My Life As Insurance Agent

Can you imagine a world without Internet? Frankly I can’t .

Let’s start by the email. What would happen if you couldn’t send more emails? You would have to write all the letters by hand and it would take ages to see if there were no grammatical mistakes. Ah, and it would take several days or even weeks to get any response.

In business we cannot afford to wait to much time!

The next problem would be the information. When you need to know something what is the first place that comes to your mind? Yep, me too. Now imagine leaving without Google! If you want some information about something you will have to go to your library and hope they have a book about the subject you are looking for, not to mention you will spend hours there trying to find the information you are looking for. It’s impracticable. Forget about it.

Now let’s take a look at the banks! They cannot share information between them we would have to wait days or even weeks before having our account balances updated!

The worst part would be all the automatic and electronic transfers. Forget about it all. From now on all the money has to be delivered to hand! This creates extra costs and increased danger to all the money transporters.

Such thing will only increase the lack of trust people have in banks. Add that to all the frauds we discover almost every day…

Now let’s take a look at schools. When a student wants to make a research he can’t go to Google. He must go to the school library and hope to find something useful… The research will take ages instead of minutes and the quality will be worse.

The worst part of all this is in business. Business men cannot afford to waste time with such manual transfers and letter messages. They need quick messages like email and the money must be transfered electronically!

Business needs the latest information all the time and as fast as possible. It’s a lot of money that they will lose if they don’t have the latest information all the time! Can you imagine the stock and the financial information being updated only once a day or maybe even less! Business profits would go down… so down….

The only network possible would be inside companies but even with that they wouldn’t have much room to implement a reliable communication system. Email just inside companies is not practicable.

We would see a big economy stagnation and the prices would soar! Inflation could reach the 2 digits and families will be poorer than ever.

Is quality important for any business?

I believe quality IS important for any business, big or small. There are a couple of different qualities in a business. Let’s have a look at them:

1. Quality of customer service: This is the category where we can put how the employees interact with the customers.

Lets look at the following example: Recently my husband and I went to stay for a mini vacation at a hotel. While the hotel room was very presentable and all the amenities of the hotel were wonderful, one of the employees was very rude and was giving not only us the attitude but also other people who stayed at the hotel. If the employees of any business have a bad attitude toward their own coworkers and customers it will make them feel like they’re not welcome at the business.

2. Quality of knowledge in any business: The quality of knowledge the employees possess in any business. How many of us have found ourselves in the following situation: You go to a store looking for a specific product that you heard from your brotherinlaw. Now you are not really sure where it is or how it looks like. So while you are “shopping blind” you decide to ask one of the employees for help. You come up to employee with the hope that he or she knows what you are talking about, you might even have that puppy/lost look on you face, and all you get from the employee is that he/she is seasonal and just stock and does not really know anything about what you are talking about. Oh, what a bummer. Now you are standing there and deciding whether it’s worth the trouble to even go look for the product yourself or just leave the store and go to another store, with the hope that in the other store you will find the knowledgeable employee. Yes, “Knowledge IS Power”.

3. Quality of a product: Oh, yes any of us can relate to the following scenario. You want to buy a certain product at high end store, but heard that the “product look-alike” can also be found at a regular store. Price-wise you are ready to buy the look-alike. Is quality the same? Not necessarily. Let’s pick a product-men’s watches. While I was ready to buy any “good looking” watch, my husband had to inform me that not all are the same. He also informed me about a couple of facts like water resistance, life warranty and etc, that need to be taken in consideration when buying a men’s watch. So while I may buy a look alike from Macy’s, for a cheaper price, I am better off adding more money and buying a watch that would last my husband for a longer time.

Above are just some examples of quality that can be related to any of the businesses out there. Whatever the quality might be in a business, it is one of the important factors that contributes to a business’ success or failure. Customers rely on quality in the business and sometimes would not mind if the price is higher.

Providian credit card is one of the leading credit card companies in United States. Due the failure in the past because of the outrunning high fees and interest rate, it now brings the service by merger with Washington Mutual. This makes Providian able to increase the service and give so many new features and advantages for the customer or the holder of Providian credit card.

One of the advantages that can be obtained by the holder of providian credit card is the possibility to access their FICO credit score. The other advantage is that the Providian credit card available in customized card to fulfill the need of each individual. The features that can be obtained with the selection of Providian credit card are numerous. For example the Providian Platinum Credit Card will allow the access to the FICO credit score as well as so many discounts and coupons in various restaurants and retailers. The credit limit that is available for this type of credit card can also be fitted with the need of the cardholder.

The Providian Cash Reward is also available to give the customer reward from cash rebates. It depends on the purchasing of the customer to allow some specific amount of cash back.

How can I help you?

