Dave Vanderpan drove his case home on the five techniques to “get back in control” with you customer with his story of how he utilized these tools in dealing with his three year old son. Speaking before the February meeting of the Sacramento Claims Association, he explained how he was able to win his son over by first acknowledging the importance (to his son) of the missing power-ranger toy; empathized with his son through the third party approach of relating; got permission from his little one to allow him to help, calming him down. He then expressed the value of his own experience - being the boy’s father for three years, and promised to do his best to help resolve the issue.

Needless to say, all ended well. His son, now at ease, was quickly able to find the toy, and Dave was then free to resume enjoying his sports-center show and a beer - back relaxing on the couch.

“So many times,” he explained, with regards to customer relations, “we try to drive the process, and tend to cram too much information down their throats.”

Utilizing the five easy steps will take you a long way in resolving issues even before they have a chance to crop up. If you didn’t catch them in the example, they are:
acknowledgment;
2) Empathy;
3) Permission;
4) Experience; and
5) Promise.

Obviously, there’s much more to it than just those five words. The concept, however, is simple. Listening, and being respectful, go a long way toward maintaining a focus on a positive outcome.
Vanderpan, a former claims man himself, is now the Director of Training for the International Insurance Institute. Together with his I.I.I. colleges, he will be presenting the first ever Claims Education Conference, to be held at the Doubletree Sonoma Wine Country Hotel May 16-19, 2006. More information on that is available online, including registration forms, at: www.InsuranceInstitute.com.