of the goals NAIW (International) strives for everyday as we value our many customers. You are important to the success of this organization.
Making small changes in the customer service you provide can produce extraordinary results. Make it a priority to provide exceptional customer service. Your business depends on it.
Jenelle Duffy
CPCU, CLU, FLMI, HIA, CPIW, DAE
NAIW (International) President
Feature Articles in the Winter 2008 Issue
(click on the article below to read)
Listening for Dollars
By: Mary Sandro
Focusing on Customer Service Consistency
By: Adele Sommers
Customer Service Focus in a Slow Economy
By: Ray Miller
Delivering Customer Service Training That Sticks
By: Julio Quintana
How to Build Customer Loyalty by Making and Keeping Credible Promises
By: Scott Glatstein
How Do You Sustain and Grow Your Customer Relationships?
By: Terry Hill
For information about reprints please contact
Melissa Adams at editor@naiw.org or at (800) 766-6249 ext. 20
 Fall 2008
Volume 65/ Issue 3
"Going Forward, Going Green"
NAIW International President’s Message You can’t pick up a newspaper or magazine these days
without seeing an article regarding “going green”.
What does that mean? Some articles are concerning the impact of global warming and the ozone ring. Some are about air and water pollution, and others are about the mounting trash and how to dispose of it. While others are about refusing and reusing products so that they don’t go into the landfills. These articles remind us that we can make a difference in how we live our lives everyday to save the planet.
So, how does this affect the insurance industry? We have included articles in this issue that share what we are encountering in our claims processes, as well as, articles that will outline how we can perform an effective environmental risk assessment of our workplace.
How does “going green” affect our personal life? It doesn’t require that we alter our everyday lives that much to make a difference. The most important thing you can do is to conserve energy wisely. The less energy we use, the less energy we must generate through power plants that cause pollution.
There are many things you can do to reduce your energy use. Are you using mass transit? If not, have you checked into it to see if it is even an option? Not only will you save energy, you may save money as well. Are you turning off the lights when you are not in the room? Have you adjusted the thermostat? Are you recycling both newspapers and trash? Is your community big into recycling? If not, do you know why not?
The NAIW (International) Corporate Centre is actively participating in “going green” by recycling all surplus paper, magazines and newsletters. We are using recyclable/refillable printer cartridges and conserving electricity by shutting off all lights when leaving the building. We have gone to an electronic version of The NAIW Connections newsletter and are also sending out electronic course completion certificates, as well as, using electronic lockbox remittance processing with our bank. All of these things are in the spirit of “going green”.
What can you do as a local association to participate in “going green”? How about a monthly meeting speaker from an environmental organization who focuses on recycling? How about a trip to your recycling center or your water treatment plant? Maybe volunteer your services to one of these organizations. I know that you can come up with some great ideas to make a difference in your local community.
By “going green”, we can make “Small Changes for Extraordinary Results” that will save our planet for future generations.
Jenelle Duffy
CPCU, CLU, FLMI, HIA, CPIW, DAE
NAIW (International) President
Feature Articles in the Fall 2008 Issue
(click on the article below to read)
 Summer 2008
Volume 65/ Issue 2
"Business Continuity"
NAIW International President’s Message
From crisis management - to technical support - to personnel changes - to recovery efforts - we as insurance professionals understand how important it is to have a business continuity plan. Each of your employers probably has just such a plan, and you may already know what part you will take should the plan need to be implemented.
The articles within this issue will give much insight into the value of a business continuity plan and how to set one up should you not have one in place.
Recently, the Executive Officers became keenly aware that the need for a business continuity plan was mandatory for our continued success as an association.
In the past several months, and most recently at Regional Conferences, members learned of the many changes that have taken place at Corporate Centre. The Executive Officers informed you that while some of these changes were expected, some were not. Dealing with the unexpected ones brought home to us the importance of implementing a plan for continuing our everyday responsibilities in the event of the loss of key personnel. Who would or could step up and keep us on task to provide our member’s services in a timely manner? Corporate Centre is fully staffed and everyone is aware and working diligently to help us implement our plan.
Your Executive Officers are truly a cohesive team this year. Because of the numerous changes, it was necessary for us to step into a high administrative level. Many weeks were spent working in Tulsa, not to mention the innumerable hours spent in conference calls and e-mail communication. It was a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes operation of our Corporate Centre and how the work performed there impacts our association. We realized the value of our experience and it convinced us that the teamwork we exhibited should continue. To ensure that our continuity plan is working and evolving for our benefit, the Executive Officers will each go to Corporate Centre once a quarter and spend a full week working with staff.
Cross-training of all staff was a top priority in writing our continuity plan. Having a very small staff to service our members and only one individual working in each position presented us with unique circumstances. Should one of them be out for an extended period of time, cross-training was necessary to minimize interruption of services. Staff members are becoming familiar and comfortable in their own positions and this training will begin in the very near future.
This term has presented unusual challenges to everyone: Executive Officers, Board of Directors and Staff. Without complaint or refusal to assist, these challenges were met by everyone. Each of us has worked extremely hard to continue the operations of our association while guarding its high ethical standards.
Writing my last article for the magazine was a bittersweet task. For the past 4 terms my service on the Executive Committee has been an enormous pleasure, culminating in my year as your International President. Nothing could take the place of the wonderful opportunity I had to work with Jenelle, Linda and Margaret. Their support was invaluable.
A sincere expression of gratitude goes to our staff: Melissa, John, Suzy, Mark and Michelle for the dedication and service you provided to this year’s officers and the members of NAIW
(International).
Finally, it has been an indescribable joy getting to know the "essential pieces" of NAIW’s membership and to experience your overwhelming passion for this our association. Thank You!
E. Faye Evans
2007-2008 NAIW (International) President
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