These are the words spoken multiple times daily by customer service professionals around the world. While it is not only the customer service representatives who perform the task, they are the ones we look to in order to have our needs met.

In today’s global marketplace, customer service has grown into a more valued entity. Universities are now offering classes dealing with customer service issues. Awards are given out measuring customer satisfaction. Studies are done to show how customer contact affects the customer’s purchasing trends. Due to this knowledge, many companies’ customer service groups are now in closer contact with the sales and marketing areas. Some are simply combining customer service with inside sales.

Customer service means product knowledge, company knowledge, technical support and sales. It means being the one-stop shop. Help the customer to the best of your ability, and follow up. If you don’t, your competitor will and may gain their business in the future.

The customer is the most important resource to your company’s success. Your customer not only establishes your business, your customer drives it. How are decisions made on product development and improvement? It is based on customer feedback. And why should your customer add your new product to their store instead of your competitor’s similar model? Excellent customer service available to answer any questions on the benefits of this new product will help with this sale!

Customer service is the voice of the customer to management. It is the duty of the service representative to pass along information on customer trends or impressions. This is one way businesses find out when a product must be re-called. It is also how a decision is made for people to work over-time in order to get a project completed timely for a worried, upset customer. Most customer service representatives feel empathy, and identify with their customer’s concerns. We are all customers in the global market.

What is customer service? It is sending a gift to your customer who just had a baby. It is getting to know your customer personally, and understanding what is important to them. It is saying How can I help you? and doing just that. Satisfy your customer to the best of your ability and follow up to be sure they have what they need. By remembering that your customer fuels your business, you will provide the foundation for building more success together.

It’s happened to me. About a year ago, someone got a hold of my bank card numbers. Fortunately, the crook made some international purchase which immediately clued me in and my bank was quick to settle the whole thing. But most people aren’t so lucky. Identity theft is a serious crime that’s growing each year. Victims of identity theft can spend months, or even years, trying to repair a ruined credit history, which can compromise your chances of getting a new job, a bank loan, insurance or even rental housing. Follow these steps to help keep your identity safe:

Protect Your Credit Card Number When Making Purchases

Check your receipts after making a purchase with your credit or debit card. In most cases, the printed receipt hides all but the last 4 digits of your credit card account number, but some terminals still print receipts that show all 16 digits of your account number and the expiration date. If you get one of these receipts, black out the numbers entirely before throwing it away – this is all the information a thief needs to make charges using your card. You’re also permitted by law to hide the first 12 digits of your account number on any copies of the receipt that the seller keeps.

It’s especially important to keep tabs on your receipts at restaurants. Think about it – you pay for your meal and then leave the signed receipt on your table for the waiter to pick up. But in a busy restaurant, it’s easy for a potential thief to “accidentally” bump your receipt off the table (or just steal it) and get your information. If the restaurant’s receipt shows all of your account information, black out the first 12 digits of your credit card number before leaving the restaurant.

Do You Really Need To Give Your Social Security Number?

Be very stringent about who you give your social security number to. You’ll probably need to share your number when you apply for credit or for a bank account, but sometimes a store or an organization will want to use it as an ID number, simply to identify you within their system. This is not only dangerous – it’s illegal. The law says that social security numbers aren’t to be used as ID numbers. If you’re ever unsure about giving out your social security number, ask if there’s an alternative – there is in most cases.

Destroy Documents That Contain Sensitive Personal Information

Buy a paper shredder and use it to destroy any documents that contain credit card numbers, social security numbers, phone numbers, your date of birth and any other personal information before throwing them away. Any credit card offers should also be shredded – thieves can fill out the applications and open a line of credit without you ever knowing. Don’t think that throwing out these documents is enough – identity thieves aren’t above going through the trash to find information that can help them get credit in your name.

If The Worst Happens

If you do become a victim of identity theft, take the following steps immediately:

* Contact your credit card companies to let them know what’s going on, close your accounts and ask to have new cards issued to you.

* Place a fraud alert on your file with any one of the three major credit bureaus. The other two will be notified automatically.

* File a police report. You may need it to show to creditors as proof of the crime.

* File a complaint with the FTC, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for their investigations.

It’s not fun to think about identity theft, but in this age of technology, you can’t afford not to. Identity thieves get smarter every day – just think of the recent rash of companies announcing that their client databases have been hacked into, exposing personal information. Some things are out of your control, but there are some simple precautions you can take to keep your personal information secured. Keeping your identity safe may be one of the most important things you do for your financial future.

So you’ve realised that all that talk about generational groups isn’t just marketing hype . . . that the era you are born in really does have a bearing on how you think and act, particularly at work. The question now is how to use this knowledge to help you get the most out of your team. What does it take to engage people of different generations?

