In a recent article, Insurance Business asked brokers if they were facing a soft skills Armageddon. IB suggested that digital technology and the talent crunch could lead to soft skills becoming far less important, even redundant, in the years ahead. The insurance professionals interviewed strongly refuted this and even advocated for brokers further developing their soft skills.
But what types of soft skills does a broker need?
Gareth Downie (pictured, right), with PSC Insurance Brokers, helpfully listed some of them.
“Emotional intelligence, communication, empathy and the ability to build trust are all key to building a good healthy relationship,” said the Melbourne-based account manager. Downie is still in his early 30s and represents the next generation of brokers.
He said these skills are not just important at the in-person meeting. They’re as critical while using digital communication methods like Zoom and email.
“In fact, because we might not have as many opportunities for face-to-face engagement, being intentional with our communication with clients and potential clients becomes even more important,” said Downie.
These skills, he said, are equally important today as in centuries past.
Daniel Berry (pictured, left), a broker based in Brisbane, also said soft skills are critically important.
“These are skills that are needed in every aspect of your career,” he said. “You need to work on these skills and develop them.”
The broker said soft skills enable the building of long-lasting relationships with clients and with industry peers. Understanding where a client is at and responding appropriately, he said, is only achievable by developing these skills.
However, Berry emphasised that soft skills aren’t all about talking. Listening is probably more important.
“What I learned recently is that introverts can make great insurance brokers,” he said. “They’re good at listening and can build strong relationships.”
Berry puts himself in this category, particularly early in his career.
“I was awkward but loved reading policy wordings and understanding them,” he said. “Put me in front of a client and I would freak out.”
He said he didn’t have great communication skills and while some clients were patient with him, others noticed his nerves.
“If I had to dispute a claim with an insurer, I would feel my nerves starting to escalate, having to challenge an outcome,” said Berry. “Over time, however, it has been rewarding to develop this skill set.”
He suggested that developing these abilities comes from experience but also from choosing to focus on developing them. Particularly at claim time, Berry said, responding with soft skills like empathy and understanding is essential.
“That client that rings you every day for an update on their claim is probably experiencing a great level of distress and looking for help,” said Berry. “Sometimes they can be aggressive, sometimes they will dump their trauma on to you because they’ve been through a difficult experience.”
He gave an example.
His broking team recently assisted a client with a water damage claim. The claims process took several months to resolve, he said, due to “complexities” and Berry needed to apply “significant” pressure on the insurer’s assessor.
“We ultimately came to a favourable resolution for the client,” said Berry. “I suspect that, typically, the assessor’s interaction with a broker in these types of situations would become difficult and heated.”
However, when the claims process was over, he said the assessor phoned and emailed to thank him for his professionalism and kindness throughout the process.
“My point here, is that it can sometimes be easy to get caught up in the frustrations of the client and project these on to your colleagues,” said Berry. “Learn your soft skills and respond professionally.”
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