Customer service representatives (CSRs) are important front-line ambassadors for your insurance company, spending day in and day out keeping your customers satisfied. So if you're having difficulty finding the best talent for this crucial role, you're not alone. According to labor insight provider Burning Glass, insurance carriers have been driving a lot of the demand for customer service reps, with more than 11,000 jobs posted over the past 12 months. So how can you rise above the fierce competition and attract the best representatives to your insurance company?
Here's a simple checklist that can put you on the fast track when looking for a great customer service representative:
So how do you make this checklist a reality? Read on to learn about the first steps you can take today.
1. speed up your hiring process
Customer service representatives are in demand in almost every industry, which means longer hiring timelines — and when you're in need of great talent, you can't afford to make the hiring cycle any longer. This diagram offers insights into where your recruitment strategy can be more efficient.
2. develop a competitive compensation package
In the hiring game it's critical to know how competitive your salary and compensation package is, so check out Randstad's salary guide to see where your company stands in the pack.
The national averages in our salary guide make a great starting point, but remember that compensation for CSRs can differ greatly from market to market. Be sure to use Randstad's salary calculator to see the most up-to-date data on pay rates for customer service representatives and any other in-demand roles you need to fill.
3. identify the top skills for CSRs
Now you need to compile the requisite skills, education, training and professional experience that make for a successful candidate. Discuss this with the hiring manager to make sure you agree on these points, which will be incredibly helpful when you write the job description in the next step.
Think of these qualifications as two distinct categories: there are the "must-haves" — knowledge of the insurance industry and productivity tools like Microsoft Office — and the "nice-to-haves." Here are the skills most often required of CSRs, compiled from 11,000 job postings over the past year:
customer service
customer contact
administrative and clerical tasks
sales
data entry
scheduling
customer billing
4. write an eye-catching job description
Writing an impactful job description that catches candidates' attention can be difficult, but here are three easy things you can do to set your posting apart:
don't write like a robot
Insurance companies often write job descriptions like a list of tedious chores. So differentiate your company by making your posts as engaging as they can be by focusing on the most positive aspects of the job (like opportunities for continuous training or internal advancement), and then use accessible, human language to highlight the value customer service reps bring to the organization, like how they can support business continuity by quickly resolving customer complaints or expertly identifying false claims.
show how this job is meaningful
Today's job seekers — especially millennials and Gen Z candidates — pride themselves on tackling meaningful work that makes a difference, so focus on your company's commitment to the customer and the job's greatest rewards. For example, CSRs often work like translators as they help customers better understand complicated insurance policies, and they're often the first call when customers need help in dire circumstances like a car accident.
make it easy to skim
Short paragraphs and bulleted lists are the keys to making the job description easier to read — an especially important consideration when reading them on a mobile device, as most job seekers do nowadays. Prospective candidates want to know what the job entails within the first 10 seconds of reading your post, so put key information, like whether telecommuting options are available, front and center.
Once you've made your job descriptions more exciting, you should see soon see an uptick in the number of resumes coming through. But if you need more guidance with the writing process, our guide to writing highly effective job descriptions is here to help.
5. brush up on the latest industry trends
The insurance sector and the role that customer service play in it are undergoing big changes — and in order to stay on top of your recruitment game, you'll need to stay on top of them.
Here are the trends you need to know today:
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates approximately 136,300 new jobs will be created for customer service reps by 2026 — with the insurance industry driving a lot of that demand.
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Although the lion's share of postings require only a high school diploma or vocational training, there is a growing demand for candidates who hold an associate's or bachelor's degree.
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California, Texas and Florida are leading the pack when it comes to CSR jobs, so employers in those markets will need to be even more strategic and competitive with their recruitment plans.
6. choose your channels to find candidates
You don't want to find just any CSR, you want to find the ones who are the best fit for your organization — so consider working with a staffing firm with deep expertise in the insurance arena. And with the need for customer service representatives set to grow considerably in the future, gaining access to a nationwide network of top talent — screened, vetted and available on demand — can make all the difference.
Get in touch with the office and administration experts at Randstad today to start your journey to finding your next CSR. Or, to get started right away, head on over to our Find Employees portal and browse our large pool of screened and vetted customer service representatives.