There is so much information out there on the generations that it can get confusing. What you really need is a quick reference guide to understanding the factors that create engaged people. In other words, the type of people who don’t just turn up to work physically but are also there mentally and emotionally too. So here it is . . .

Builders

Growing up in a time of World Wars and the depression it’s no wonder this group crave security. The need for the security of adequate food and shelter, the security of knowing your family members weren’t going to be sent to war and the security of knowing you still had a job. They still crave that security. Talk to many of the Builder generation and they will speak of saving for a rainy day and being prepared “just in case”. To them security was far more important than fulfilment, achievement or having fun and this is the attitude many of them have brought to the workplace.

Life at this time was also very structured with clear roles for everyone and little ambiguity. The big institutions of the government, monarchy and church played a huge part in people’s daily lives. Builders liked this because it gave them a sense of purpose. This is perhaps one of the hardest changes for them to come to terms with in the current work environment . . . the feeling that there is a lack of structure.

Being seen as stable and reliable are traits that this generation also value highly. You didn’t change employers or relationship partners unless you had absolutely no choice. Long service leave was something everyone eventually qualified for and getting a gold watch on retirement was also a given. To Builders, being stable was more important than being outstanding. There were looking for the long term results, not some short term glory that might fade. They believed in “keeping your head down” and “not attracting attention to yourself”.

Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomers are a highly motivated group who believe that hard work will be rewarded. In fact, they coined the phrase “workaholism” and are proud of it.

This is the group that gave us the concept of team work and pep talks to get the staff performing at their peak. They also started doing annual performance reviews to further motivate people to achieve. The Baby Boomers idea of achievement was input based. “Look how many hours I’m working” they would say.

The Baby Boomers were also the first mobile generation. They moved house more, changed jobs more or at least sought promotions more. Upward mobility was the focus, whether it was in the type of house you had, the car you drove or your position in the organisation. This mobility is a result of their parents instilling in them a belief they would be successful.

Of course their mobility links in well with another factor . . . materialism. Baby Boomers placed a lot more emphasis on the outward signs of success: the corner office, the company, your own secretary. For some of them, a real sign of success was wearing a suit to work as it showed you had really made it and moved on from a blue collar job to the elusive white collar position with all it’s lerks and perks.

Generation X

This new generation looked at the Baby Boomers with their workaholic ways and the slavish control that the big organisations had over them and thought “there has to be more than this”. They decided to take control of their careers rather than leave it in the hands of others. They also wanted control over their time so instead of focusing on the input of hours worked, they decided their priority was going to be output, with a focus on the results they achieved. The idea was to work less, get the same result and have time for a life and so the concept of work/life balance was invented.

This generation also wanted options so choice became their mantra. The “one size fits all” workplace of the past didn’t suit them. They were a more diverse group. More women were working, people of different cultures were coming on the scene and alternative work patterns were emerging. They knew that a straight career path wasn’t going to work for them. Unlike Baby Boomers who chose a career early and stuck with it, even if they didn’t enjoy it, they decided that wasn’t enough . . . they wanted more.

That brings me to the 3rd, and most controversial Generation X tag, cynicism. Many commentators on generations describe Xers as cynical but they actually think of themselves as realists. They know you can’t rely on institutions to look after you because they’ve seen too many people let down by them. The average Xer has been retrenched at least once or has jumped ship just in time. They are very much a generation that believes if something isn’t working, change it and find something that does. Xers have high expectations of job satisfaction and low tolerance levels for people who are all talk and no action.

Gen Y

This generation is all about having fun. From an early age they have been exposed to Cable TV, video games and a 24 hour a day 7 day a week entertainment machine called the Internet. If something isn’t fun, they don’t want to do it and it’s this attitude they are bringing to the workplace. The generations before them don’t necessarily disagree with this concept. It’s just this is the first generation to really stand up for their right to enjoy work. They’ve seen so many global tragedies in their short lives that they are determined to enjoy every moment they have.

Friends are very important to Gen Y. Many have not experienced the traditional family unit of their parents and grandparents but have instead formed a tight circle of friends both locally, interstate and internationally. Friends, family, work colleagues all mix together to form Gen Y relationships. They see work as an extension of their social network. As an employer this can work in your favour because if they really enjoy working for you they will tell their friends and help you shortcut the recruitment process by finding great candidates for you.

And finally this is a generation that lives for the future. They will get involved in some traditional pursuits, look at the resurgence of Anzac Day celebrations which have been spearheaded by young people as an example. However, their minds are firmly focused on the future. They can see the possibilities and want to be involved in creating positive changes that will enhance their lives. This can make them appear impatient but they know, just as the trail blazing Baby Boomers did, that you need to go out on a limb to affect social change.