As most of you are aware, our Annual Member Meeting will be in November of this year. While many of our fellow Master Agencies have had to cancel their Business Meetings, we are grateful to hopefully see you in the fall.
We will distribute profit-sharing and PMSF electronically as we do at all other times of the year, so there’s no need to worry about receiving payments.
UAII will remain open for business and, if we move to remote or partially remote operations at some point, we are working to ensure that such a move will be seamless to you.
You can continue to reach us by email or telephone, and of course, siaa4u.com is available 24/7. On the subject of siaa4u.com, this is an excellent time to remember that continuing education and accredited coursed are available through WebCE on the Training and Learning Center.
You may find that interaction with UAII field teams, specifically recruiters and Bille Romine, involves more virtual and telephonic communication in the near term. We are committed to supporting each of our member agencies in their efforts to generate income and growth.
Some member agencies are ramping up their social media to communicate with clients, and we recommend you do the same. It is essential to let your clients (and prospects) know you’re still open for business, but there’s nothing wrong with encouraging them to contact you via email or phone. We recommend you remain mindful of comfort levels related to person-to-person contact, especially for mature clients or those with underlying health conditions.
It might also be time to consider some of the online screen sharing and presentation systems available, such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, and others. Most offer free trials (some of which have extended their services to 90-days because of the COVID-19 situation) and cost as little as $12 per month after that. Some even offer a free option with limited functionality.
Given the restrictions in place in most states, clients will likely want to communicate with you electronically, whether online or by telephone. Make sure they have access to a list of claims contacts for the companies you represent. Please consider using service centers, if you haven’t already. They are prepared to handle increased volumes, are available 24/7, and most offer discounted pricing to UAII/SIAA member agencies.
Please have patience with our partner companies as they transition to alternative work environments (remote work), which many of them have not done previously at this scale. These measures were taken to safeguard the health of everyone in our communities.
As I mentioned previously, these are challenging times, and we are stronger when we face challenges together. That’s not a UAII statement as much as a community statement. I realize we have more ahead of us, but when we come together, look out for one another, and do what’s best for the greater community, we can overcome significant hardships. I’m hopeful that when we get to summer vacations, we will be able to spend them with friends and family.
Stay healthy.
