The Importance of Automation for Independent Medicare Insurance Agents

As a business owner, it's important to constantly seek ways to make your business more efficient and effective. One way to do this is through automation, which can help streamline processes, reduce errors, and save time. In the insurance industry, where there are a lot of complex regulations and compliance requirements, automation is especially valuable. 

Lori Bergsma, owner of Balanced Rock Insurance in Twin Falls, Idaho, has found success in using automation to scale her business. In this post, we'll explore how automation has helped Lori's business, as well as the importance of customer service and the power of referral marketing in growing a business.

Automate to scale your medicare business

As a medicare business grows, it can become increasingly difficult to manage all of the processes involved. Automation is one of the keys to scaling a medicare business in order to make it more efficient and effective. 

Lori Bergsma is the owner of Balanced Rock Insurance in Twin Falls, Idaho. She has been in the insurance industry for 26 years, and her business specializes in group health insurance and Medicare. She explains that the Medicare part of the business has grown significantly over the years, and it requires a lot of training and compliance work in order to stay up to date with all of the regulations.

In order to keep up with the increasing demands of the business, Lori has found that automation is essential. Automation can help streamline processes, reduce errors, and save time. For example, Lori uses a CRM for Medicare agents through FairStreet, which helps her manage all of her clients in one place. It allows her to collect prescriptions, quote and enroll, create custom intake forms, do call recording, and more.

Automation can also help with customer service. By automating certain processes, Lori can provide her clients with a more personalized experience at scale. For example, she can send them to her personal URL (PURL) to get a quote. By providing a more streamlined experience, Lori can ensure that her clients are getting the best service possible and spend her time where it really counts.

Interacting with Medicare clients remotely

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have had to adapt to a new reality of remote customer service. Like many people, Lori and her son Jason have had to adjust their business to interact with clients remotely. They have started using call recording, digital scope of appointments, and collecting drug data digitally for their clients. They also use a HIPAA compliant CRM to help manage the data along with a 24/7 backup answering service. 

The Bergsmas have also had to adjust their customer service approach. Rather than meeting face-to-face, they now communicate with clients via video calls, phone, and text. They still provide personalized service, taking the time to understand each client’s individual needs. In many ways, building a remote-first business has allowed them to better serve their clients and build trust in a remote world.

The Bergsmas’ transition is a great example of how medicare businesses can successfully adjust to the new reality of remote client service. Automation is an invaluable tool for streamlining processes, and taking the time to understand client needs is essential for providing a personalized service in a world where face to face happens less. As the world continues to adjust to the new normal, Medicare agents should continue to explore new ways to interact with clients remotely.

Grow your medicare business through referrals

Referral marketing is one of the most effective methods for growing a Medicare agency. Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful because the information comes from a trusted source. 

Lori relies heavily on referrals from two sources: referrals from existing clients and carrier referrals. Providing excellent client service builds trust and means that her clients will happily refer her name to friends and family turning 65. Lori also built close relationships with local carriers, who will share referral lists with her as another way to grow her business.

Advice Lori gives is to remember that not all people are tech-savvy, so having both physical and digital ways to get referrals is super important. 

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