Reflections During a Difficult Time
Reflections During a Difficult Time
Iam writing this article at the end of a difficult week for me. I attended the wake and services for my long-time friend and assistant, Roberta. It’s difficult to describe the depth and importance of the relationship Roberta and I shared. I was lucky enough to hire my Roberta 45 years ago. At that time, she was a collections person for TransAmerica, and when she came to me for a job, she was looking to switch to part time. The part-time job she filled at my office turned into a full-time position very quickly. And with her, my business grew successful. I always had confidence that my bills were paid, that my employee records were up-to-date, and if I had a problem and I needed a second opinion, I knew I could always rely on Roberta to be an honest advisor. I considered her my private consultant and counselor. In February of this year, Roberta was stricken with sickness and on Oct. 1, she passed away. In the days preceding her passing, I was privileged to talk to her and thank her for her support and loyalty and for all the work she gave to me and my organization. But I saw she was in pain and it was time to leave. My words seemed insufficient, and I wish I could have told her more.
Remembering Roberta, there are a few things that surface immediately to my mind. She was resistant to change and I wouldn’t say she embraced technology quickly. But, when I made the decision to upgrade equipment or change processes, she was the one who made sure it was implemented in the office. I relied on her. She was savvy and she knew how to get things done without requiring oversight. In fact, she preferred not to be overseen. “Let me do my thing,” she told me. “You get out of the office and I’ll do my thing.”
Roberta knew she was an indispensable part of our business: While my strength, like most agents, is my ability to sell, hers was to make sure I could focus on doing so. We often hear the adage: “Nobody does anything ‘till somebody sells something.” It’s important to remember, that while the adage is true, nobody can run an agency alone.
The reason I’m writing this is that all agents have their own Roberta. Agents are go-getters and great sales people, but most of us need someone who can keep us organized and on track; to take care of problems when we aren’t in the office or available when situations arise with clients. I would submit that almost every successful agent has a person in the office who they can fall back on; who they rely on most and whom they trust; a long-term employee who really is a partner in their success.
Roberta helped me interview potential employees. She was the office leader, cheerleader and project manager. Other staff at my agency had confidence that they could talk to her. She was direct and always honest with me. She was the most honest individual I’ve ever met – one of her greatest traits. She never would intentionally hurt a fly; she was always sympathetic to our clients, who loved her and in return, stayed with my agency. One would call her simply a “good person.” And this became my office culture.
Now, I know as agents we are always seeking new, innovative ways to make our offices run efficiently and at the same time save on our expenses. In the midst of Roberta’s passing, I experienced an example of how important client sympathy is in developing loyalty. My AOL account was somehow attacked by an unknown party overseas and thousands and thousands of emails were disseminated over my name. AOL notified me of the situation and closed down my account until the problem could be resolved. I hired a great group of techies to clear the problem up. We thought the problem was resolved and my account was opened and within 24 hours my email was shut down again because of the same problem. Every time I had to call AOL, we were sent to their support center, which was obviously oversees. We spoke with the support center more than 10 times—and each time, we heard exactly the same script, verbatim. While I had adept technical support, I missed Roberta, who I knew would have dealt with this with more grace than I could. Obviously, the support people at AOL were unequipped to work with me and solve the problem. So I opened a new gmail account.
I’ve heard several agents discuss saving labor costs by having certain processes taken care of overseas. They could send information that needs to be processed overnight and the next day, the outsourced work would be completed and on their computers in their office. Sometimes I wonder if this is a good idea: The savings may not be worth it; you may not be able to control what you’ve done; and you certainly can lose the two biggest assets your agency has: 1) your unique and local connection with your clients and 2) the relationship and professionalism your staff brings to your business.
I’ve spoken with fellow agents who also are conflicted about outsourcing. While sending work out may result in an initial cost savings, they struggle with their desire to keep work here in the US. They tell me it’s difficult to find qualified people who could use the work and do a good job. But in the long the run, I think investing in finding the right people is worth it. Like Roberta, great employees save agencies time and money and they keep our reputations (our livelihood) intact.
It’s true that investing in your staff is difficult. When I hired Roberta, our part time agreement reflected my struggle starting out. When she increased her hours to full time, I paid Roberta more than I brought home.
And nowadays, times are tough; an agent’s first instinct is to cut our biggest expense—that’s usually our staff and their benefits. But, I urge agents to think about their biggest asset—because these are one and the same.
Client retention is, and should be, a priority for every agency. After all, your staff are your agency’s communication and media to your clients. And, your company’s attitude toward its staff will be reflected to your clients—as the saying goes: Happy CSRs (efficient CSRs) make happy clients. Roberta was my human resources department— she helped to build a culture of trust and encouraged employees by empowering them and rewarding them for identifying and enacting efficiencies. Agencies should reward creative thinking and a culture of service. I think this is one of the best investments you can make.
These are things that are difficult to measure, but as agents, we know in our guts to be true. When I sat down to write this column, I started out wondering if I had time to thank Roberta for everything she did for me. She was my right arm. And, I know I am a richer man for having hired her, worked with her and for having been her friend. My thoughts are with her husband, Andy and her two children Lauren and Matthew, as well as her sister Fran, who also worked at my agency.
